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We have a local listing where the Realtor held Saturday and Sunday open houses. His "team" on the first weekend put up signs in the median on a divided road, at least 20 on one road, at another intersection, another half dozen, with another 4 at each other the other 2 entrances. Saturday, after he closed up, he left them out overnight, until the Sunday open house. The home sold, so, we (the HOA) just filed it away with a note to watch for future back-to-back opens, and nip it quick.
Well, the contract fell out and guess who is back this weekend? The namesake of the team was called this time, told about multiple complaints ad we requested the signs come down. (County code allow 3 signs for opens, that must come down 2 hours after the event). He said he would take care of it. But, he didn't, and at midnight, our handyman took down the signs after taking time-stamped photos -clearly in the dark.
Besides putting the signs in illegal spots and hazardous conditions (wind gusts up to 50+ mph), this group showed complete disrespect to our neighborhood. I can tell you, no one will think about listing with this guy's team). At the minimum, they should have called back to apologize and say no one could return.
A complaint will be (or has been) filed with the county (we have strict sign laws) and a letter to his broker. About a dozen homeowners were upset with these signs.....that's 2 dozen sets of eyes watching for a repeat, anywhere. (Signs blew into cars, blocked views at stop signs). They were mad because the board didn't move faster (but we had to give them 2 hours), so the members of the Board got upset with him due to the angst created in the neighborhood. If he does this again, anywhere, the county will, again be notified, and the next time, a letter to Ethics Committee, with copies of prior complaints. Even the Realtors living in the neighborhood are ticked off.
Our market moves swiftly. I doubt any offers previously or currently were/are driven by the open. This was a grab to find buyers. This is beyond enthusiastic marketing. More like rules be damned. Newbie agents: don't come in a neighborhood and tick everyone off. People are talking about this group, just not saying what they would hope to hear.
Why isn't the county enforcing its sign ordinances? There's a county around here that is famous for enforcing sign laws -- i.e., no closer than 10 ft. to a street, nothing in medians, not within 20 feet of an existing traffic sign, no more than 24 hours prior to an event. Can't tell you how often we've seen county workers with a 10 foot measure removing signs and throwing them in the back of a truck, off to the dump. As agents, we all know those rules, and unless we like losing our expensive, personalized signs, we mind the rules.
And if the signs were on HOA common property, and the HOA has rules against it, then the HOA needs to spell out that any and all signs appearing on common property will be promptly removed and the homeowner will be fined $100 for each sign that the agent installs incorrectly. In fact, one HOA around here has a "Sign Information Sheet" that homeowners must have their agents complete and file with the HOA before a sign can be installed (with a small "permit" sticker) that spells out this information in bold print. It puts the onus on the homeowner to make sure that the agent knows and abides by the rules. You won't have any luck fining the broker -- but if a homeowner is fined $400 after telling an agent what the rules are and the agent fails to follow them, you can bet he's going to be screaming at his agent 5 minutes after the bill comes, complete with photos of the offending signs. :-)
Why isn't the county enforcing its sign ordinances? There's a county around here that is famous for enforcing sign laws -- i.e., no closer than 10 ft. to a street, nothing in medians, not within 20 feet of an existing traffic sign, no more than 24 hours prior to an event. Can't tell you how often we've seen county workers with a 10 foot measure removing signs and throwing them in the back of a truck, off to the dump. As agents, we all know those rules, and unless we like losing our expensive, personalized signs, we mind the rules.
And if the signs were on HOA common property, and the HOA has rules against it, then the HOA needs to spell out that any and all signs appearing on common property will be promptly removed and the homeowner will be fined $100 for each sign that the agent installs incorrectly. In fact, one HOA around here has a "Sign Information Sheet" that homeowners must have their agents complete and file with the HOA before a sign can be installed (with a small "permit" sticker) that spells out this information in bold print. It puts the onus on the homeowner to make sure that the agent knows and abides by the rules. You won't have any luck fining the broker -- but if a homeowner is fined $400 after telling an agent what the rules are and the agent fails to follow them, you can bet he's going to be screaming at his agent 5 minutes after the bill comes, complete with photos of the offending signs. :-)
We got our answer from the county, that is only open 9-5, M-F. Because we (the HOA) took them down, or the agent would have taken them down, no enforcement would take place. Sounds like another letter to the County Supervisor.
20+ signs, in the DOT right of way, I'm still fuming at the circus this guy created, the lack of respect for the community.
I usually do 1 to 4 depending on where it's located. You should read what some of the agents write over on Facebook. They brag about how many signs they put up. There's definitely a point of diminishing returns IMO.
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
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The number of signs used for an open house depends on the location of the home, how easy or difficult it is to find the home from the main streets. Generally 3 or 4 signs will get the job done. If I were on the board of that HOA, I would not be giving the huge pile of signs back to the real estate agent. As a board, we would also have a chat with the homeowner listed with this agent regarding open house signage, why what the agent did is in violation of the Rules & Regulations of the HOA.
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