Matt's Blog July 21, 2008

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SIGNS

Signs drive me crazy. There are stringent laws that govern the real estate industry when it comes to where an agent can put a sign and how long you can leave it up. The size of a real estate yard sign in front of a home is restricted and in general the post signs you see conform. I can remember the days when the yard signs for a real estate company were dramatically smaller and compact and I would say they were probably more dignified. In the late '80's Merrill Lynch bought Colquitt-Caruthers Real Estate and brought with them the large post sign to our area. Within months the entire industry had gone that way. In the last few years, there seem to be more and more "riders" hanging from the sign. You see not only the name and phone number of the agent but also an internet address. Sometimes you will see a "neighborhood specialist" rider too. Agents started making larger and larger rider signs to get the public to call them rather than the brokerage. Pretty soon these riders seem to hang down practically to the ground. Sometimes they look a bit silly.

What drives me nuts is the abuse that goes on. Whenever you see a real estate sign with an arrow that says "for sale" rather than "open", it's almost certainly an illegal sign. These signs are meant to be left up the entire time a house is for sale. Some companies and agents like to put them out on busy streets and lead potentially interested parties into a neighborhood to find the house offered for sale. This is allowed during open houses from Friday sundown to Sunday sundown but not during the week. Can you imagine how awful it would look if everybody had "permanent" arrows up all week, we would have hundreds of signs out at the corners on River and Mass. pointing at houses inside the communities. It just isn't right and the next time you see one of these signs, it would be worth remembering, "they are cheating." Sure, could it help to attract a would-be buyer? The answer could be yes, but the trade-off would be horrendous. I traveled to Puerto Rico recently. As nice as it was, my overriding impression was that the commercial signage that was strewn all over every telephone poll, sign, patch of grass etc. was just terrible. It's ugly and has no place on our roadways.
Builders are highly abusive of the sign process as well. They have every right and incentive to put a sign in front of a home where they are building. Fine. But when the signs are six feet wide and six feet high, it's ridiculous. I find myself judging the dignity and quality of a company on the subtleness (or lack thereof) of their front yard sign. Many builders stick these small cardboard advertising signs/arrows all over everything each weekend, often miles away from their projects. They then leave them there, withering in the rain and weather. Again, this reflects poorly on them in my opinion.
Occasionally, agents get busy and forget to pick up all of their open house arrows late in the day on Sunday. This is understandable, especially if an agent is rushing to an appointment following an open house. But they should always come back quickly and pick up those arrows; they are unsightly enough on the weekends. If you EVER see a Stuart and Maury sign left up accidentally call me immediately, I'll come and get it myself.

I'm somewhat of a vigilante when it comes to signs on River Rd. and Mass. Ave. If it says "Singles" "Internet Dating" or "Maplewood Football" or "Lacrosse Camp" or "Make $10.00 an Hour" etc., it could well disappear and end up in a dumpster. Often these signs are in the median, or grassy islands of an intersection, sometimes they block driving sight-lines.
I have called Montgomery County repeatedly over the years. The phone number is 240-777-6259 to report sign violations. They are absolutely terrific and VERY responsive. They come out almost immediately, remove the signs and try to pursue the violators. They have explained to me that the internet guys are very hard to track down. Nonetheless, all of us can make a difference and make our community more attractive by diligently pursuing the roadway "spam" that is so prevalent on our roadways.

Why do I care? Over the years, there have been movements to eliminate ALL real estate signage as unattractive. This would be unfortunate as nothing is of higher lead quality than a call off a sign. The interested party has seen the house, what it looks like and where it is. It is the highest level of initial interest you can generate, even higher than internet pictures. A sign also lets the community know that a house is for sale and community members are always the biggest advocates for life in a community. We need the tools that a sign affords, as an industry we just need to do a better job of being responsible.

 

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