Okay, I want to know who took my sign! I have a property listed
on Fairview Road. It’s great to have For Sale signs on houses on
well-traveled roads; we Realtors assume everyone who drives past
takes note of our name and memorizes our phone number so as to
procure our services in the future. (One, two, three
… eyes on me.) But the flip side is sometimes those signs get
taken.
Okay, I want to know who took my sign! I have a property listed on Fairview Road. It’s great to have For Sale signs on houses on well-traveled roads; we Realtors assume everyone who drives past takes note of our name and memorizes our phone number so as to procure our services in the future. (One, two, three … eyes on me.) But the flip side is sometimes those signs get taken.
I couldn’t imagine why someone would want a sign, so I queried my fellow wizards. Here is what I found out: Sometimes the signs are taken by county workers if they fail to comply with setback or sign ordinance regulation. That seems fair, doesn’t it?
But some people take them to use the signpost as a mailbox holder. If you decide you want a new mailbox and are determined to take my sign to hold it up, let me know. I’d rather buy you a mailbox support than lose a sign.
I am told some signs end up in college dorm rooms. Now that makes sense to me. I have been in dorm rooms with the darnedest stuff. But again, call me rather than take the sign. I have some funky stuff left over from my years at UC Berkeley in the 70s that you can have. (I admit it. I’m a pack rat. I have everything I’ve ever owned…)
The signposts and signs and sign riders are all expensive. At Intero, each agent pays to have his or her signs put up. Therefore it’s a bummer to lose a sign.
So why put a sign up at all? Whoa, doggies! That’s an easy one. The sign in front of a house is the #2 way people begin their search for real estate. (The Internet is #1.) Buyers will drive around looking for “For Sale” signs.
This brings up a related issue. Should that sign have a flier box on it? Here are the pros and cons of that question. In favor of fliers: Potential buyers can see the details of the property and decide if it’s an option worth pursuing. Fliers also help people keep houses straight in their mind when they are looking at a bunch of them.
Against fliers: In the rain they turn into paper mache. They are taken more often than signposts (What – do you all need scratch paper or what?). The person most interested in your flier is your neighbor or the person around the corner who is also selling a home similar to yours. Potential buyers may rule out a house perfect for them because they misinterpret the information on the flier. If there is a phone number on the signpost the potential buyer will call the office and the agent on floor can give them accurate information and maybe convert them to a client.
The other issue is putting a price on the flier. Some agents like to do that, some don’t. Again, no price makes it more likely a person will call the office which is – when all is said and done – the goal of all marketing efforts.
Some sellers are very picky about their fliers. They like to design it themselves, re-writing the text over and over until it’s just perfect. But you know what? Never in my many years in the real estate industry have I heard a homebuyer say, “We’d like to write an offer on this home. We like its flier the best.”
I personally don’t like fliers. I prefer a 24-hour 800 number which buyers can call to get info, and have a flier faxed to them if they are truly interested. Just my preference…I certainly do fliers when my clients want them.
This week we’ve seen a perceptible change in the real estate atmosphere. There is a great deal more activity. Homes that I’ve had listed for months with no activity are suddenly attracting multiple offers. We certainly have a good inventory. It also appears the economists have determined the market has corrected all it is going to for the meantime, and buyers are responding by jumping off the fence and making an offer. Activity is up on the MLS, phones are ringing in the brokerages. At the weekly marketing tour there are less price reductions and more reported sales.
One last word about signs. What happens to the sign after the house is sold? (No, the buyer does NOT get to keep it as a souvenir.) It will be picked up by The Sign Guy as soon as possible.
I remember when Tim, Ila and I bought our first home in Hollister, the listing agent (you know who you are, Millard) didn’t remove the sign right away after the escrow closed. I wasn’t a real estate agent at the time, and I hated the fact that sign sat there for two days after the sale. I wanted to rip it down.
And maybe stick my mailbox on it.
Be kind to your Realtor.
