Real Estate Signage Best Practices: Creating Real Estate Signs that Sell
Real estate signage is one of the most tried and true tools that real estate agents use to promote a new listing. Even in a time when online search is a leading method through which today’s house hunters and business owners find homes or commercial properties for sale, the good old “for sale” real estate signs are still an important part of the real estate buying experience. However, not all real estate signs are effective. They need to be properly planned, designed, and placed in order to achieve maximum impact.
Another thing to consider is that real estate signs say more about you and your business than they do about the properties they advertise. Your real estate signs are your business ambassadors whether you deal in commercial or residential real estate. They speak for and promote your brand when you are not there to do it in person. With such an important role, you cannot take a chance on your real estate signs – they could be the difference between a booming business and lost opportunities.
Below are some of the best practices for creating custom real estate signs that boost your brand awareness and trigger conversations with potential clients.
What to Include on Your Real Estate Signs
What does a real estate sign need to be effective? Well, it must be clear, easy to read in an instant, and captivating enough for passersby to want to stop and have a better look. After all, real estate signs only have a few seconds to make an impression before the opportunity is lost.
The Sign is About the House, Not the Agent Selling the House
Although real estate signs are great avenues to promote your brand, this shouldn’t be at the expense of actually selling the property. Therefore, the sign should have enough relevant information that can help sell the piece of property it is on. First and foremost, the sign is about the condo, house or commercial property that you intend to sell, not only about the agent and their business.
Your typical real estate sign should provide basic information on how prospective property buyers can find out more. This includes:
- Agent or agency logo
- Web address where prospective buyers can find out more about the property
- The phone number of the listing agent
You should avoid having anything on the sign that distracts potential buyers from the listed property. In any case, most buyers don’t really care about the selling agent’s MBA, picture, or any of the glitz and glam that residential real estate signs typically display.
Real Estate Signs Design Elements to Think About
Real estate signs are much more than just the words written on them. It is about how they look and the perception they create in the people that see them. As such, effective real estate signs need to be eye-catching and professional. As a real estate agent, your signs are an investment, and making them impactful and effective will determine if you will earn a return on this investment or not.
Agents at international brokerage firms tend to have real estate signage templates that are ready to deploy on-demand. Smaller agencies and independent agents, on the other hand, have more flexibility and leeway on how to design their real estate signs.
If you already have a logo, you should duplicate it on your real estate signs in order to maximize the impact of branding. You might also consider having matching colours and a single font to make the sign easier on the eye. If you are stuck or don’t really have an idea on how you would want your real estate signs to look, the internet is a great source of inspiration. You can browse and find tons of examples of how other real estate agents are designing their real estate signs.
Some of the most captivating real estate signs that stand out from the crowd incorporate modern design elements and have bright, fun colours. Light and bold options such as oranges, blues and greens tend to draw attention more quickly and effectively while signs with darker colours might go unnoticed or become easily forgettable.
When it comes to cost, it is important to remember that stronger signs with multiple colours cost higher than simpler, less solid signs. Understandably, the stronger and multiple colour real estate signs need more advanced manufacturing methods which can affect cost.
With that said, your preferred real estate sign company should be able to provide you with a closer estimate on the cost of each sign based on what you need and your order size.
Don’t Forget the Call to Action
A truly effective real estate sign should inspire everyone, or at least most of the people who come across it, to take action. The sign should inspire the viewer to:
- Visit the website of the real estate agent to find more details
- Call the agent to learn more
- Come inside for an open house
Supposing a business owner is driving around looking at commercial real estate opportunities, ideally, you would want your sign to draw him or her to immediately contact you for more information. Meeting such a person, who is interested in buying a commercial property increases your chances to make a successful sale. You would then want to meet the business owner and show the property he or she was inquiring about. An in-person meeting also creates the opportunity to build a long-term relationship. As such, even if the current property does not match what they are looking for, you will get a chance to recommend other properties.
Although phone calls are slowly being phased out by the rise in popularity of websites and online listings, they continue to be a preferred channel of communication for many property hunters. If you can get a potential client on the phone, you have a better chance of not only locking a sale but also building trust and a long-term relationship as a result.
In the current digital age, the internet is a major part of any home search. While some people may prefer to use apps and online platforms to search for a house, you can still get people to visit your website by adding an easy to read web address on your signs. A person that arrives at your website through this route shows that they are serious about purchasing the property. Having a pleasant website that can convert visitors into buyers is also an important aspect.
Real Estate Signage Placement
After you have the right real estate signs with all details clearly displayed, you now move to put the sign into use. As demonstrated earlier, your goal is that your real estate signs will do the following:
- Draw drive-by visitors into an open house
- Prompt passersby to seek out more information by call or through your website
Accomplishing either or both objectives requires you to apply some strategic thinking.
First, always place your signs in a highly visible location, preferably where they can be seen from nearby thoroughfares or intersections. The goal is to draw as many eyes as possible. Avoid placing your real estate signs behind trees, shrubs or bushes as this can cover important information.
Secondly, to maximize the reach and impact of your real estate signs, place them at the neighbourhood entrances. However, make sure that you understand and comply with the local city regulations and homeowner’s association rules whenever they apply.
Lastly, you might be tempted to place as many signs as you can across one yard hoping to increase the impact. However, you will end up achieving the complete opposite. Not only will this take away from the appeal of the home, but you also run the risk of damaging your brand by making yourself and your business look like internet spammers. One properly designed and located real estate sign should be enough depending on the size of the yard.
Your Real Estate Signage Will Make or Break the Sale
While it is impossible to put a figure on the sales that are lost due to poor real estate signage, the success of a properly designed and placed real estate sign speaks for itself. When the number of calls, open house visitors and website visits rises, you know that you have the right real estate signs and placement.
As a real estate agent, following industry best practices and your intuition will help you maximize the value and impact of your real estate signs with good placement. If you have great real estate signs, placed in great positions around a great property, it is not a matter of if but rather when the sale will happen. While having good real estate signage is just one aspect of the whole process of making a sale in the real estate industry, it is an important piece that you should never overlook.
Design Great Real Estate Signs with The Sign and Graphics Manufaktur
Is it time to update your real estate signage? You don’t have to go about it alone. Work with the best sign company in Toronto – The Sign and Graphics Manufaktur. Whether you want to create real estate signs to advertise properties for sale, rent, open houses, or soon to come, we can help you. Our diverse team of highly dedicated signage experts will work with you to produce real estate signs that follow design and industry best practices and which stand out from the crowd. Get in touch with us today for a quote.
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