Should You Have a For Sale Sign?

When selling a property you should consider the effect of all the marketing your appointed agent does on yourbehalf. One component of this marketing is a For Sale sign. Should you have one outside your property?

Real estate trainers call signs ‘silent salespeople’. Here are some of the most common options considered by home sellers:

ONE WITH THE LOT

This sign has lights, photos of the house, photos of the agent, a description of the property and is huge – very impressive, very costly, and makes the agent look cool.

But it gives potential buyers all the information they want without ever having to call the agent. In marketing they say ‘Less is more’ meaning that you should withhold certain information to make it necessary for clients enquire. Do not fall for this type of sign.

MULTIPLE SIGNS FROM MULTIPLE AGENCIES

Makes sellers look desperate and often leads to a low price. Select a good agent – one who can prove his or her negotiation ability – and have just the one sign.

NO SIGN

Buyers who enquire off signs often pay the highest prices because they already like what they see from the outside. By the time they enquire, they have all but bought the property.

Almost all properties for sale should have a For Sale sign outside. The only person I can think of who should not have a sign would be a single female home seller who feared violence from an ex-partner.

‘SMART’ FOR SALE SIGN

Simple and inexpensive, this sign has very little on it except for the words ‘For Sale’, and the agent’s name, telephone number and web address. It is cost effective and designed to sell the property, not to make the agent look cool.

The purpose of the sign is to attract enquiry, and not sell the property – that’s your agent’s job. Keep it simple.

Written by Jim Grigoriou