Bandit Signs Gone. Grrr

Yup,
I call them the Sign Nazis!

Do it again, maybe find a different location and definitely don't put them on anyone's or wal-mart's property-- try to stay in greenbelts; on city property.

Do it again. It took me 5 times to get the right spot!

-- good luck, and keep us posted! pun intended -)

You make me laugh...

I have only put out 2 (yes 2.. I beat Mark) bandit signs and that was to advertise the house I have under contract and I put both of them at Walmart exits. It was Easter weekend and I got them out on Saturday afternoon and picked them up on Sunday night. You know how many calls I got? ZERO!! LOL

It was very bad timing on my part but I was determined to put them out even if they weren't going to stay long!!! I was so afraid of the bandit sign policemen because my number was on the sign... that I made sure to pick them up Sunday night. Bad timing though... bad!!

But my next ones will be ordered online too and then I'll go crazy putting them out. Maybe the next ones you put out will not be snatched!

Shirley

Yes, there are people, who're assigned to go out at certain times of the month, to remove bandit signs. To avoid removal, put them next to candidates campaign signs.

i think it happens to all of us. I also put about 20-23 signs out and about 7 where gone before the 3rd day... but guess what i went out and ordered another 25 online and put another 20! Im keeping 5 saved up just in case someone else removes them again.

You can also put them up higher if your putting them up on telephone poles? Like Tina said, you can try Wal-Mart parking lots(this worked out great for me lots of traffic) or any other big store like lowes, target, home depot and so on.

Good luck and happy investing.

"definitely don't put them on anyone's or wal-mart's property-- try to stay in greenbelts; on city property."

I would think the city would yank the signs before Wal Mart would. usually a shopping center is leased with no management on site. Which store in the shopping center is going to assume the role of sign police? The city sign police are everywhere looking for additional revenue.

If the political candidates pay for the permit and can put up their signs, we should be able to buy a permit (fairly reasonable price), and do the same, but not go crazy with those signs like they do. But, that's just me. The old city in Idaho I used to live in would not let you put Garage Sale signs anywhere, unless it as on somebody's property you know and you had permission. So, what people did was park a car or their car by side of the road with the windshield facing traffic, and put their sign on their windowshield. They can't move cars, what makes you think they're gonna do? Lol, and it worked. I mean, forbid us tto make a litttle money with a yard sale? Gimme a break. That same town is very closeminded about having a Walmart come to town, because city officals would still take bribes from Albertsons, to not allow other major chain stores to move in.At the same time, their city water bills are insanely high, so people would move out to the bigger city, to save on water bills. Hehe...

Because there are more people ot doing stuff on the weekends (Fri. night to Late Sunday night or early monday morning), and you have a couple days or a little more to get some calls in, before the sign nazi's take over. When you get those numbers to callback, google every one. If you find one that comes up as city govt't, don't call it back, or they'll end your momentum. Always always use a non-traceable number like magic jack or google voice.

Keep it going!

KLSobo wrote:

I'm not sure if there is another topic on this, so i'm gonna say it again if there is I put out several bandit sign the other day in high traffic areas, got some calls, then today nothing, thought something was up. So i was out and about and decided to drive by the signs spots. All are gone.

Ok, I ONLY put out about 10(i bought at a local sign store, not cost effective at all so i'm ordering bulk online.)

My plan is just to go out, with MORE ammo and more determination!!!

Just hard not to get even a little discouraged.

Grrrr

I suppose this was just a vent for now. Feeling better:)

sphi99 wrote:

You make me laugh...

I have only put out 2 (yes 2.. I beat Mark) bandit signs and that was to advertise the house I have under contract and I put both of them at Walmart exits. It was Easter weekend and I got them out on Saturday afternoon and picked them up on Sunday night. You know how many calls I got? ZERO!! LOL ...

Shirley! I had to laugh when you said you beat me, funny!

I just wanted to help everyone based on my experiences in my area:

- Most signs are removed by lawn maintenance crews. If they cut the grass once a week, guess how many times you'll need to replenish those signs? An idea is to try to pattern, or find out when, their usual service day is and put the signs in after 5pm on the same day or the day after. If you live in a small town it might be plausible that the same landscaping service is used by several businesses which would partly explain why signs in different locations would be pulled at the same time.

- Elections signs are usually allowed by law one way or another, either by permits or local ordnance that allows them a certain time frame pre and post election.

- If you get a house under contract, try to get permission to put a for sale sign in front of the property, you'll get the most calls that way. If you can't, try to put them at the intersections near the property.

- everybody says weekends are better, I'm not so sure of that. With the weekends you get out of town guests, which is good in a way. But with Monday mornings, you get the locals in the morning rush hour. Another way to look at this, almost everybody drives through an intersection but not everybody goes to Walmart, think traffic flow or cars per minute. I suppose the reverse could be said for certain locations, but this has been my experience.

The most important thing is to keep taking action and pay attention to what works so you're not repeating the same, ineffective mistakes.

To everybody's success!

Funny thing , about putting them out at the Walmart parking lot, I actually did put one up in the lot near the Garden center, it has been there almost 2 months, they even put it back in the ground after they mow.
This is very unusual and not sure how long it will last, but I get about a call every 2 days just from it, because I ask them where they saw it at.
Good luck everyone.

Curtis Fillers
(Charlotte,NC)

At the Walmart exit the sign stake was still there but no sign, on the other side of the entrance was a squatter with a SIGN...homeless need money, but never a job....and I thought...hmmmm Did you take my sign? lol..then thought, well I don't feel so bad. Maybe shoulda put him to work?

Thanks everyone for your insight, always good!! I'll hit the pavement even harder!

Also TINA! thanks for the email, great info! Been hoppin this week and haven't had a chance to thank you!

Just expect it! I put some out and they were gone that day when I drove back by. In one area I am supposing that somebody took it home and said, "hey this will make a nice garage sale sign for me." When you expect them to be taken you won't be so dissappointed. Just put more up, and if they keep getting taken down; it is because they have a neighborhood watch, a business, or cutting grass, or just plain stolen, but move to somewhere else if possible, even just across the street may work. keep your eyes peeled.

of your sign? There is an internet guru teaching his students to steal r.e. signs and use the back side of them for their advertising!! I saw him on youtube. Now, that's a Grrrr! Good luck with yours.

Sandi C.

I put 15 to 20 out every Friday after 6:00 PM. City employees are off. Just like any advertising campaign you have to be consistent. Like Tina said, if you are getting no calls, change what you are doing. Don't give up after you put out 10 signs and get no calls. I read that here a lot. Change areas, change colors and content, whatever!

I figure each sign costs me $2.00. Sign, stake or zip ties, nails, magnum marker etc. Even if the sign is gone in 24 hours think of how many people you have reached for $2.00!!!

Order from signwarehouse.com (thanks Jen!) Write it off at the end of the year. Advertising expenses!

Michael Mangham
Mentoring/Team Building Nationwide
MD Home Acquisitions LLC

You're right, too. The shopping Centers often don't have patrol (our Wal-marts here do tho), but I've had issues where property owners (smaller ones) get real mad! errrr and they take them down. The Sign Nazis (I'm so bad, am I offending anyone here?-- eeek) do make a point of removing them, but I'd rather chance that than have an owner get mad. There really are no safe places for signs (but I like the camo idea in the political sign bunches idea). Point is get em up and get em out and do it til you get calls!

So fun!

a

Thats what I call them. But without them, you will never know that you are doing something good. Quit worrying about people trying to hate on you, that is a haters job, to HATE. Dgs, if you got 10 haters on you today, you have to figure out how to get 20 haters by the time summer gets here. Regardless if you are doing something bad or good, there is always someone one out there getting in your way and get you down. My dad use to tell me,"son, if you hit it, aim for top, and when you get there teach someone else to hit that same hit, but never hit at everyone's level. Aim higher".