For the last 2 years or so, a big topic of conversation at my company's sales meeting's has been the electronic lockbox issue. We have an agent in our office who intensely followed this topic and kept us up to date on the 'future direction' that our Board and MLS system was headed. For years, we used the GE system (Supra) and to be honest, I was quite happy with it. It was pretty easy to use, updated itself overnight (with a dedicated phone line) and overall, was very reliable. Well, as change often happens, our Board and MLS system went to a completely new system (Sentrilock).

I was hesitant at first to fully embrace this new system but I am glad that I/we did. Sentrilock has so many advantages over the Supra system that in my humble opinion should not be overlooked.

A few advantages:
Supra had to have a dedicated phone line, Sentrilock does not.
Supra was an aging system and GE was not putting more in to the technology. Sentrilock is very new to the market.
Sentrilock has many more useful features than Supra ever did (see below).
Supra's e-key was the size of a pager, Sentrilock's key is the size of a credit card.

Regardless of the Realtor advantages, every home seller should demand the Sentrilock system. To this day, many agents still use a manual lock box. In other words, touch a few button, open the lockbox, get the key. Repeat. When I show property, I write these codes down on my MLS showing information sheet. If anyone ever sees these codes, finds out what the code numbers are, they can gain access to your home over and over again. Not safe to the homeowner, an extra liability to the Realtor, a potential windfall for a thief.

The Sentrilock system minimizes the risk for illegal entry and should give any homeowner or Realtor a sense of security. 

The benefits of using the Sentrilcock system:

Easy to use
Ability to use manual codes
Realtors electronic smart card (must login to system daily)
Up to 9 different 1-day codes (assignable to known contractors, appraiser, home inspectors, etc)
Internet connectivity
Illuminated electronic Keypad
Protective cover for equipment and front door (paintable surface)

So homeowners, start demanding the use of this system. It is a fairly expensive system for Realtors to lease/purchase but in the end, peace of mind is just as important as selling your house, isn't it?