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Your Yard Sign-Is It About You Or About The Property You Are Selling?

By
Real Estate Agent with Integrity Real Estate Group

CJ Realty Group Custom For Sale SignsDrive up and down the street of any neighborhood with multiple homes for sale and what does a buyer see?  A sign on a post or a stand with the name, phone number and photo of an agent.  What does that say about the house for sale?  If the agent has a flyer box they can pull over and hop out of their car to grab one to read.  If there isn't a flyer box they can stop the car and call the listing agent to get some information, they can write down the address and if they happen to have a phone with Internet access they can look it up to find out more.

But what if the sign in front of the listing was about the home for sale?  What if it contained photos of the key rooms?  What if it contained highlights about the property?  What if it still had the required listing agent and brokerage contact information?  Would that sign stand out among all the rest on the street and likely catch the buyers attention?

With the custom signs I use on many of my listings that's exactly what a buyer will see.  Photos of the home are the highlight of my signs.  The signs are not expensive to have made and they can be reused over and over again.  In addition to the sign there is a rider with a QR code (for those connected buyers) to scan which takes them to a YouTube video of the home with additional information.

Do these signs generate interest?  The answer is yes.  When I started giving owners the option of the custom sign or a generic sign 80% of the time they opt for the custom sign.  For properties where a tenant is in place the owners leave it up to the tenant to decide whether they are comfortable with the custom sign option.  Last fall as I was putting an "under contract" rider up on a listing, a neighbor stopped by to ask me about listing their home.  Needless to say they opted for the custom sign when their home went up for sale a few weeks later.

 

"I am writing this post as an entry to the ActiveRain/Kodak Sign/Flyer Challenge and have a chance to win the Kodak ESP 6150 All-In-One Printer and ink!"

 

 

 

Posted by

                                   Real People*Real Lives*Real Estate

If you are interested in learning more about the Northern Virginia Real Estate market including Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William Counties give Cindy Jones and Integrity Real Estate Group a call at 703-346-2213.

Military Relocation Specialist serving military families relocating to and from the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir, Quantico MCB and all of the Military District of Washington installations. 

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Check out www.varealestatetalk.com and www.cjrealtygroup.com for more information.

Integrity Real Estate Group
 
Real People*Real Life*Real Estate

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia



 

 

Comments(51)

Karen Anne Stone
New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Real Estate

Cindy, that RE/MAX sign is just awesome.  I was a RE/MAX agent for eight years, and would have loved to have had my signs look like that.  My broker would have approved of the design, as well.

The top part fits the RE/MAX requirements... the bottom serves the same function as a rider would, but looks better as you have shown.  You are too cool !

Apr 30, 2011 04:50 AM
Mike Jaquish
Realty Arts - Cary, NC
919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

Cindy,

I love this idea.  It MUST stop traffic for a peek.

Apr 30, 2011 04:51 AM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

Cindy..you are the ruler of all you survey...this idea just may catch on...I like it. Good stuff...

Apr 30, 2011 05:14 AM
Cory Barbee
San Diego, CA
Broker (760) 563-4022

Great idea...I would love to see the differnce in the results if your tracking...

Apr 30, 2011 05:27 AM
Denise Hamlin, Broker/Owner
Cardinal Realty ~ 319-400-0268 - Iowa City, IA
Helping Happy Clients Make Smart Choices

Great idea Cindy.

I'm with the other Cindy. I'd like more info on how this works logistically. I'd also like to know how they are reuseable.

I definitely agree that it should be about the house and not about the agent or brokerage. This is a very creative way of making the house the focal point.

Apr 30, 2011 06:25 AM
Mike Yeo
3:16 team REALTY - Frisco, TX

Great idea about the custom sign for each home. I have to say that that will make you stand out from the rest.

Apr 30, 2011 08:08 AM
Mike Wald
Mike Wald, Scottsdale, AZ, mortgage consultant, 480-241-2632 - Scottsdale, AZ

Curious as to why the sign does not have the price on it? What to get them to call, or it just changes to much?

Apr 30, 2011 08:33 AM
Sharon Alters
Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty - 904-673-2308 - Fleming Island, FL
Realtor - Homes for Sale Fleming Island FL

Cindy, this is such a brilliant idea. I saw it when you commented on Bob's post for the contest and loved it. I am wondering if our broker would let us add that as a rider. We can't mess with the signs. It's the only think he's insistent upon and he is so generous I can't complain, but adding the photo rider would accomplish both. Great idea!

Sharon

Apr 30, 2011 09:09 AM
Tom Branch
RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs - Plano, TX
Broker, CDPE, SFR, ACRE, Plano TX Ambassador

Karen #28,

My point is simple. We have used photo sign riders that contained three photos and the basics about the house. They made no difference in the days-on-market needed to sell the homes and it did not result in higher sales-points.

That said, I think it's a cool idea to set yourself apart from the crowd and anything that brings in more listings is good with me.

Fair enough?

Tom

Apr 30, 2011 10:07 AM
Duane Murphy
Expert Real Estate Partners LLC - Appleton, WI
Broker- Owner-Real Estate -

WOW I might need to borrow this one!

Apr 30, 2011 10:21 AM
Irene Kennedy Realtor® in Northwestern NJ
Weichert - Lopatcong, NJ

Cindy,

My brokerage won't even permit a website address. Somehow I doubt I'll convince them to do this - but it is a WONDERFUL idea!

Apr 30, 2011 11:09 AM
Patricia Aulson
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate - Exeter, NH
Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes

I agree with you on this.  THanks for getting this post out to us today.

I too think that having the agents face on the sign , isn't needed.  The sign should have more important information on it.

 

Patricia/Seacoast NH & ME

Apr 30, 2011 01:57 PM
Larkin (Hathaway) Correia
Keller Williams Honolulu - Hilo, HI
REALTOR Salesperson, ABR, SRS, GRI, AHWD

Interesting idea. Thank you.

Apr 30, 2011 02:28 PM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

Cindy, that's definitely different. My curiosity would have been how you skirt the branding issue,m which you answered in the comments. That would definitely make a homer stand out.

Apr 30, 2011 02:42 PM
Dr. Stacey-Ann Baugh
Century 21 New Millennium - Upper Marlboro, MD
A doctor who makes house calls.

This is an awesome idea.  I'm curious where you get your signs made.  I really may steal this idea.

May 01, 2011 03:03 AM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

Karen Anne-I originally had the signs done by Oakley but now I have a local sign shop do them.

Larry-sounds like you have great signs and information for buyers available.

Melinda-I think flyers are become passe.  But that's just my opinion.

Jerry
-I'll give the printer to a local charity should I be the one to receive it.

Mary-thank you for your comment.


May 01, 2011 07:29 AM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

John-the original sign cost $62.00 and can be used by the sign company with a new screen print over the old one.  I don't charge the seller for them since they are already paying me a nice commission.  I do give sellers the options as not everyone wants interior photos and I have a number of investment properties where we respect the tenants privacy. 

Evelyn-the sign company takes the old sign and puts the new information over it.  I don't know the technical way it is done but they come out great.

Tiffany
-I have begun to see more of them pop up around the area.

 

 

May 01, 2011 07:44 AM
Donald Reich
Madison Specs - New Rochelle, NY
Cost Segregation Specialist

The sign you posted looks GREAT but.. the phone number is tiny. How will they ever call you if they cannot see the number!

May 01, 2011 05:32 PM
Emily Read
Salt Lake City, UT

Great looking sign, Cindy! Nice to see you thinking outside the box of normal Real Estate advertising!

May 30, 2011 08:02 AM
Tammie White, Broker
Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN
Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Cindy, I read your post several months ago and decided to give it a try. I was in the process of changing brokers so held off. I am putting my first custom sign up next week. Love this idea and the sellers loved it too. No one in our market is doing it. Just curious...what is your cost to get these signs done? Is it more or less than a stardard sign? I'll let you know the results. Thanks again, you're a genius.

Jul 23, 2011 07:02 AM