We’re In Good Company (Signs – Part 6)

A quick search of Google will tell you that Realtors and FSBO’s are not the only ones getting their signs stolen. Apparently, we’re in good company. Political signs and even Christian signs get stolen.

Amazingly, there aren’t a lot of commercial solutions to the problem, although I did find these websites:

• Tufnuts (Not quite sure I understand how these work or what they do)

• SignGrabber (Looks to be primarily used with chain link fencing. Not to be confused with this product which, I guess, is part of the problem).

And then, of course, there’s this family who brought the art of sign anti-theft strategies to a whole new level. You have to really like your political candidate to go to this extreme.

The bottom line is that if you’re trying to market real estate, eventually you’ll have some signs stolen, regardless of your creative abilities.

JLW

Posted by: JLW Free real estate advertising at SearchTheJungle.com Copyright © 2009 SearchTheJungle.com

Indestructible (Signs – Part 5)

My goal someday is to develop and patent an indestructible, theft-proof FSBO sign. I think I’ve got pretty close.

This sign will only work for you if your street signs are mounted on posts that have pre-drilled holes and notches in them, similar to Unistrut. Last year I made three of these and they did pretty well. They’re somewhere in my garage, gathering dust, until I need them again.

What you’ll need:

• 1 – 6″ x 18″ piece of thin steel plate (available at Lowe’s)

• 1 can of prime paint

• 2 cans of finish paint (colors of your choosing)

• 1 padlock with a long neck on the latching machanism

• A roll of masking tape

• A pair of metal snips

• A drill

• 1 metal drill bit (slightly larger than size of the padlock latch)

• Cardboard letter templates (available at most hardware stores)

Steps to create your sign:

• Step 1: Use the metal snips to round off any sharp corners on your metal plate.

• Step 2: Drill one or two holes in the plate where you will be attaching it to the signpost. Make sure the padlock latch fits through the holes in the sign (and the holes in the mounting posts) before proceeding.

• Step 3: Clean off your metal plate and prime it.

• Step 4: Paint your finish colors, letters, arrows, etc. on your sign. Use the masking tape to mask off areas between coats.

• Step 5: Attach your sign to the signpost(s) in your area using your padlocks.

Be sure to mount the sign so that someone passing by won’t hit their head on it. (Legal disclaimer: You will probably want to check with local authorities as to whether your sign is legal or not).

Remove your sign when done. The goal is to make your sign impossible to steal, not to make it a permanent addition to the neighborhood.

JLW

Posted by: JLW Advertise real estate for sale for free at SearchTheJungle.com Copyright © 2009 SearchTheJungle.com

Chains, Padlocks and Corkscrews (Signs – Part 4)

I’ve known a few real estate agents and FSBO homeowners who chain their signs down (to a nearby tree, fences, posts or streetsign) to prevent theft. Unfortunately, finding a fence or post exactly where your sign needs to be is usually impossible.

My addition to this strategy would be to get a couple of those giant corkscrews sold at pet supply stores and use them as anchors for my sign. Then padlock or bolt the sign legs to the handle at the top of the corkscrew. The idea would seem to be pretty much foolproof.

My only concern would be making sure that I didn’t hit any utility lines or sprinkler system piping while putting the corkscrew in the ground. And of course, if using a padlock, that I didn’t lose the keys!

JLW

Posted by: JLW Find or list real estate for sale at SearchTheJungle.com Copyright © 2009 SearchTheJungle.com