Bandit Signs-help We Have A Problem
administrator please pin this topic. thank you!!!
OK here's the story. i have a problem with someone taking signs. i know i know it's the city,agents,other investors,homeowners etc. it's more than just a couple, we bought almost a thousand and are putting a lot out. and the used to stay up and we were doing great as for responses. i believe it's agents because it's like they follow me and i come back a day later and there gone from all but one or two spots, including peoples private properties. it's as if they are saying you are getting too much attention and taking too much attention from us. a reason i feel it's agents is because when i put a sign next to theirs my sign gets taken down or the stake i put it on gets snapped in half and left and any other signs are left as long as they aren't real estate related. i have some ideas to stop this but want to here what other investors would do. please e-mail or post your ideas. one of mine is building rapport with all local RE offices. another is to put signs in a place they keep getting removed from and film the person then confront them. if it is an agent i will contact the president of their company along with the proof and demand it stop along with appropriate compensation for lost signs. if they don't want repercussions. tell me what you think
thank you all
James
**Please See My Profile**
Why should this be pinned? So your losing bandit signs. It is a cost of doing business.
No need to post this on every RE site.
Quote:I know what you mean signs are very expensive. I would personally do some double agent work. If you know what I mean!
On 2003-07-19 02:41, jffolijr wrote:
administrator please pin this topic. thank you!!!
OK here's the story. i have a problem with someone taking signs. i know i know it's the city,agents,other investors,homeowners etc. it's more than just a couple, we bought almost a thousand and are putting a lot out. and the used to stay up and we were doing great as for responses. i believe it's agents because it's like they follow me and i come back a day later and there gone from all but one or two spots, including peoples private properties. it's as if they are saying you are getting too much attention and taking too much attention from us. a reason i feel it's agents is because when i put a sign next to theirs my sign gets taken down or the stake i put it on gets snapped in half and left and any other signs are left as long as they aren't real estate related. i have some ideas to stop this but want to here what other investors would do. please e-mail or post your ideas. one of mine is building rapport with all local RE offices. another is to put signs in a place they keep getting removed from and film the person then confront them. if it is an agent i will contact the president of their company along with the proof and demand it stop along with appropriate compensation for lost signs. if they don't want repercussions. tell me what you think
thank you all
James
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chances are that your local government bans bandit signs anyway. to be quite frank, you are lucky that you haven't been fined for each sign, and for each day that each sign is up. in my city, the fines are $100 a day, per sign.
what are bandit signs?
what do they say on them.
thanks
david
yeaman,
Glad to meet you.
These signs say "This is a stick up your money or your life."
Other signs say "Take my life I am saving my money for my old age."
However, the ones referred to here are placed around in various areas, which say " I Buy Houses" and a contact phone number. There are effective for having sellers call you, but in most places you can get fined as jorge121 says.
John $Cash$ Locke
thanks for the info john.
i will check the laws here in Arkansas.
thanks
david
lacashman, did it ever occur to you that this could be more important to some than for others? if you have no positive advice (that which you follow yourself to SOLVE this) then please don't question my motives as to why it is i do what i do.
thank you everyone who post(s)(ed) in a positive manner trying to help me and my family
James
Lets not bark and lets not bite
James I don't use bandit signs( we buy houses) I do fisbo signs with moderate trouble. I know the citys frown on bussiness signs of any kind. So here is the question. Would I need a house sign stay up longer?
jffolijr,
This is not new it is common for signs to disappear remember they are illegal.
So your first suspect is code enforcement. Your second is realtors. Third group is other investors. Of course these have all been talked about.
Now the one group that that could be your biggest nightmare and you have no control over is sign rangers. They work with police and community groups to remove what they consider graffiti. To find out what sign rangers are check out the following links.
http://www.causs.org
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/news/02/sign_ranger.htm
http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/departme/planning/planning_dev_web/code_enf/bandit.htm
These groups are spreading your city may now have a group. null[ Edited by lacashman on Date 07/19/2003 ]
thank you that's what i needed i think i have it solved, it's agents and other in vestors because other signs (business related) have stayed. i found my solution on another site but i am adding others from all input
thanks
james
jffolijr,
Heres what I do with signs. I use the corrugated plastic ones and I thread thin stainless wire around the perimeter this stops the agents from using a box knife and cutting off my sign. I also use an off white colored grease real thick kind of like wheel bearing grease on the stake its not real noticeable against a wood stake and if they want to steal my signs at night they are in for some real messy fun. I also take and use drywall screws which thread easily and dont do real damage to the telephone poles. The agents cant break the stake if its screwed to the pole. I have been real lucky not to get in trouble. I may be a little obsessive but I dont lose signs.
GJB,
That is the coolest trick, putting grease on the sticks? LOL. I am not using signs, but I might just post a couple infront of RE signs, ... just to get a laugh out of the agent getting grease all over his hands. Good one.
If you are a legitimate investor, then buy a legal form of advertiement on a billboard or place normal ads in a newspaper. I'm glad someone is taking your signs. They're simply cleaning up litter. I hate those annoying temporary signs that business stick on highway right of ways. If you put one of your signs in my yard, I'll put it back in your own.
Hello jffolijr,
I have to agree with Landpimp2000. I really hate to see lots of signs relating to things such as "Vote for !!!!! or Earn $2,000 per Week, or I buy houses". These signs can be an eyesore. Jffoljr it may be cheaper to run an ad in the local paper. You will get a larger group of persons to view your ad.
I hate it when some one steal your "For Rent or FSBO" sign from the property that you own. These are legal signs and are the property of the land owner. But this is another story.
Run the ad in the new paper jffolijr and save yourself the headache.
landpimp, first no one is putting these signs in your yard. second who are you to judge anyone? if you have no positive feedback that can help go to a rant board and get out your frustrations instead of on this thread. by your own statements i am guessing you are the type to take others signs, instead of me telling you what i would do if i caught you taking my signs, let me wish you well in your attempts at investing what ever way you market since you must not get enough positive feedback from enough people.
good luck and i wish you well
james
A cost of doing business! Running for the legislature you expect to lose 1/3 of your signs in the city.
There are many forms of advertising but I would say do what works! who cares what it looks like? Everyone but you? so what! I figure that it is $$ in vs $$ out. If this is the best tactic in your market, then by all means use it and prosper.
[addsig]
These signs cheapens your credibility as a serious investor. You will only attract a certain type of home owners.
It is wrong for agents to be stealing your signs. If you catch them in the act and report them to their board code of ethics, they will be fined and if a record is posted in the courts, they will lose their license.
Many remove your signs because they fear you will take away their business. It's a natural self-defense thing at work.
Most likely, it is the city who's taking your signs. I see a guy in his little pick up truck just going around and picking up illegal bandit signs everywhere. Save enough money and put an ad on a big billboard on the freeway! That should generate a lot of calls.
Hi Y'all, Just place your 'For Rent' or "FSBO" signs INSIDE the front window of your property. Make it BIG with BIG phone number so it can be read from the street.......Ju
Hi all,
I have a question:
Just why is it that bandit signs are illegal?
You're in business, advertising your services just as a New Homes Builder does. Their signs are temporary just like yours. They put their signs all over the place advertising the homes they have for sale......Miles away from the property they'll selling....with directionals all over the place.
Not to mention the going out of business signs....practically pushing you towards their stores.....and what about the "House For Sale" signs, on the corner of busy streets when the house is 1/2 mile down, around the corner and down the way.....Theirs are allowed to stay......Hummm
My Company is an LLC, a business like any other. I feel that if they can advertise with signs, then I should be able to also.
Clif-- Entreprenuer, Webmaster and Business Owner.
I design my own websites, pay for my signs like everyone else does, advertise in the paper like everyone else does. and should not be treated any differently.
_________________
Always Think Differently Form The Masses and Always Believe In Yourself [ Edited by pbodys on Date 10/23/2003 ]
The short answer to why bandit signs are illegal is that nobody pays campaign contributions and lobbies the county commissions and city councils to keep 'em.
The long answer is that they're unsightly, and typically they're clandestinely placed on public rights of way or the private property of unsuspecting and/or unwilling property owners. Hence the "bandit" designation.
Outdoor advertisors (billboard companies) own or lease the places they put their signs. They have lobbies. They give campaign contributions.
Business owners have sign ordinances they operate within as they put expensive signs on their buildings. Their signmakers help them comply, because if the sign has to come down, there are hard feelings all around, and perhaps no payment. Since bandit signs are cheap, these same signmakers and many print shops also do the bandit signs regardless of the laws. Their liability is nil for what the buyers do.
Bandit signs are at best in a grey area, at worst, they're heavily policed, and heavy fines are meted out.
We use them occasionally for our children's gym. But never for long, and never far from our business. Just a "now registering" around the beginning of the semester and then they're gone.
Our landlord is giving the neighboring Karate studio a hard time, but they've never even called us. The difference is that the Karate guys had lots of signs all over the place. We were much more judicious.
P.S. - The press in the Tampa Bay area calls them "snipe signs".
[ Edited by flacorps on Date 10/23/2003 ][ Edited by flacorps on Date 10/23/2003 ]
Its very interesting to me how all these people kick and scream about free speech. No one wants to have it taken away. However when a investor exercises his in some way shape or form hes fair game. People will sit for hours on end and watch tv ads yet when they should be watching the road they are paying more attention to the signs. Wonder what theyre motive is.
Quote:David want do you put on your signs-we buy fsbo?
On 2003-07-19 14:37, DavidBrowne wrote:
Lets not bark and lets not bite
James I don't use bandit signs( we buy houses) I do fisbo signs with moderate trouble. I know the citys frown on bussiness signs of any kind. So here is the question. Would I need a house sign stay up longer?
once when I was at a stop light I saw a cop pull over and start taking the signs down. I was thinking isn't there something better for him to be doing. The only thing I could think of was maybe the association wanted him to do it they are the people who pay his sallary still it seemed a real waste.
put the signs up, take them down - why are people on this thread being so defensive on either side of the fence. when you post a topic, some will disagree - no need to flame them back, just take thier response with a grain of salt.
i hate seeing those signs - however, i've called about everyone i've seen at some point in my life ... besides the one that says "lose 30 lbs in 30 days".
The prohibition against bandit signs has NOTHING to do with free speech. You don't own the right of way where you would put up the sign so why would you think you are entitled to put anything up on it??? While your right to free speech will allow you to put a bandit sign in front of your house or on your car or on your forehead for that matter, other folks rights not to have their view obstructed by these signs is just as important as your desire to make a buck. Lobby your city commission or put up (and take down) your signs on the weekend but please no whining...
With the negativity directed toward agents, it's no surprise that some may resort to removing "bandit" signs. So many investors demand their right to free enterprise, yet will take every opportunity to convince people NOT to do business with a licensed regulated realtor. Why can't we all make some money? And those realtor "for sale" signs ---well, in my communty, even those have to be taken down after a few days, or the city will remove them. And what's worse, because the agent's name is plastered all over them, they or their broker can end up being fined.
In my area, bandit signs are not policed very intensely. I don't put many of them out, but the ones that I do post are very creative and well thought out.
The calls that I get from them ultimately add up to approx. 50% of my income. If you don't feel that this is an acceptable way for you to prospect, please move to my area.
hope this helps,
clear2close
[addsig]
Don't we live in a great country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We do have freedom of speech which is a privledge. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and this is a great place to express them but I do believe in being respectful of other's opinions. (my 2cents)
While I don't like to see bandit signs (especially campaign ones), I do think in our business it is the best thing going. Ads in the newspaper are expensive in major metro areas and many many people will never see one of our ads - but you can't help seeing the "we buy houses" signs. Desparate people will call someone at the moment they see an ad.
I am in this to work full-time and make $$$$. I'm not advocating anything illegal but short of that I say go for it. They work.
In general, I find it highly annoying that REI gurus in general tell you to put these signs up when they are largely illegal, and they don't tell you about it.
Get a magnetic car sign, one on each side for each car you have. The investment is permanent (don't have to keep getting new bandits), place flyers, place ads, direct mailing ,search public record...there are so many other effective ways to find deals than bandit signs, though I can appreciate the guy with the wire around the perimeter and grease. Talk about protecting your investment!