A New Look For NRVLiving Real Estate Listings

I’m working on a new program for listing real estate here in the New River Valley, and Phase I of the program is now ready! I’m really excited to share this, as I think it’s going to make listings stand out even more.

Christiansburg, VA The idea is pretty simple, and one that I am not ashamed to say that I copied from The Bloodhounds, as well as Mariana and Jim. Real estate signs traditionally all look the same, and too often are used as reasons to call the agent to find out anything of value about the house. Sure, we can say more about the house through the use of flyers, but IF a buyer pulls up and grabs a flyer who knows what condition that flyer is going to be in, whether the information is correct, or if there are any flyers at all! I wanted my new real estate signs to be more about the house, and I think this first iteration has done just that.

Think of these new signs as one big flyer. The price is at the very top, in bold numbers so it’s easy to see as you’re driving by. At the bottom is my contact information, if someone wants to call to find out even more. And the main part of the sign is the static brochure – ful Blacksburg real estate l
of information about the house, with professional real estate photos done by Sean Shannon Photography. The signs are going out now, and already sellers are saying they’re seeing more brake lights as people drive by – that’s the kind of instant feedback I like to hear! Oh – AND they’re recyclable, so Valley Curbside Recycling could swing by and take care of them at closing if need be!

As I said, this is the first iteration of signs, and I welcome your feedback – good, bad or indifferent, would love to hear your thoughts. Personally, I think it’s a great way to market a home, and as part of the entire package I’m rolling out will make my seller’s homes stand out even more than they already do. My thanks to Kelsey and Caroline for their design, and Justin at SignSpot for his help with the printing – I sent him a LOT of files, all at one time, and he knocked them out in short order.

And Jim – you wanted to know how long until your signs were copied? Here’s your answer.

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Tagged as: marketing, real estate signs, recycle, signs, SignSpot, Valley Curbside Recycling

John
Excellent idea on the signs! You've obviously been thinking about what home shoppers need in order to make that first contact and how you might go about satisfying that before a phone call is made. Much better than the traditional signs, which are more about what you hope people will do rather than what people want to do.

Jeremy
Thanks John - I just know that as a buyer, I want as much information as I can get about something before I call someone about it. Why try and hide the details?

John Neel
Jeremy,
Tremendous Idea! The best part is not only do you give the buyers what they are looking for but, you will get the added bonus of not taking calls just to blurt out the same 4-5 things. I know real estate is about relationships(just like everything else), but those 'one call stands' don't do a whole lot for you or the buyer and will allow you to focus on the ones that are going somewhere. That's added value!

Looks like you've got a pretty good photographer too.
John

Jeremy
Thanks John - I don't mind the random calls, it gives me a good barometer as to interest in the house. Sure, they might be professional lookers but they're lookers nonetheless - and it's helpful because it allows me to structure my approach moving forward. But I like that it gives me the chance to showcase the house in a different way, and I think buyers and sellers alike will appreciate it. I hope so.

And my photographer is the best - sets up, gets it done, and takes some great photos. Big fan.

Anne Clelland
VERY professional and effective presentation of info.

We bought a house two years ago but I found myself studying your signs to see if I liked your listings better! That's a good ad!

Jaime Clark
I'm very impressed with these new signs. I would have appreciated this type of helpful information when I was in the market to buy a home. I would imagine that this will increase the quality of phone calls that you receive on a listing. Small touches like this can make a huge difference for a seller when choosing a listing agent. Great job Jeremy!

Gary
We were walking around the neighborhood last night and we came across the 422 Miller Street house and said to Ginger, "Is that a new sign? Wow! It has the price right at the top." I think it is a very effective presentation for a home, especially the pictures. My only suggestion is to consider more contrast with the colors. The photos and the text kind of blend in with the blue-to-white gradient. Perhaps a solid blue box for the logo and NRVLiving.com header? Just a thought.

Brian Huprich
Will you also have flyers that look just like the sign or will the prospective buyer need to jot down the info? As someone who had done plenty of self-guided tours of available homes this would make it easier to quickly evaluate a home. I'm interested to see your feedback 6-12 months from now after these can take hold.

Tommy Clapp
As a fellow agent, I first saw these personalized signs that two top producing agents in Colorado use. I immediately liked the concept and must admit it's a fantastic tool on so many levels. I don’t like brochure boxes on listings and we only do so if a seller requests. Mainly for the reasons you mentioned if they would be there, their condition and also because it’s a waste of trees.

The new signs accomplish many things, which is what I like. The Coldwell Banker and NRVLiving brands, listing features and visuals plus other pertinent information. Yet again you've set yourself apart from the rest of the pack and I hope to flatter you more by copying your idea. Well done!

T

Jeremy
All, thanks for the comments - this is good stuff!

Anne - one of the things that makes them stand out so much is Sean Shannon Photography. Can't say enough about his work!

Jaime - I really just want the seller to be happy with the way the home is being marketed. If this makes it stand out and draws people's interest, then win-win!

Gary (and Ginger) - I agree about the colors. That's one of the things I want to see changed in the next version.

Brian - I hadn't planned on doing the flyers, honestly. I was constantly replacing them, and their quality did not hold up to the elements. That's good feedback ... you think flyers would be helpful, as well? Should it have the same information?

Tommy - I know it pained you to have to write something nice! :) No, I'm kidding, I appreciate it. Copy away - like I said, I copied it from Jim and Mariana!

Matt
As an entrepreneur, I love to see stuff like this. What you have done is take something that has become very ordinary and predictable and turned it upside down. Most people look at things the way they are to see how they can accomplish something similar, but you have looked to see how you can be DIFFERENT; and that my friend, is what an entrepreneur does! Not only is the new sign informational, it sets itself apart by simply being different. That's why people are going to notice it. Well done!

Jeremy
Thanks Matt - it's an experiment that I think will have very favorable results. The people I've spoken to about it are very pleased, and my sellers so far all love it. Particularly when that "Under Contract" sign goes on top!

Brian
Agree with everyone else - hats off to continually looking for new approaches.

Anyway, flyers are interesting as I had a long discussion with my last realtor (not in SW VA!) about them and their effectiveness. She felt the same as you and Tommy and that most are taken by nosy neighbors or kids to scatter. I disagreed and felt that was a reason to cut costs (important, but as a seller in a bad market/area I didn't so much care). Of course all are different but when I'm doing the self-guided tours I don't have the MLS printouts to use and grab the flyers as a way to remember a property. That way I can give to my realtor and not have to keep writing and then try to remember - what did that look like again? I would be interested to see the realtor/non-realtor studies on this as a marketing tool. Better said - cost/benefit and how many buyers used/saw a flyer. Then is it worth the $0.05-0.10/page investment?

Jeremy
Brian - Always thinking like a controller, aren't you?

Bob (or should I say 808?) - you might be on to something ... of course, I already told you that!

Bob
Instead of flyers, perhaps you could include a bit.ly URL or the like on the sign to link to a page on your website with more info? This gives a drive-by a very short link to write down, and gives you another avenue to market for your client and yourself. This addresses the issues of the stale info on the flyers as well as the general poor condition of them after a rain, as well as letting you leverage all of the content you are already generating to get the signs made.

L Smith
Great post! All too many times when I've been looking for properties I have to call the agent to ask dozens of questions about the place. That has to be very time consuming for both the potential customer and the real estate agent. I think it's a great idea to make real estate signs like handouts/flyers, that way, you will definitely get more qualified buyers/renters calling you. It's a great way to utilize everyone's time and efforts. I know when I recently rented out my house we had signs made similar to the one you have posted and had outstanding results. These signs don't have to be expensive to get the job done, we used a company that designs fantastic yard signs and it made our job much easier!

Jeremy
Thanks Leslie! It's going to be interesting to watch, over the next few months, to see how buyers and sellers alike respond to them. Interesting things to come!

davina
Jeremy:

I absoutely LOVE the signs...the concept, the design and the fact they're recyclable....I was previewing the property listed @1085 Cross Street and the first thing that grabbed my attention was the fact that the price was on the sign. Your photographer is definitely fabulous. Gr8 idea.

d

Jeremy
Thanks Davina - I wanted the signs to have the information that buyers (and their agents) would need. Glad you liked it, will be doing them from here on out.

Email me and let me know what you thought about Cross, would you? Jeremy at NRVLiving dot com. Thanks!