I just posted a LOAD of bandit signs last night. The police in one city has already called and said if I don’t have them down by Saturday I will recieve a citation for each one they take down. Also, a disgruntled man from another city called and said he was going to call in and rat on me…and that the city would hand me a HEAVY citation.
LEAVE THEM UP??? or TAKE THEM DOWN???
I assume the police can track me down (I used my cell phone on the signs). OR CAN THEY?
Is the extra exposure worth the fines or should I take them down?
A citation for each sign may get a little steep. Is there other cities around that you can focus on? Of course if you net one good deal out of those signs it may pay for itself! ;D
Unless your phone is ringing off the hook with motivated sellers I personally would take them down, drive to another city, and put them back up! You might not be able to market this city in that particular manor, But there are different ways to attack.
But whatever you do keep the bandit signs out somewhere. Whenever I am ready to buy 2 more homes I put out 25 Bandit signs. I always get enough callers.
They’ll find you, because of your cell phone number. All they do is call the phone company, the number is registered to XXXXXXX Cell Company, and then they’ll contact them for your billing address, and if you have a PO Box, they just go to the Post Office, and get the registration card, and there’s your home address.
Be very careful, but I’d recommend you take them down in Austin, because they’re really cracking down, because of this city beautification effort.
I see them everywhere, at every intersection, but the financial choice is yours.
You might become out of business before you really get started.
If you get creative you can still use bandit signs and the cops won’t be able to trace you. Well they’ll be able to pinpoint your location so you wouldn’t want to answer or return calls at your home/place of business, nor would you want to return calls to your bandit signs using your land line or other phone that isn’t the one on your bandit signs.
HINT: Don’t sign a contract for your cell phone. Find one that you can just pay for that can’t be traced to you.
It’s something I’ve been contemplating doing because bandit signs bring in the deals and quick.
I would put them in areas where you can get by with it! Although the idea of a cash phone is not a bad idea or get one of those 800 numbers where they can’t trace you! But I would be very careful this could cause you some major problems! :o
My first post on this blog was on the 10th of March. It is now the 16th of March. I was threatened by police departments in both cities I posted signs in. Still no word. Lets hope it stays that way.
I didn’t even get a warning when I had mine up. They found a home I had for sell RTO and said they wanted to look through it. I showed up to show the home and they wrote me a ticket. THEN I got a warning that if I don’t take down my signs then I’ll be cited $50 per sign per day. Well when I have 30 signs out and at $50 per day, you could call that a waste of advertising dollars. LOL
Whenever you’re placing bandit signs on the buy-side NEVER place
your personal phone number on the sign. This is for several reasons:
You don’t want sellers calling you until they’re been shifted and
sorted out.
Time kickers aka “time-vampires” will tie you up with wasted
interviews and questions.
You don’t want to answer calls at 10:30PM…because YOU WILL be called
…(guess how I know this).
Instead, use a recorded message and direct callers to your website
to enter their personal information. Years ago, it made sense to use
a live operator to collect customer information, but it is not needed
anymore.
I’ve had calls from cops, code compliance, all the sign nazis at one time or
another. I utilize the tools above to duck them and I’ve never paid a fine.
Not sure if you all realize that this thread was started in 2005, lol, wonder how the author made out? I suppose it is still helpful to those stumbling upon it looking for answers so Ill tell you about my experience. I placed bandit signs and received a call from the township as well, I was told it would be $1000 per sign if I didn’t pick them up. I thanked her for notifying me, apologized and told her that I would head down right away and pick them up. I went on further to ask her if there were any blighted properties in the boro that they had taken over or were giving them trouble. There was nothing at the time but I got permission to follow up with her from time to time. We went on to talk about my business and it turned in to a very nice conversation. The majority of them were already gone and I never received any fine. Here is what I think; I think people are littering the communities with these signs and never pick them up. I think the boro workers and people in the communities are getting pissed off about it. I would never leave signs out if I was contacted, not a good way to make friends in the government tentacles of the community and you may need them at some point in time. However posting them on Friday night and picking them up Sunday or in the we hours Monday morning would probably make for the most successful strategy. Whether or not you decide to post over the weekends after being notified may be a little risky but I bet if you are courteous and friendly, your chances of gaining a mutual agreement that works for both of you could be achieved. Happy hanging!
How about you tell the cops that you paid other people to market for you and you were unaware they were usung unlawful advertising techniques. Will that get them off your back?
They’ll find you, because of your cell phone number. All they do is call the phone company, the number is registered to XXXXXXX Cell Company, and then they’ll contact them for your billing address, and if you have a PO Box, they just go to the Post Office, and get the registration card, and there’s your home address.
JUst so you know the Post Office WILL NOT give out that information without a court order and that wil cost you even more.