I’m getting ready to use bandit signs for the first time. Has anyone ever used them and had to pay huge fines or is it usually no big deal? Where should I go to find out the laws regarding this?
Call your county for that info… I personally don’t like bandit signs… I have purchased houses because of them however… Just list your telephone number in the local 411 directory under “I Buy Houses” and “We Buy Houses”
Time for the opposite side of the coin. I love bandit signs. Don’t use a listed number. Don’t use your personal or business phone number on your signs. Use your cellphone number or voicemail number. I personally use a prepaid cellphone number for my signs. Since prepaid phones don’t have bills, there isn’t an address for which code enforcement can send a fine :evil :evil Even with that being said, don’t be ghetto in how many signs you put out. Do it tastefully to be noticed not obnoxiously where it is a screaming eye soar. Getting leads from bandit signs is a science that has to be experimented with in order to get their maximum use just right. Put them out late Friday night or very early Saturday morning.
Thanks for the input. I just started thinking about prepaid phones lately and think that’s a great idea. I’m not planning on putting out a ton of signs, I’m not a full timer yet so don’t want to get bombarded with phone calls.
Where do you recommend I get the phone? And once you get one can you still add minutes? I figure when I get it it’s probably best to use cash to buy as well since they could look up who was on a credit card… Not that they would put that much effort into it but you never know.
You can get a prepaid phone anywhere. Go to walmart, kmart, best buy tmobile, verizon store etc. Once you buy it, yoiu can add minutes online, via a fill up card or in person. If you don’t want a ton of calls, put out around 8 to 10 signs instead of 25. You can measure your call volume based on signs placed and adjust it to where you can properly handle the volume.
i was under the impression that with prepaid phones you had to give all of your contact info. Drug dealers were using them and I thought there was a law passed about that.
Not that I’m aware of. I just bought the phone and added airtime to it, Code Enforcement isn’t going to go through the trouble of seeking warrants from a cell phone operator just because of some bandit signs. A person would have to be be flat out littering the landscape with signs in order to get under CE to such a level that they would want blood.
The thing is if they want to get you they can.
I have seen STING operations. I know it sounds crazy. But you tick them off alot they will get you.
Personally I do not like them. They do work. I have a hundred in my garage. I just don’t want to put them out.
I just bought a prepaid phone and in order to activate it they required me to give all of my contact information, either online or by phone. I got virgin mobile. Is there any brands that don’t require you to give personal info?
Your right, it does sound crazy.
For anybody that might be wondering I found a phone that does not need your contact info. I went to wal mart and got the tmobile pre paid phone and you don’t enter any of your info to activate it. All you have to do to add minutes is go and buy a card worth a certain amount of minutes and then call a number to put it on the phone. Pretty sweet!
Even though you have a prepaid, don’t let that go to your head and make you think you have a free pass to put out as many bandit signs as you want without consequences. Still use common sense in the amount you put out.
certainly, I’m not planning on ever going over 25… Thanks for your help
I’ve got a pretty good plan with bandit Signs. Even though there is a sign ordinance in my city, put out 25 signs every Friday - and NO, I do not pick them up on Sunday afternoon. But what I DO do (lol) is use a SkypeIn number on my signs, and then forward it to my cell phone. THere is no way to trace a Skype number to a person - so the city can’t really hammer down on me personally. Sometimes they turn on their automatic calling system to tell us to take out signs down, but we just turn off the call forwarding and let it go to voice mail. They quit calling after 15 minutes.
Yes, there’s a bit of hasle involved, but is it worth it? YES!! I get alot of GREAT leads (from sellers who are NOT in foreclosure, by the way!!))) and get alot of good deals by staying consistent with my bandit sign campaign.
Good Luck
I guess the city or county isnt smart enough to call you and set up an appointment for you to buy a house they are sitting at waiting for you to show up at…
If an investor wants to use signage they should go buy a friggin billboard. A 10 x30 is only around 425. a month… Set it up on a rotation schedule every 45 days…
Heck when I had 12 up it appeared as though I was all over town…
Maybe an investor should use a vehicle wrap… They arent that expensive…
It still amazes me that so called gurus tell people to break the law…
Leads are the name of the game. Sounds like you have a good plan there. Is your skype number local? I guess CE Is different in every municipality. No marketing is perfect that’s for sure,but bandit signs are the cheapest cost per lead generator out there. :bobble
Ok now youre just talking out your B#$%… :bs Until you have bought and sold a couple hundred houses a year dont tell anyone bandit signs are the cheapest form of advertising cus you can not know…
What is your malfunction with me Michael? Am what I’m saying bad for your direct mail letters business? I apologise if my talking about bandit signs is cutting into your letters business profit margin. If you bought and sold hundreds of homes, good for you. :beer Do you want appreciation, a cookie or a pat on the back? I’ll give you all three if you want. Words of advice though " True investors don’t have to brag about their success, they just help others to emulate it". I’m not looking for a confrontation with you, but it looks like you are determined to hump my leg for whatever reason. I never claimed from day one to be a “guru” on bandit signs. I just know that they work. I’m also not the only person on REI Club to claim Bandit Signs.I’m also not the only person on REICLUB to use bandit signs. Now that I think about it, I never told anyone to go out and buy bandit signs.Your are the one who is selling a course and mentorship NOT ME Michael!! YOU ARE THE ONE who stand to gain from the trashing of BANDIT SIGNS NOT ME MICHAELS, because I have nothing to sell. So call :bs on that . I don’t have anything to hock. My website is for sellers of Real Estate, your website is to SELL YOUR LETTERS AND YOUR MENTORSHIP. Am I wrong?
You want to talk about me or others advocating people to “break the law” by using bandit signs? Have you heard about the “National DO NOT MAIL LIST”?
http://www.donotmail.org/
Many people HATE JUNK MAIL. Do you tell people who buy your wares that they could potentially be BREAKING THE LAW with every letter they mail if a person they mail to is on the do not mail registry Michael? Of course you don’t. If Direct Mail works for you, then more power too you. Notice I never said that Direct Mail doesn’t work. As I stated before, You are the one that has a VESTED INTEREST In talking down Bandit Signs. I don’t profit either way by talking up on over the other, because I’m not self professed guru hocking stuff on REICLUB like yourself. I don’t have to brag about selling houses or writing books. For the record, I know direct mail is more expensive then using bandit signs because I use direct mail as well. Once again, I never said that Direct Mail doesn’t work. So Michael, please try and get over your hate of either bandits signs or people who use them or talk positively about them on REI CLUB. Your letter business isn’t in danger of losing potential customers. There is plenty to go around. :beer
finally!
You clearly do not know what youre talking about… However for the record YES I do have something to sell… In fact one of the books I wrote includes 101 ways to advertise for sellers as a real estate investor… And OMG I even included bandit signs as one of the methods…
Your statement “bandit signs are the cheapest cost per lead generator out there” is the dumbest thing I have read on this board in a long time. The problem is that new investors read your crap and think its true when clearly you have no idea what youre talking about.
Youre one of those that because you do it, it must be the way to do it… Where in reality you believe that because you haven’t opened that thing between your ears enough to consider other methods of marketing and buying houses.
New investors rely on a bandit sign too much and do not put enough time and energy into creating systems to duplicate their business. tying a 18x24 inch red and yellow sign to a pole is not creating a business model that will flourish… It will influence your decisions and fool you into thinking that you are actually doing something when in reality after months when those signs haven’t worked well enough you give up real estate and decide to go sell amway instead…
There are only three main aspects of this business… Lead generation, lead capture and lead fulfillment… If any one of them are lacking you are not in business. YOUR PLAYING BUSINESS…
When you advertise you must do so in a fashion that creates dependable responses… Most investors think “If I could make a extra 100k a year investing I would be rich” Why not think “If I could create systems that make me and extra 100k a year I would be rich”
I will take the second one every day… The perfect business is one that doesn’t rely on the owners of it to flourish… When you get there you too will understand how stupid of a comment you made…
As for cookies… They arent on my diet… Donate mine to a charity of your choice…
BTW I have to add I like arguing… I love confrontations… I love bantering… Have you noticed my last name… Doing so creates a positive atmosphere… Not doing so creates robots…