10 Bandit Sign Marketing Mistakes and How Real Estate Investors Avoid Them

Frank Chen

Hi, this is Frank Chen with REIClub.com, the only site you need as a real estate investor. Today I’ve got a quick video on common bandit sign marketing mistakes and how to avoid them.

Contrary to what some investors will say, bandit signs are still one of the top ways to find motivated sellers.

Although old school, it's still highly effective in most markets, which is probably why you still see those “I buy houses for cash” signs almost everywhere.

But with something as simple as writing on a 12×18 board, and sticking it in the ground or on a light post, there are still some mistakes that are commonly made by investors…

Let's get into those details…

Mistake 1: Breaking the Law

Know your county and city laws to posting signs
Some cities only allow it on the weekends
Some cities, not at all – need a permit – or politician or agent
Don't want to spend an entire morning putting up signs that are going to get immediately taken down by the city. Plus it has your number so they know how to get a hold of you.

Mistake 2: Sign Too Small

People can't read what they can't see
Opt for the 18×24 signs vs. 12×18
Bigger means more space, larger font, easier to read

Mistake 3: Not Prioritizing The Number

Common to see large message, but can't read the number
Prioritize the phone number as much as the message

Mistake 4: Poor Placement

Sticking it around 5-10 other signs
Putting it on a slow street – low eye traffic
Drivers only have a few seconds, sometimes less than that
Is the sign somewhere they can see it, and read it?
Traffic lights and stop signs are good options
Avoid areas without stops

Mistake 5: Too Many Bandit Signs

Putting them at every intersection within a mile radius is not as good as you think. Get annoying and hard to track.
You can learn a lot about an area by selectively placing your bandit signs
How many calls did I get from this ONE sign? easier to track leads
Is this area more popular than another?
Allows you to focus your efforts.

Mistake 6: Same Old Message

“We Buy Houses”
Change it up a bit to stand out
For Sellers – “Need To Sell? I'm Buying.”
For Buyers – “Help! Buy My House”

Mistake 7: Saying Too Much

If the message is not clear, you won't get calls and you'll get bad leads
Long messages usually don't get read
Practice writing different tag lines

Mistake 8: Colors

black and white is the most common, but NOT best color combo
Red on yellow and blue on white both work better.
Keep it simple, and easy to read
Like your message it’s a matter of testing
Make sure the Phone and Message are a color easy to read during the day and night.

Mistake 9: Putting them up yourself

if you can afford it, have someone else do it on Friday night and pull them on Sunday evening.

Mistake 10: Being “corporate”

I Buy Houses” is much better than “We Buy Houses”
Something like “Fast Cash for Your House” is much better than both of those

In conclusion, bandit signs are still a great marketing solution for real estate investors. With a bit of sweat equity, you will have access to an affordable marketing option that most people are now too lazy to do themselves.

Just remember the tips we covered in this video, and you should see better results from your bandit signs.