Here is a great idea for Realtors just to set yourself apart a little. Maybe seeing lighted for sale signs will really stick out for a little while until this idea catches on and every for sale sign lights up the streets at night. I have yet to be able to find any info on how your can get a hold of one of these signs but as soon as I do I will post that info as well.
Tom Henkels hopes real-estate agents will take a shine to his nifty new marketing tool: illuminated “for sale” signs.
Henkels, who worked in the real-estate business in Illinois, retired and moved to Tucson about five years ago. He’s just started marketing the signs, produced in Florida by a company called Ad Light International. Its slogan: “When others quit, we stay lit.”
He said he wishes the signs had been available when he was selling homes and commercial real estate.
“It works for you 24 hours a day. Especially in the winter — it gets dark early and stays dark longer,” Henkels said. “Say you’re up against a company for a listing. You’ve got the edge over them.”
Henkels said he thinks real-estate agents will take to the signs “if it helps them get even one listing, or one sale.”
Recently, Henkels took one of the signs into the offices of Realty Executives of Southern Arizona. While making his pitch, he caught the attention of Elaine Matthias, an agent. She’d heard of the signs and liked Henkels’ design.
“A lot of them have solar lights that flash down on the sign. As far as I know, I’m the first one that’s gotten a solar-powered light in Tucson,” Matthias said. “I didn’t really think about buying one. When I saw Tom’s sign I thought it made a lot more sense. I thought I’d give it a try and see what kind of response I get.”
While the metal placards that normally hang from the T-shaped signposts cost about $20, she paid about $270.
“They’re not cheap, so you’re not going to see a lot of Realtors do them. It’s an expensive venture,” Matthias said.
Henkels said he’s trying to lower the price.
There may be more to worry about than just pricing, said Dan Santa Maria, a Realtor and chairman of the city’s sign code committee. “I don’t believe illuminated signs on private property are legal. Illuminated signs must be fixed to the property,” he said.
Although he has not seen the lighted signs, Santa Maria said he believes using them would be unprofessional.
“As a Realtor, I cannot see these signs being a benefit to any Realtor,” he said. “I have a bad feeling about it. I certainly would not use the signs. I don’t think they’re acceptable, as aesthetically pleasing as they might be.”
Santa Maria said for-sale signs should advertise the property for sale, while lighted signs “enhance the marketing of the real-estate agent, not the property.”
He said the signs might be “a great tool, but I doubt it’s going to be accepted by homeowners associations.”
Henkels said although some neighborhoods may have restrictions, he doesn’t think the signs violate any ordinances. “It’s the same size. Everything’s the same. It’s hanging on the same poles. It’s identical to what we have now. “I’m sure you may run into a subdivision or housing association that will frown on it, maybe,” Henkels said. “If we had a big sign, that would be something different. This isn’t that bright, because it’s solar.”
Related posts:
