Where the keys live at the office, and where they live at the property.
Verdict
These are not alternatives; they are two ends of the same chain. The cabinet is where sixty listing keys live at the office, tagged and accounted for. The lockbox is what hangs on the door so a showing agent can get in. Buy the cabinet if your problem is that keys are in a drawer and nobody knows which is which. Buy lockboxes as a per listing cost. Note that many MLS and board rules require a specific approved electronic lockbox for member access, so check before buying a shelf of combination boxes.
~$31
Check Master Lock 5400EC Portable Lockbox Price| KYODOLED 60-Key Wall Cabinet | Master Lock 5400EC Portable Lockbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Bolted to an office wall | Hung on a door or railing |
| Capacity | Sixty keys | Up to about five |
| Access control | One lock, one office | A code you can share |
| Audit trail | None | None on a mechanical box |
| Weather exposure | None | Outdoors, all year |
| Price | Around thirty four dollars | Around thirty one dollars |
Keys are accumulating and nobody can find the right one. A wall cabinet with numbered hooks and tags turns that into a two second lookup, and bolting it to a wall inside a locked office is a meaningful improvement over an unlocked desk drawer. It is the cheapest fix for the most common key problem in a small brokerage.
Check KYODOLED 60-Key Wall Cabinet on Amazon
You need a showing agent to get into a property without meeting you. A mechanical combination box is inexpensive and works with no batteries and no app. Its limitation is real: a shared code is shared forever, there is no record of who opened it, and codes leak. Change the code between showings and after a listing ends.
Check Master Lock 5400EC Portable Lockbox on Amazon
It is a deterrent rather than real security, and it has no audit trail. For a vacant property with nothing of value inside, many agents accept that. For an occupied home, an electronic box that records who opened it and when is a materially better answer, and your board may require one anyway.
They vary and they matter. Many boards mandate an approved electronic lockbox system for member access to listed properties, and a hardware store box may not be permitted at all. Confirm with your local board before you standardise on anything.
Somewhere out of direct sight from the street and not on the front door glass. A side gate, a rear door or a utility meter is common. Whatever you choose, tell the seller exactly where it is and confirm it is legal for the property's association rules.
Comparison based on published manufacturer specifications and the general consensus of owner reports. We have not tested these units side by side. Confirm current prices and specifications before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Deciding on a specific model? We review the Igloohome waterproof smart lockbox review in full.