Put them out the way I outlined in the other post. They work. I know a guy in Orlando that makes a fortune in RE using bandit signs.
They are preprinted. They say “We Buy Houses” with my phone number in yellow and black.
I just put 25 up last weekend on Pine Hills Road. I got nothing so far and they’re probably down by now.
Yellow sign with black ink? That’s a good color combo.
Put more out. Try a different high traffic/commercial area.
Do you know how often he puts signs up and how many he puts up every time he does?
If I would so much as get ONE response, it would do a lot to boost my confidence in this venture.
Something is wrong and we need to figure out what. Even if you put 25 signs out in totally random places you would get at least 1 response. What is the number on your signs? Is it your number or a google voice type service? Is that number working?
Where physically are you putting the signs? They should be on the right side, facing traffic, on the closest intersection to the cars at stop lights and major intersections.
I put them up in the manner you described. I went driving building back by buyers list today. I saw someone in the act of taking my sign down and putting his up.
Is this what I should be doing? Should I be taking other people’s signs down? How long should these signs last for?
I probably have your friends number on my list. If you want to tell me on PM, you can. I plan to rehab houses along with wholesaling.
I would estimate that 10% of my signs are still up one week later.
Here’s more. I saw that guy taking my sign down and I’m going to knock his sign down right now, but I actually called the cops to see if I could press theft charges. They told me that these signs are against county ordinance and that I could be fined and can’t press charges.
Has your friend in Orlando ever been fined?
I don’t have Google voice because I use a cell phone, not a laptop (can’t sit still for long enough to use a computer lol), but could setting up a phony phone number prevent me from getting code enforcement fines?
Google Voice has little to do with a laptop. It’s a dummy phone number that rings all your physical phones when it’s dialed. Never never never use your real number on bandit signs. I use Ring Central, some use Vumber, but there are a bunch of services that do the same thing.
We found your problem, your competition is sabotaging you. Call him and ask him WTF he’s doing. Disguise yourself as a seller to find out more about him. I would start off using the friendly method. Explain what you do and tell him there’s plenty of deals for everybody so no need to take your signs out.
If he doesn’t respond to politeness, take the gloves off. Find out when he puts his signs out and literall follow him around taking them out. Two can play at this game.
Personally I’d find out where he normally puts them, then just avoid that area.
Anyone pulling down the competition’s signs is a lightweight, and should be flicked off the map. There’s no point in trying to be polite and professional. Screw that.
Find the guy’s signs and rip them down. Keep it up until he gives up. It works both ways. Meantime, either farm a different area, and/or replace his signs with yours. You must care less than he does that your signs disappear, and keep doing it.
I bet this guy bails in no time after his own signs start disappearing. He’s already nursing a scarcity mentality, so rubbing that in, just speeds everything up.
Issue: Placing your bandit signs near the competition, helps them and you. It’s the same reason that fast food restaurants prefer to group together. It attracts more customers, than one stand-alone operation will attract by itself. There’s a perceived choice, and people are attracted to choices. Same with driving to an intersection and finding several choices and calling on the sign that seems most interesting.
Frankly, you might try to create some momentum by placing two bandit signs at the same locations, but with different copy and different phone numbers. All of the sudden your customers are drawn to the choices you provide …and hilariously, you still control the negotiations, after they call your other sign, and discover it’s YOU again! Who knew?
FWIW
Yea I took down three of his signs last night and put them in a dumpster.
The cops told me it’s not theft because it’s just like someone saying you stole their marijuana (which I don’t smoke).
Do you think I should just rip down everyone’s signs just for fun so I’m the only wholesaler in town?
Why not?
Are any of these phone number services free? I’m not real high on the idea of paying for things when I haven’t gotten any results yet.
Here’s another question, just about theory.
If it takes 25 years for a house to become deteriorated to the point that it needs to be remodelled, and only 3 months to remodel, why are there any houses on the market to remodel? Seems they all would have been taken. I know there is no shortage of people with the money to buy them.
Wait. You’ve been doing all sorts of things and not getting any results. So, why would someone who’s actually doing what you say you want to do, showing you how to do it, be worthy of skepticism?
BTW, a google number is free, just like a gmail.com account. It’s zero risk. Stop making excuses for failure.
I just want to know the reason behind everything. Especially if I’m going to be paying for it. But apparently it’s free. If I would just get ONE RESPONSE, it would boost my confidence about 1000x.
Okay, I got a Google number.
You don’t need to know the reason behind everything. It’s arbitrary information that will only further your analysis paralysis… As to the results, we already figured out the most likely cause of the lack of leads. Your competition is pulling your signs. When in doubt, defer to Javipa’s advice. He is much more experienced than me. Pull his signs and put yours in. Also put yours in places you know this investor doesn’t put them. Don’t go around pulling everybody’s bandit signs. Like Pa said, people who do that have a scarcity mentality that limits their success. They see the world as having limited opportunities and subconsciencely create their own reality.
You don’t want to use your actual phone number for many reasons, code enforcement being the primary one. It’s harder to track you if you have a dummy number.
Steps for this weekend:
- Put signs out in an area you know this other investor doesn’t
- Pull his signs and put yours up
- Order new signs with different number
For now I’d use the signs you have. Most code enforcement will only threaten you. They’re not likely to go through the work of tracking you.
Just put out 25 more signs in a more affluent part of town.
How long do your friends signs stay up for? If I could afford it, I would put 10,000 signs out every weekend.
Just checked and every single one of them was taken down.
I can’t afford to waste money on signs that are going to be taken down in one day.
Should I just pick a different part of town?
How are others able to do this and I’m not?
Do you keep track of what you learn?
Who suggested putting signs in a more affluent areas? Why is that a profitable idea?
Who else is wholesaling ‘affluent’ areas? You wholesale in doggy areas with nasty houses, and nasty neighbors, or better …the worst houses in IFFY areas. Farm where only the brave dare to farm. Dicker where fewer want to dicker.
Whatever happened about putting signs on vacant property, long-term, and paying the owner a few bucks for the privilege?
Or putting up signs so high nobody can get to them?
Or putting up signs on Friday evening, and taking them down on Monday morning (while the bandit sign Nazis are all busy incinerating the bandit signs they collected during their weekly patrols)?
Please forgive my impatience. I’m all for taking action, but what’s with you starting over from scratch all the time …after all our discussions and input?
Write stuff down. Create some bandit sign guidelines. Remember crap. Improve. Stop doing ignorant things.
Okay. I’ll order 100 more signs and put them up in Sanford, FL.
Home of the George Zimmerman (who I hung out with twice before he was famous)/Trayvon Martin controversy. There are lots of crappy houses there.
They were taken down because you put them out on a Thursday… What hours do you suppose sign ordinance works? I’ll bet it’s M-F, 8-5…