How to properly use FSBO SIGNS
My intention in writing this article is to show you how to properly use FSBO signs. For Sale By Owners, FSBOs, continually post homemade signs in their yards that they have purchased from local merchants or chain stores. I’m sure you recognize them by their red and white color scheme and the handwritten owner information on them.
The ones that arouse the most curiosity in me are the ones that put so much information about them in that horribly runny, black, felt-tipped ink. You, I’m sure you’ve seen them, project the owner’s name, then the owner’s phone numbers, followed by the price, followed by any other notations the owner thinks the passerby, motorist, and prospects would want to know.
I mean, is this silly, or what, let’s consider what the passerby sees as he walks by:
The more information, the smaller the characters on the sign, which means the viewer must have eagle eyes to see everything, even if they stopped in the middle of the street and were able to memorize what they saw, or at least were able to write. that information on a sheet of paper or notebook that they carried with them.
How many of your prospects who are walking or driving by would be able to do that and take all that information back home, or to the place where they are staying, so they can study it and put it to good use? I guess not many.
The average potential buyer drives around their chosen neighborhoods looking for homes that appeal to them, initially because of their appearance from the street, then because of the appearance of that neighborhood, or vice versa. It is a human quality, most humans have it. That’s where the old adage comes from: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
People will be very critical at that first glance, no matter what they first see, so let’s be very frank in our discussions of yard signs!
A yard sign is ONLY the second thing people notice when passing by your house, their first impression, good, bad or indifferent, IT IS your home and ONLY if they are impressed by it, will they pay ANY attention to your yard sign.
Now as for your yard sign, it should be about 2′ X 3′ in size (that’s about the size of real estate company signs). And instead of the paper or cardboard signs those local and national merchants are trying to sell you that you can then use your magic marker and watch the sun fade, or bleed out beyond recognition, call a local sign maker or print shop (or even buy them online, you can find everything else there) and order a custom corrugated plastic sign with vinyl lettering from them.
For that size of sign, real estate companies will generally pay between $20 and $40. individually, which will include a metal stake that holds the sign to the ground.
That price can vary from company to company and state to state, but if you look hard enough, those prices can be found by the individual.
Now that you have a sign, let’s discuss what would be advantageous to put on it.
Potential buyers will be impressed with your home, so they won’t look for more information about it, but unlike the sign I talked about earlier, don’t overload it with content!
The most effective signs I know get the most activity are the ones with the least information about them. (In this case, less is more) and instead of red and white, black letters on a field of yellow background are the most striking.
On that yellow background, put only the words:
QUICK SALE ON THIS HOUSE SAVE MONEY
ALL INQUIRIES WELCOME
http: facebook.com/pinewoodcove
(HOME STREET ADDRESS)
Cell # 555-555-5555
Now, this information offers much more information:
- You would like to sell your house quickly
- The faster the sale, the more money the buyer saves
- It states that all buyers are welcome, including real estate agents (you are willing to pay a commission for your buyers, as well as buyers, without the benefit of a real estate agent (think investors, wandering around the neighborhoods).
- put up a website address i.e. facebook, or anything similar that allows you to put up pictures, that you can direct people to and make sure there are pictures of the interior of your home to show them and that they can refer to. others back to. At the LEAST, put your email address here, so they can contact you without having to be home.
- And most importantly, offer them a phone number (preferably a cell number) for interested prospects to call for any information that is relevant to them.
All that other information is irrelevant, if that prospect is curious enough to have questions that need answers and willing enough to make a simple phone call, write an email, or visit that website page to satisfy their answers.
Be prepared, if the prospect can close your offer (give you the money and close the deal at a lawyer’s office or abstract company) within 2 weeks (put your own timeline here, closing a cash sale by an abstract company can take as little as 2-3 days). For that “quick sale”, be prepared to offer that buyer 2 – 5% (enter your own % here, of your negotiated selling price), but note that for this benefit to you, 5% is not an outrageous benefit to the buyer.
Without this “quick sale,” let the prospect know what price(your list price) for which you would like to sell your home.
There are other common questions that can be answered over the phone and writing the answers down after the first few calls on a piece of paper will help you quickly answer any future calls.
Some, but not all, of those common questions could be:
- How much are your profits for the year?
- How old are the appliances in the home?
- What schools could children in your neighborhood attend?
- Do you have hardwood floors and if so what rooms are they in?
- How old is your heater and air conditioner?
- how old is your roof
- Are you in a septic tank or city water?
- etc.
Don’t worry, there will be several other questions they will think of, but if you think about the information you would like to know when you buy your next home, I’m sure you can find some. others of yours.
Keep all of these things in mind as you make your yard sign and prepare to tackle the sale of your own home. You’ll do fine.
- Don’t overload your yard sign with so much content, it’s unreadable
- make your sign about 2′ X 3′ and don’t use red and white (yellow field with black letters is best
- Let ONLY interested prospects call you (reduces wasted time with uninterested prospects)
- Be prepared when they call, write a list of questions and be prepared to answer them.
- Be sure to take them inside your house by asking them on a date
- Put it (or they, corner lots, deserve two signs, or more) in the most visible area of your yard from the street.
- And make sure you enjoy the process!