Deploying a Sign Campaign
Dealing with signs is a part of the rehab real estate business that I liked the least until recently. While I don't have signage all figured out, I recently figured out how to make this considerably easier!
The purpose of a sign is to bring you leads. Whether you are leasing, lease-optioning, or retailing your properties, you need to advertise. A real estate agent will do it for you if you list the property with them (gladly, for a great big big chunk of your profits).
I tried making my own signs. I painstakingly made a template, then spray-painted my message on sign surfaces. Initially I didn't make them big enough, so they weren't visible from the road. Then, they just didn't look professional! What a mess!
That lead me to the conclusion that I was actually going to have to spend money on these things. Do, I started checking around. What seemed to be the most cost effective was the plastic corrugated sign material with stick-on letters. Now, if I did these, they would cost a fortune. But, in checking around and price comparing, I found a local, hungry sign shop that could make these cost effective.
I found the 18"x24", two sided, two color for $14. I ordered one for each house I thought would need a sign at any given time. I ordered 6 since I typically have 2-4 projects in the "signage" stages at a given time.
This company would use give me a price of $14 for other signs at half this size for...you guessed it $7! This means a 18"x12", two color, two sides, sign is $7. Not bad. I don't know what you can get in your area, but DO CHECK AROUND. I found sign shops differed greatly on price.
While I thought the best price would be at a small operation (home-run sign shop), I got my great deal with a company with a great looking store front and multiple employees.
Here are some signage purchasing and deploying tips:
- Buy one large sign (18"x24") for each property you would market at a given time based on the pace of your real estate investment. This is for the front yard.
- Place this two-sided sign perpendicular to the street, so it's visible from both street directions
- Buy enough small signs to have at least two of them for each house you are marketing. Have a directional arrow PRINTED on them. No need to draw them on. Your sign folks will show you how that works. You may want to up this number depending on the placement of your property. Use the thin metal sign stands (the "H" kind that you place in the ground).
- Get half of these printed with a different background color. For instance, I use white for 1/2 of my signs as a background color, and yellow for half. I only do this for the smaller signs.
- Change background colors weekly, or your signs will become part of the landscape. (Changing the sign colors WILL result in more calls as people notice them all over again...it works!)
- Think about your driver when positioning these signs. If possible, put them at intersections where folks have to stop. Putting these in the middle of a block will reduce your calls.
- For both signs, make your phone number the most prominant item on the sign. Consider making this red, but definitely a contrasting color!
- Use two colors for your signs. Use a bold font.
- DO NOT waste time or space with a logo. Nobody cares about your vanity.
- If you have a sub message such as "EZ Qualify" box these letters differently. I use a box with a dark background and light letters.
About the Author
Bruce W. Ford is the editor of Rehab-Real-Estate.com. Get his important Special Report entitled "12 Things Real Estate Investment Gurus Won't Tell You" at Rehab-Real-Estate.com.