Open Houses
The truth is, selling a home is no easy task. That’s why we offer a multitude of services to cover all areas of property listings for our clients. Our services include staging, professional photography & videography, 3D WALKINTOUR, premium flyers, and a dedicated website. Such efforts will convince potential buyers to walk through the open house, tour the property, and submit an offer. However, none of these things will matter if potential buyers don’t actually know about your open house.
When you were in the market for a new home, chances are, you probably noticed a lot of signage on the streets. Did you ever intend to visit an open house only to miss it because you had trouble locating the property? How many times did you drive by an open house sign on a major street, but ended up driving around in circles because you couldn’t find the home? You might have even visited a different home along the way. When it comes to sign placement in the neighborhood, there are many things that we need to consider as real estate agents. Seasoned real estate agents understand that the direction of traffic, time of the day/season, sun angle and movement of the sun, and tree shadows and movements all contribute to the success of the placement. I know how to dramatically increase the perceived desirability of a property and use it to my advantage to get you, the seller, better offers. Here is how I do it.
Neighborhood & Traffic
Every time we list a new home, I get to know the neighborhood first before the open house. Where are people driving in from? Who am I marketing to? Does this neighborhood have a lot of foot traffic? If so, which side of the street do pedestrians frequent? Often times, I will place the signs at busy intersections, then take different routes to the property address by car and foot so that I can visualize whether or not these sign locales are eye-catching. For example, if I come across an intersection such as the one pictured to the left, I would put the open house at the upper right hand corner where the blue and green arrows meet. Why? Open houses are usually held during the weekends from 2-4pm. Typically, this is when families return home from morning activities. So, that is the prime time and location for placement. You don’t want to place it where the purple arrow is because there will be a chance that the driver in Car 1 and Car 2 can miss it. The same goes for Car 3 and Car 4 with the single blue arrow + the yellow/orange arrows. By placing it where the blue and green arrows are, it gives them more time to read it as they are crossing the intersection. You may want to place it at an angle to avoid harsh sunlight, making it tough for the drivers to see your sign.
To attract more attention, add some balloons or streamers. I’m careful about where I put these and I always check with the city or homeowners association. Some cities have ordinances about sign placement and they may or may not allow it on certain streets. For example, where our office is located in Emeryville, we are only allowed to place the sign on certain streets and intersections, the sign must allow for a certain amount of space away from buildings and ADA ramps, it must not exceed a certain size, etc. Check out the city ordinance before making your decision.
Design & Placement
Some people come across open houses by chance. Due to the fact that some people may not be seeking signage deliberately, make sure that the design is simple, yet informative. We chose a font that is easy to read and visible from afar. How far is that, you ask? Generally speaking, 30 feet would be ideal–about 2 car spaces. If it contains arrows, make sure that they are pointing in the right direction. We believe that the sign should reflect our brokerage, so we have ones that are blue and yellow to match with our branding. That way, buyers will automatically associate your property to our brokerage. Signs should be placed in prominent areas such as the lawn. We believe that more signage leads to more traffic. Again, I would consider each neighborhood and see where the prime locales would be. A half-mile-radius is typically how far out I will go to place them in a way that exudes clarity. To ensure visibility, I avoid placing signs near highly wooded areas with trees and/or places where it gets a ton of sunshine. In the end, you want potential buyers to see your sign without having to fight the glare or shadows.
Call To Action
Last but not least, I always make sure to add a rider on top of the open house sign. This could be a “call to action” such as a message such as, “Come on by!” or “Call me at _____!” Riders are a great way to provide more information or add a touch of personalization to that property. All in all, you want potential buyers to want to tour the property. For more information on how I can market your home, call me at (510)866-6966.
