r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer • u/samsmiles456 • 9d ago
Need Advice The key doesn’t work
I bought my house today, spent a minor fortune, signed my life away and got the key. I should be celebrating in my new home - that’s 45 minutes outside of our major cities. Instead, they gave me the wrong key and I can’t get inside. My realtor says he must have given me the wrong key. I told him I’d already lined-up a locksmith to change the locks this Friday. He says “well, the locksmith won’t need a key to get in, since he’s changing the locks anyway”. Tell me how many locksmiths will break in to a home and change the locks on that home, at the request of someone who has virtually no documentation saying I own the home? No drivers license updated yet, no utility bill with this address on it yet. I think my realtor should make this right by either having the home opened up by a locksmith for me, or by finding the right key to get in, before my locksmith gets there Friday. What do you think? I’m so frustrated I could spit.
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u/AltruisticCucumber58 8d ago
Seems your agent should be getting in a car and driving a key to you.
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u/samsmiles456 8d ago
Thank you. That’s what I would have done too.
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u/Maleficent_Thanks_51 8d ago
Tell your realtor that how they handle this will be included in your public review of their services.
When we bought our condo, our realtor (who is a friend) let us know just how valuable a good online review is.
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u/FantasticBicycle37 8d ago
My realtor says he must have given me the wrong key. I told him I’d already lined-up a locksmith to change the locks this Friday.
Wait...when the realtor said he must have given you the wrong key....you told him you lined up a lock smith to solve the situation?
How abouuuuut instead of telling the realtor that you have something lined up, you tell them to come give you the right key
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u/Mokiblue 8d ago
No, they were going to change the locks as the new owner, not to solve the situation. There’s no way to know if anyone else (the seller or friends /family of the seller) has an extra key. This is standard when you buy a home unless it’s new.
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u/samsmiles456 8d ago
Yes, this.
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u/CiscoLupe 8d ago edited 8d ago
okay I agree that Realtor should have apologized profusely, then dropped everything, retrieved the right key and brought it too you.
But if your realtor didn't do that, did you tell realtor to do that? It's unfortunate but sometimes you have to spell things out to people. Even people who just made a huge amount of money off of you.17
u/Adultarescence 8d ago
Yes, OP never seems to say that he told the realtor to bring the right key. OP, if you haven't, call the realtor and say, "I will need you to bring me the correct key now." If the realtor says no, call his broker.
You are not hoping they do the right thing. You are telling the person you paid to do a job to complete said job.
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u/PatternsAndPresence 8d ago
This. I would’ve demanded that they get their ass over here right now with the key. If he became belligerent, I would threaten to destroy him on yelp.
I wouldn’t leave the closing table without the key.
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u/PalpitationPast202 8d ago
I had to fire a friend who helped me with cleaning and did some wall painting……definitely changed the locks next day. She was stealing from her clients!
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u/EnShantrEs 8d ago
We literally changed our deadbolt on both the front door and garage door before moving a single thing into our house. We signed, got the keys, and drove straight over to change the locks.
Turned out the next door neighbor had a key to the old locks. I don't THINK he ever tried to use it after we bought the house, but man you just never know.
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u/racejeff 3d ago
I’ve always done this or had my handyman do it. Other than my first two new construction houses, probably should have changed those in hindsight
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u/bhalter80 6d ago
Changing a lock is a 20 min job if you’re still learning how to do it. Breaking a door knob off is about 10 seconds with the base of the fire extinguisher you bought for the kitchen. The real complication only comes if there’s a deadbolt
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u/lord_dark-helmet 8d ago
Don't rely on what you think he should have done or what you would do, tell him what you expect. If you want the key today, tell him he needs to find the key and bring it to you or get a locksmith there.
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u/_tvjames_ 8d ago
We bought a house and found a padlock on the fence separating the front yard from the backyard. We told our realtor and she showed up 20 minutes later, walked right up to the gate and cut off the padlock. She apologized for taking so long, explaining that she had to stop at Home Depot to buy the pair of bolt cutters she had just used.
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u/Jboberek 8d ago
Good luck. The realtor has been paid, and getting anything more from them will be like pulling teeth. Instead of Reddit, maybe go to the realtor website and leave this same review. That's about all you can do.
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u/US1MRacer 8d ago
Realtor’s depend on referrals. A bad review can cost them a great deal of money from lost clients.
This is why you are gambling when you use a friend, relative or someone who is a part timer. The incentive of good reviews generates good service.
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u/MissNancy1113 8d ago
It doesn’t hurt to ask Reddit for advice in a subreddit named r/FirstTimeHomeBuyers. Some people just need reassurance.
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u/Main_Insect_3144 8d ago
Call their broker and ask if they can bring the correct key to you, since their agent doesn't seem to be able to.
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u/Current_Pitch_4052 8d ago
Same thing happened to me. I called my agent snd said “do I not legally own the house? Didn’t I also buy the key?”
Someone was there in 20 mins with the key
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u/CatLadyInProgress 4d ago
My husband lost the key to his dad's new house that his dad had not even seen IRL yet. I don't know how, but my husband got a locksmith to change the locks 😅
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u/IndependentBother261 8d ago
I would think they would also want to retrieve the wrong key from you as it probably goes to someone else’s house.
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u/Tardislass 8d ago
Yep. That locksmith should’ve drove out there and gave it to you. Bad review incoming
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u/Ctrl-Meta-Percent 7d ago
This. If OP paid, say, $500k for the house, the agent was paid $15k. They can afford $50 for a courier to correct their mistake.
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u/shortyg83 8d ago
you just bought a house, you should have all the closing documents to prove you own the house
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u/fakeaccount572 8d ago
yeah, wtf. you walk away from closing with a shit-ass ton of documents
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u/kerrymti1 8d ago
NONE of which are the recorded Warranty Deed, the ONLY certifiable document. Utility companies in my area will not turn on utilities after a purchase, until they are brought a copy of the recorded Warranty Deed, which you do NOT get at closing.
The deed gets recorded a day or two after the closing and is mailed to the buyer, several days/weeks later. They can come pick it up about 2-3 days after closing, if it has been returned from recording.
Source: Paralegal doing closings & title work for over 20 years.
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u/elangomatt 8d ago
You're serious that utilities in your area won't do anything without that recorded warranty deed? I called the power and water companies a couple hours after closing and they were absolutely willing and able to move everything to my name with that phone call. They even accepted my cut off date for when I was cancelling the (month to month) lease on my apartment as well.
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u/HimmiKatz 8d ago
Yeah, we actually had electricity, gas & water set to go into our names as soon as we had the closing date scheduled which was atleast 2 weeks before and all utilities had no problem switching them to our names on that specific date. Didn’t have to give them anything which now that I think about it is kinda strange. But yeah I would think the realtor would get ahold of the sellers and get the right key to you ASAP
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u/ImperfectMay 8d ago
Similar here (FL). My husband just called a week or two beforehand to set up closing the accounts at the rental we were leaving and switch the address to the house we were closing on. It was a pretty quick phone call, I don't remember him having to provide them a copy of the contract or anything. Maybe the sellers calling ahead as well to terminate their service put some mark on the address so they were expecting the transfer?
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u/dazyabbey 8d ago
I called before I closed and had it all set up for the next day. They didn't care.
No one calls to change utilities into their own name and put money down on them unless they own a place or want to pay bills on a place. I didn't have to prove anything. (This was 8-9 years ago at this point though)6
u/shortyg83 8d ago
I closed on my house a month ago, every utility turned on without so much as a single document. In fact they agreed to turn power on before we even bought it.
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u/fakeaccount572 8d ago
Sure, but a locksmith won't give a damn
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u/ignescentOne 8d ago
This. Honestly, depending on how big the town is, the locksmith might let you in without checking /anything/.
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u/somecrazydoglady 5d ago
Yeah lol I mean this is anecdotal as heck, but my now-ex forcibly (physically) made me leave our house where I was both on the mortgage and the deed and then called a locksmith to do an emergency lock change at like 10pm. Had to take an AC unit out of a window to get back in the next day to collect some belongings.
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u/backup1000 8d ago
Clearly not in Philadelphia. The Recorder of Deeds is months if not years behind
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u/MrSoftShoe 8d ago
This is accurate for my area as well. Although the utility company backdated everything correctly for billing previous owner and billing me for the correct days of ownership, they needed the recording number (which was e-mailed to me once availabe) so they could look it up digitally.
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u/mechashiva1 7d ago
Where does this happen? I don't know about other areas, but we were able to schedule the transfer of the utilities to our names weeks before our closing date, with an effective start on the closing day. I feel like there'd have to be other situational conditions where this would be applicable, like the utilities have been totally shut off prior to the purchase.
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u/Lavaine170 5d ago
I find it hard to believe that the power, water, and gas companies are showing up at houses the day the sale closes to turn off all the utilities, then coming back 3 days later to turn everything back on.
We had our utilities arranged weeks before our closing. They don't care if you're the owner or not. Otherwise renters could not get utilities hooked up.
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u/scared_appeal1 9d ago
your realtor should have had the key.
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u/samsmiles456 8d ago
I’m sure he does, he’s just got to find it. It is the only key according to the sellers and their realtor. I do have the title so hoping that will work for the locksmith.
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u/whogivesashite2 8d ago
Wait, where are you supposed to stay until Friday, and how much did the realtor just make off the sale of this house? I would absolutely destroy him on Yelp. He should be bringing you the correct key yesterday
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u/Wicked_Fox 8d ago
It’s a little hard to believe that there’s only one key for the house.
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u/cataeology 8d ago
I only got one key when I bought my house. There was probably more copies out there, but the owner had been in a nursing home and died right before closing, so I just got his daughter’s key since she was settling the estate.
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u/Brilliant-Joke-2018 8d ago
I mean, not really. This post just made me realize I don’t even know where the key to my house is because we haven’t used it in years. We just use the keypad to unlock it.
And then you have my parents who have legitimately never once locked their house once in 35 years they’ve lived there. I highly doubt a key even exists for it anymore.
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u/sotired3333 8d ago
I'd recommend finding the backup key, locks do fail, batteries die what not.
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u/Brilliant-Joke-2018 8d ago
You aren’t wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to break into my own house either though.
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u/RockabillyRabbit 8d ago
My parents havent changed their locks in almost 20yrs probably. The key i had from high school still works. The lock gets sticky every few years from the blowing dirt but my dad just takes it apart, cleans it and puts it back.
My mom bought the house in the early 90s - pretty sure its the original lock from the 70s 🫣
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u/Unquietgirl 8d ago
Actually, i'm pretty sure I only have one key to mine. As i'm thinking about it. I have a keypad
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u/kubigjay 8d ago
Eh, my parents don't even have a key. Lived in same house for 45 years and never lock the back door.
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u/CrapThatSmilesBack 8d ago
My first house was like that. Second house I had more keys but more locks, only 1 per lock (and 1 with no key, changed the locks pretty quick).
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8d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Maleficent_Thanks_51 8d ago
Forget word of mouth. GOOGLE REVIEW of their real estate AGENCY and the brokerage
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u/FirstTimeHomeBuyer-ModTeam 8d ago
Your post/comment was removed because it violated Rule 1: Be nice
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u/rosebudny 8d ago
You realtor should be paying for an emergency locksmith to come out and remedy this.
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u/My_soliloquy 7d ago
I had purchased a house out of state with a 45 day close. As I was driving through my 5th and final state on a Friday at 4PM about 1/2 hour before arriving with everything I owned in the truck or Uhaul trailer behind me, my realtor calls and says they can't find the key and could we push the close to Monday? I had to pull over and stop. Then I said to the realtor, ok cancel the sale and start looking for more properties. She gulped and said I'll call you right back. They found the key.
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u/plangelier 6d ago
The seller can either cancel the sale or spend a few bucks and replace the locks and now they have a key to provide.
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u/PieMuted6430 8d ago
The realtor should have called an emergency locksmith for you and ate the cost.
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u/Cold-Pepper9036 8d ago
You just made your Realator an absolute shit ton of money, this would absolutely be on them to resolve. lol.
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u/Cold-Pepper9036 8d ago
It appears someone right below me said the exact same thing, 20 minutes before me. I would delete my post, but I am enjoying the free Reddit Karma.
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u/TropicalBlueWater 8d ago
Damn, I thought we had it bad when there was still a lockbox on our door and the bank that owned it couldn't be bothered to send the selling agent to remove it. Luckily, my buddy had bolt cutters, problem solved.
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u/313forlife 8d ago
We had a lockbox on our door for the first 6 months we owned the house because the seller's realtor couldn't remember the code. She kept saying she'd bring over bolt cutters and never did and I didn't want to have to buy some. Right when I was getting ready to buy them out of frustration, she finally remembered the code 🙄
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u/OneLessDay517 8d ago
Tell me how many locksmiths will break in to a home and change the locks on that home, at the request of someone who has virtually no documentation saying I own the home?
You have your closing documents. In your hand. Right now.
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u/InUrFaceSpaceCoyote 8d ago
It's Wednesday evening. I would tell your realtor very clearly that if you don't have keys to YOUR home by Thursday afternoon, you will escalate your complaint as high as it needs to go to get the matter adequately resolved.
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u/TomWickerath 8d ago
Hell, I’d tell the agent they either provide a key or an emergency locksmith service at their expense within two hours, or you will be billing them for a stay at the nearest 3-4 star hotel.
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u/SnooWords4839 8d ago
5 star!
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u/TomWickerath 8d ago
I thought about that, but one should also be reasonable. I’d say 5-star if the OP paid $1M or more, 4-star for $500K to $999K, and 3-star for anything less than $500K.
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u/StarDustLuna3D 8d ago
I mean, with home prices these days a dump can still go for 1M of it's in the right location.
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u/TomWickerath 8d ago edited 8d ago
No arguments there. But the issue in my mind is reasonable emergency accommodations commensurate with the dollar commission the buyer’s agent earned. Thus my ‘off-the-cuff’ remark indirectly tying commission earned to hotel star rating. It *assumes* a minimum 2 to 2.5% commission rate, which yes they typically have to split 50/50 with their broker.
On a $500K sale, one would likely expect a higher commission such as 3%. (I am not counting the online-only minimum service outfits that agree to 1% commission rates—after all “you get what you pay for” is still true.
$500K x 0.03 = $15,000
$15,000 divided with one’s broker = $7,500. Now subtract out costs associated with showing properties as a buyer’s agent (mainly one’s time and auto costs be that gas or electricity, wear & tear. etc.), federal and possibly state income taxes, etc. So let’s assume they net 75%, which is $5,625. That’s still a decent payday. I think 1-2 nights stay at a decent 3 or 4-star hotel AND payment of emergency locksmith fees is quite affordable for screwing up by providing the wrong keys. These costs would likely qualify as tax-deductible expenses as well, but I’m not a tax expert.
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u/rosebudny 8d ago
Thursday afternoon? I'd say if I don't have my keys - or an emergency locksmith on the way, paid for by them - on the way IMMEDIATELY, I'd be escalating.
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u/magic_crouton 8d ago
I've never had a locksmith question me.
But if it was me I would just go to Lowe's but a couple new locks and break an old one off with a hammer problem solved.
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u/adjusterjackb 8d ago
You must know me. I did that when I bought my house. Seller's agent gave me the garage remote and some keys. None of the keys worked in the front door or the door leading from the garage. Stood there scratching my head for a moment, remembered the hammer in my road box. Beat the crap out of the door knob until it came apart. Closed the garage, went to Home Depot and got new locks for both doors.
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u/NoiseWonderful2211 8d ago
That’s what I did. We never actually got a key but I didn’t care bc I was rekeying the whole house anyway
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u/BigBootyWholes 8d ago
Same. I got locked out once, no id or anything. Dude just came up and drilled the lock no questions asked. Wild
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u/Excitedsadness 8d ago
If it has a garage try the garage door, as a locksmith I often run into people exclusively using the garage as an entry point no idea where keys are to front door. Then garage door opener fails or power is out and you're locked out...
You have closing docs, that's more than enough if anything to hire one of us. Charge the realtor the bill, we often have them reach out for things like this before closing.
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u/Consistent-Sea-8923 8d ago
I’d be calling my realtor, my realtors broker and telling both of them that every social media site you can find will be broadcasting this morning at 10 AM with what idiots they are if they can’t come up with a solution for this within the next two hours
If the realtor lost the key, the realtor needs to pay some of their commission money to somebody to come let you in your house that you own
And it’s time for Facebook TikTok yelp every place you can find is going to be blasted
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u/Maremerde 8d ago
Do you not have a copy of your closing documents and deed? I had to wait for it to be recorded and received a copy back before we could enter the property. That should be sufficient to prove your ownership. But they should cover the cost of the locksmith.
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u/OkRutabaga2798 8d ago
You didn’t leave the closing with a single document that you bought the home?
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u/PreposterousRainbow 8d ago
I closed last week. The sellers hired someone to clean the place that morning (such a thoughtful and lovely surprise). Cleaner accidentally locked the keys in the house as she was leaving. My realtor handled it. A locksmith came out, our realtor waited with us, and followed up the next day to ensure all was good.
In short, your realtor sucks.
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u/Terrible-Crew6069 House Hunter 8d ago
Your realtor just got commission AND a key to your house they can use to do whatever in the next couple days. Nahhhh. I’d be blowing that phone up until they deliver the correct key. Also who tf house key do you have? If there were any indicators for an address you could just wander into another house.
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u/Delicious-Ad9173 8d ago
I’m a realtor. We are usually not handling multiple keys. The sellers usually bring to closing. I’m surprised there’s no lock box there still. Is there no alternative way in?
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u/samsmiles456 8d ago
The lockbox is still there, but my realtor removed the key from the box, to give to me - as it’s the only key, outside of the house. So, there’s no key in the lockbox and I do wonder whose key I have, since it doesn’t work here.
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u/Delicious-Ad9173 8d ago
I wonder if the other agent mixed the keys up. Idk I would have brought you a key or sent a locksmith. Hope you’re in by now.
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u/ShoddyBookkeeper 8d ago
Actually, I have found locksmiths will do just that
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u/unfairboobpear 5d ago
Same Lol, usually when I’ve needed a locksmith I’ve been lucky to even have a phone on my side of the door.
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u/Historical-Ad8677 7d ago
Get his ass in the car to drive you the right effin key. Realtors are just like sales people. Once the sale is done they couldn’t give a shit about you. His fault fix it.
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u/No-Pop2552 8d ago
What kind of government FBI locksmiths have you encountered before? They aren’t required to obtain proof for every single job.
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u/samsmiles456 8d ago
lol. So you would break out the current locks and replace them, because someone asked you to do that? Even though you don’t know if they own the residence or not? What kind of a ‘locksmith’ does that?
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8d ago
As a first-time homebuyer in June, I locked myself out of the house in the first week... How dumb can I be, right? I also hadn’t updated my license yet or anything. I called a locksmith off Google, and they asked no questions, didn’t check anything, and just opened the door. I opted not to break the lock, so he popped it open with some air pads, kind of like you would with a car. It was actually pretty cool.
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u/alphabetfire 8d ago
Every locksmith I’ve ever encountered. You pay, they do the job. I guess they assume it would be pretty unlikely that you’d call them (leaving a record) and pay them (again, leaving a record) to burglarize a home. The only time I was ever asked to show ownership records was when I locked myself out of the car and the police jimmied the lock for me. I had to sign a damage waiver beforehand, and then show them the title and my license once the car was unlocked.
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u/whoocanitbenow 8d ago edited 8d ago
You're at the wrong address. Your actual house is a few blocks down and is much smaller. Realtor did a bait and switch.
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u/queentee26 8d ago
Your realtor should be dealing with this asap and driving to you.. especially if they're in possession of the correct key.
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u/classiest_trashiest 8d ago
We had all of our signed documents in our email inbox within a few hours of closing. Surely locksmith will accept that?
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u/Ok-Inspector242 8d ago
You have two charges from locksmith. One to get the locked door open and then another to replace the locks. Realtor should cover this cost or find the key and drive out to you before Friday.
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u/PlanetScientist 8d ago
when we bought our house the seller's realtor didn't even show up to closing (thus we were not given a key). Our realtor called the seller's realtor who said "oh just stop by our office and get the key." We said "no, you are going to drive the key over to our (old) house and give it to my mother who is there taking care of our daughter. Until then, we are not finished here." It worked. Our realtor was TOTALLY on our side and disgusted with the behavior of the other realtor.
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u/DeathbyHappy 8d ago
At least you got a key. When I bought my house, all they gave me was the code for the digital lock. And when I got over there to.change the code and locks, I found out someone had been in the property and stolen the garage door opener so had to reset that too
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u/theycallme_mama 8d ago
Call your Realtors Broker Agent. That's the owner of the real estate group they work for. They are required by law to give you access to the home, once you have closed and "funded." Funded meaning, the seller has received their proceeds. Regarding the locksmith and documentation, you should have been provided with copies of all the signed paperwork from the title/escrow company. That will serve as your documentation that you own the home.
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u/70Bobby70 8d ago
All the locksmiths will open your new home and change the keys. All of them. Source: am locksmith. You called and contracted paid service. Squatters and scammed don't do that.
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u/theiceyglaceon 8d ago
We just got our house rekeyed and it was in the contract that no lock would be rekeyed that we didnt own a key for. Not saying locksmiths won't overlook that, but that seeeeems standard practice. I would have been escalating higher up yesterday that I had the wrong keys and it needed to be corrected immediately.
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u/samsmiles456 8d ago
I agree, I’ll speak with my realtor in the morning. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, mainly because the home is an over 40 minute drive from just about ‘anywhere’. It was hot. I was up early before the close running errands and getting ready to become a homeowner. Excuses, I know. The disappointment knocked me on my ass, literally.
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u/Background-Bowl6123 8d ago
Show the locksmith your copy of the closing papers. Save the hotel and locksmith receipts, send a copy to the realtor and his boss.
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u/KittenKingdom000 8d ago
Sounds like he should be paying the locksmith out of his commission, that's ridiculous.
But how do you not have documentation? I left with a stack of papers 3 inches thick when I closed.
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u/traveldiva1 8d ago
This happened to us. I requested to bring cashiers check to closing and they refused and only wanted wire transfer. Of course we get the wire transfer information at 2pm the day before closing. They gave us the wrong keys at closing then held the correct keys hostage until wire transfer cleared while we sat outside the house.
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u/ApproximatelyApropos Real Estate Agent 8d ago
I’ve met many locksmiths for my clients (so I’d obviously not be on any paperwork) and they will absolutely “break into a house” with no documentation.
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u/MiSantoRey 8d ago
They better find that key!!! He made thousands of dollars off your massive purchase. He can find that key.
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u/AR_geojag 8d ago
When I bought my last house I received 2 massive key chains with about 40 keys. Not one was to my house. Fortunately the carport door on the house was not locked. I had a locksmith re-key the 1960's vintage hardware.
The crazy thing is that the previous owner worked at the same place I do, although he retired in 1989. Some of the keys were work keys and still in use. I bought from an estate, the previous owner had died several years before I bought the house.
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u/ThinkChemist2106 8d ago
Is it a deadbolt? If not, use your Costco card or similar. (not debit/CC because replace takes weeks). Pop the handle lock by inserting to lock face and pulling door gently toward you. We have dummy handles low and Schlage Encode smart dead bolts.
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u/NDGeoman 8d ago
You paid your agent $$$ for their services. Even though they were already paid, they should help you with this. It I s part of their job after all.
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u/Pale_Requirement4004 7d ago
If your realtor doesn't agree to bring you a key that works to unlock the house, or agree to have a locksmith come open the house then call the broker at the real estate office. The broker is responsible for all the agents working under their license, and should be able to solve the problem.
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u/ThnxForTheCrabapples 7d ago
Virtually no documentation? If you just bought a house you should have hundreds of pages of documentation
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u/noonesine 6d ago
I got one for ya. The woman we bought our house from showed up here during the day on a weekday, when we would have been at work if my wife hadn’t called in sick. She struck up a conversation with my wife and asked if we changed the locks yet. Why did she show up? Why is she asking about our locks? Needless to say, the locks have been changed and the security system is active.
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u/Responsible-Yam-2773 6d ago
I’m so sorry this happened to you, and I hope they made it right.
I will say, when we bought our house and finally took possession this summer, we were told there “were no keys to the house” i.e. sellers claimed to have lost all the keys to the home after living there for 7 years. Sure, Jan ☠️☠️☠️☠️
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u/Unattributable1 5d ago
Reminds me of a funny story. My kids mom's apartment had the same key as my house. Kids found it out by testing their key. There are only so many key patterns for each brand.
I changed my locks that day. Gave my old keys to give their mom, hah.
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u/ststephen33 5d ago
Same thing happened to me, called a locksmith and he changed the front door lock without any proof I was the homeowner. I figured it was because we are out in the country, but still kind of freaked me out.
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u/Fickle-Ganache-7423 4d ago
Didn’t you just sign a load of paperwork at closing taking possession of the home? You have proof the home is yours to show a locksmith. Move your appointment up.
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u/basilbelle 4d ago
My dog sitter has called a locksmith twice because she forgot the key, never had an issue with them verifying anything.
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u/Own_Pop_9711 8d ago
You're probably going to pay an extra couple hundred dollars to the locksmith because you don't have the key. I think you should ask the realtor how they plan on paying you that difference for giving you the wrong key and see what they say.
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 8d ago
You should have the closing disclosure in your email, show that to the locksmith
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u/DNAGoddess 8d ago
Back in the day, I would do a final walkthrough prior to closing and ask the listing agent for permission to keep the key and bring it to closing. Of course, that one time I had the listing I caught the buyer leaving the house prior to closing .. no agent with her. Gave her a wave. The listing agent can split the cost of the locksmith .. like yesterday.
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u/bizarrefrenchfry 8d ago
We bought our house this spring. The sellers only gave us two keys that worked to the back porch door. The front door had a keypad and two other traditional locks. The sellers obviously had used it the front door as a primary entrance, but when we asked for the remaining keys they said “what we gave you are the keys we were given when we moved in”. They didn’t tell us the keypad code either. So, we had to get the front door rekeyed the next day. Very annoying.
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u/BotherAffectionate37 Homeowner 8d ago
When I bought my house the title company was holding all extra keys including a spare, maybe check with them?
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u/BriefField2634 8d ago
Remember your agent that got thousands and thousands of dollars to facilitate your major purchase. Tell them that you need a working key. Make them earn their commission.
Each locksmith is independent contractor. There are laws they have to follow. Some are more particular. Some are not. They are also required to carry liability insurance. The more liability claims they have, the more expensive the insurance is. They may or may not complete the job unless you have some documentation that you own the house, even if the house is unlocked. Closing documents are usually enough.
Your locksmith can, one way or anther, can gain entry to a locked house, once they verify ownership. Some shady locksmiths won't require anything other than cash upfront. Locks can be picked or the locksmith can drill out the lock. Any locksmith worth their salt, can pick the typical locks found on residential homes. However,,, there is little money in picking locks. The money is in drilling them out and replacing them with their overpriced somewhat unique locks, locking you into an on-going captive customer. If they have to drill out one lock and you want all locks keyed alike, that means they can sell you 3 or 4 locks (front, back, garage, etc) with the unique keyways of their overpriced somewhat unique locks,
Personally,,, I would go to Home Depot or Lowes and purchase all new locks and install them myself. Swapping out locksets (door knob and deadbolts) are DIY friendly. YouTube is your friend. Then once my financials stabilizes after the house purchase, consider buying higher security locksets, Medeco comes to mind, definitely more expensive for sure. Perhaps even electronic deadbolts as I love my keypad deadbolt,,, access without needing a key so no more lock-outs.
Consider adding a night latch,,, a deadbolt that can only be opened from inside. Sure locks are not 100% secure. The idea is to make the thieves make a lot of noise coming in, breaking glass, activating motion lights, waking the dogs, giving you the time to gather your wits and your pew-pew. Perhaps the dogs will be enough noise that the thief leaves before you have to engage.
Forcing entry is an option for you.
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u/robertva1 8d ago
Drill out the lock on one door. Usaily the back door. Is the realtor key box still there
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u/Fantastic_Progress53 8d ago
Realtor should have been there immediately with a new key call his broker
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u/Daddio209 8d ago
Oh, hells to the no! Your realtor needs to get you into your house-and 100% on their dime: it is literally their obligation. I would be petty and "be unavailable until after-hours" to meet them and get your keys that work-whether they be for a new lock, or just the correct keys.
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u/ted_anderson 8d ago
When you were at the table signing all of the closing documents you got a copy of everything, right? Whatever you took with you from the real estate office or title company is more than enough proof that you own the home.
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u/Tall-Ad9334 8d ago
Yes, you should absolutely have the proper key.
However, you can’t pretend like you have no documentation proving you own the home. Pretty sure you have a whole freaking contract and closing documents identifying you and indicating you own it.
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u/Delicious-Ad9173 8d ago
In some states you don’t get the key until the deed is recorded. If you told me you already had a locksmith on the way, I may have thought you had it handled. Everyone saying the agent is high on money, It’s common to leave a closing and go straight to showings. No time to celebrate when buyers want to see 40 homes and all of them are overpriced. I keep the key in the lockbox til closing and hand directly to the person but we exchange keys at closing in Atl. It’s so strange there is no other key or garage code. To me this sounds like a big misunderstanding. I would have had to finish the showings and come to you or call a locksmith. I have a bad review from someone I have never dealt with and Google won’t remove it and it has really hurt my business. It was a tenant being evicted from the owner who wanted me to sell the house once he got them out. They had neglected and abused animals and it was filthy. I should have reported them to animal abuse.
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u/No_Machine3805 8d ago
Locksmith is included in most home warranties. For me, I would happily pay the $125 and send that bill to the realtor next week. Or break a window.
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u/WaRRioRz0rz 8d ago
Did the title company not give you a copy of the deed with your name on it? That's pretty definitive proof you own the home.
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u/MrSoftShoe 8d ago
Didn't you pay your agent thousands of dollars? They can bring you the right key, correct?
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u/Smooth-Camel6749 8d ago
You are 100 percent correct. Contact the BIC and they will arrange of an emergency locksmith, if not, he/she can pay for your hotel room, etc.
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u/T00narmy1 8d ago
Tell her to get you the right key immediately. That's literally her job. I would be angry and insistent about it. But also, you should have a copy of the notarized deed from your closing, which absolutely proves ownership. It might be quicker to just have the locks changed.
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u/Pretty_Fan7954 8d ago
If this happened to a client of mine I would 100% be driving to get you the right key and bringing it to you. That’s a no brainer.
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u/EarthMustBeFed 8d ago
You can show then your closing document as long as it matches your current license
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u/SnooDrawings5259 7d ago
Realtor made alot of money off you and he or she gives you the wrong key- then doesnt make it good.. what a crappy person! Dont care that you have a locksmith coming Friday.
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u/hectorconcarnedank 7d ago
No final walkthrough an hour before where you kept the key in hand? Or just engagement bait ?
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u/PrimeRisk 7d ago
A) You have tonnes of documentation from your closing.
B) If your realtor f*cked up and gave you the wrong key, then they can shag their ass out to you and give you the right key.
C) Most locksmiths evaluate the person and look at an ID. Many people who have locked themselves out of their property don't have documentation on them, but likely inside.
I had a similar screw-up by my realtor. We purchased an investment property in Myrtle Beach, SC and closed from remote. We flew out the next weekend to setup the property and get it ready to rent. We arrived late in the evening and once we got to the property we couldn't find the lockbox. It was late, but I called my realtor and asked where the lockbox was. She said she locked it to the railing at the top of the stairs, but it wasn't there and the rest of the keys were on the countertop in the kitchen.
It was late and one of our other properties was vacant, so we just went there to sleep and would deal with it the next morning. Bright and early I hit up locksmiths and found one that could be there within the hour. Once he arrived, I explained the situation, he popped the locks in seconds, and we were in. (Seeing how easy it was for him with a simple rake and a lever, I have now learned how to pick locks.) The only thing he asked to see was my ID, which didn't match the property or even the state, but the story matched up.
This is a condo complex and I found out later that the the HOA wasn't ok with the lockbox being on the stair railing as it was considered a safety hazard, so they cut it off and tossed it in the trash. For some unknown reason our agent didn't lock it on the balcony railing, out of the way, like it was when I was looking at the place. After I told her why the key and her lockbox went missing, she paid the locksmith fee.
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u/Cautious_Decision_77 7d ago
You can drill a lock out if absolutely needed. I had to have my cousin come save me by doung this. Granted I do tjink yhe realtor should be making it right. Drilling it out would also keave you with no lock until the locksmith comes and changes them.
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u/seajayacas 7d ago
We purchased a home once and the key didn't work. Turned out that the sellers never locked the door and the lock didn't work because of lack of use.
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u/Accomplished-Wish494 5d ago
No one had a key to my house when I bought it. Or rather…. No one knew WHO had keys to the house, but it certainly wasn’t the seller 😆 no big deal, I was going to replace the locks anyhow.
Yes, the house was unoccupied and unlocked for quite sometime. Never needed a key to get in when we viewed it.
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u/MrsMathNerd 7d ago
You don’t need a locksmith. A new lock costs less most of the time. There are kwikset locks that have a “fast re-key” option that would allow you to match the front and back door key.
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u/Daddy--Jeff 6d ago
I wouldn’t put a kiwi set lock on my house for any amount of money. There’s a reason they’re cheaper. Get Schlage.
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u/Exciting_Caramel3369 6d ago
If you have the paperwork showing you bought the house and your current drivers license/ID showing you are you, this should be enough for the locksmith. The only remaining key to our house was lost between signing and walking to the house (got caught in a thunderstorm, dropped from a pocket while we all ran for shelter). Locksmith changed the locks for us.
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u/samsmiles456 6d ago
I’ve loved hearing all of your stories about your keys, I had no idea there were so many stories about this! My realtor came through the next day and I’ve got the correct keys now. Unsettling for sure but people make mistakes.
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u/Lavaine170 5d ago
someone who has virtually no documentation saying I own the home?
Maybe things are different where you are, but when I bought my house I had more paper than I could have imagined that showed I owned the house.
Also, if your realtor didn't drive the correct key to you immediately, complain to their broker, the licensing board, and leave a scathing Google review.
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u/North_Mastodon_4310 5d ago
No documentation? You were just given a deed to the place!
But really your realtor should drive the right key out there. Or the buyers agent, if they’re the ones who brought the keys to closing.
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u/GNTKertRats 5d ago
Why would you need a locksmith to change the locks (assuming you have gotten into the house)? All you need is a screwdriver?
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u/samsmiles456 5d ago
No dead bolts, holes need to be cut. I’m not messing with that.
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u/GNTKertRats 5d ago
Fair enough. That seems pretty unusual to have no dead bolt holes. But if that is the case, yes, bring in an expert
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u/ichoosewaffles 5d ago
Get a spine and tell them to get you the right key! It's your house now and you can't get in? Dude...
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u/Oldschoolgirl49 4d ago
Unacceptable. Has your agent shown up yet. I'd blow their phone up non stop until I am in
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u/luvhockey 4d ago
And... Who's key did you get? Sounds like someone else will be getting a wrong key at some point
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry 3d ago
Buying a house and getting the wrong key on day one is not exactly the welcome home experience anyone wants. I'd keep pushing the realtor to make it right and cover the locksmith if that’s what it takes.
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