Home > Blogs > Ken Cook > Content Marketer For Hire

Yard Sale Season = Sign Theft Season

By Ken Cook

Real Estate Technology with Content, coding, marketing, host.

April 05, 2007 02:54 PM

It happens every year - my signs and your signs disappear. Amazingly it happens just about the time "Yard Sale Season" starts up.

Here in Georgia, with the exception of this cold weekend, Satrudays and Sundays have been clear and warm with temperatures in the 80's. That means YARD SALES. Don't get me wrong, I love a good yard sale. I'll be looking for yard sale signs in my area for the next few weekends. When I see one that looks a little too nice for a yard sale and has a nice black heavy steel full frame I'll get even a closer look.

I'll be looking for my PHONE NUMBER etched under the bottom of the Y rods on the post. I've already lost three.

How do you protect your signs? I know we lose them - it's a part of the world of take and take in which we live.

What are your ideas or techniques?

Comments(6)

Comment

Show All Comments

Sort:

Sharon Simms

Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International - Saint Petersburg, FL

St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS

Ken, I haven't found a way. It seems certain locations always get stolen, regardless of time of year.

Apr 05, 2007 02:59 PM

William Collins

ERA Queen City Realty - Scotch Plains, NJ

Property and Asset Management

ken,

Thanks for the post. I have yet to see a real estate sign converted to a yard sale sign in these parts............and I hope I never do! Our problem here in New Jersey is that town fathers seem to have lost their focus and are fixated on where we place signs, i.e. to close to the curb. Some towns have gone so far as to ban real estate signs all together!

Thesa Chambers

West + Main - Bend, OR

Principal Broker - Licensed in Oregon

we changed our signs to look like a yield sign then they are placed on a large woodend post - priror to that - we had the same problem with yard signs and open house ones too

Apr 05, 2007 04:12 PM

Todd Clark - Retired

eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR

Principle Broker Oregon

I burned in to each stake - SIZE B. I am in the process of having someone sited for theft right now. The sign was stolen and the next day it was their yard sale sign. Police showed up and asked them some questions and they had 4 in the drive way from other realtors also.

Apr 05, 2007 05:17 PM

Laurie Manny

Long Beach CA Real Estate - Long Beach, CA

Over 30 of the black fold out stands were "stolen" in one year as new agents were "borrowing" my signs to do my open houses.

Then I bought the cheaper foam core filled ones, send them out with 20, all brand new, come home with 17!
I swear I got them all", get call mid week, "your open house sign is on the center median, where is the open house?"

I am just disgusted. These signs are expensive, nobody cares.

Apr 05, 2007 05:34 PM

Leigh Brown

Leigh Brown & Associates, RE/MAX Executive - Charlotte, NC

CEO, Dream Maker - Charlotte, NC

No idea, around here we have a lot of teenagers who steal them and put them in front of their high schools-you'd think their parents would care but I'm thinking they don't explain that it's personal property. Heck, all of us lenders and agents make so much money anyway, why should anyone mind if they borrow a sign for yard sales or for their FSBO?

Apr 06, 2007 02:00 AM

Comments(6)

Ken Cook

Recent Posts