Go Dog Go!
Every once in a while, when I’m reading Bloodhound Blog I come across an idea so brilliant, so obvious in hindsight, I just stare at my monitor stupefied in amazement wondering, why doesn’t everybody do this? It’s obvious he has Dustin’s money quote hanging in his office. Maybe all that time in front of fruit computers has caused him to “Think Different“?
I am talking of course about Bloodhound Realty’s Sign Philosophy. Mr. Swann has blogged about the evolution of his signing philosophy and related marketing efforts, more than once during the past year. I was driving around my neighborhood this week, looking at the homes on the market, and it really hit home. I almost felt like howling at the houses on my block “Where is Greg when you need him?” The vast majority of the “for sale” signs in my neighborhood, are the usual boring rectangular shape and size. It’s sad because the most interesting yard signs in my neighborhood are from Redfin (memorable because of its non-rectangular shape and the BUY ME “button” on the sign) and from Plateau Real Estate, a small & local company down the street from me, (memorable because it’s logo has gradient greens and a unique font). It’s not like Redfin’s logo and Plateau’s signs are that great, but at least they try to stand out amidst an ocean of boring, rectangular, monochromatic signs from most of the big and independent brokers in the area.
The thing I love about the Bloodhound’s signs is that the price of the home is on the sign! It makes me want to raise my bottle of beer and yell “Brilliant”! When I’m driving around the neighborhood, getting out of the car to get a flyer is a nuisance. It is especially bothersome when, 1) your 4 year son old is yelling at you, 2) your sign is out of flyers, and 3) it is raining outside (which it often is in the greater Puget Sound region). In this case, I’m not in the market for new home; I’m just a neighbor that wants to keep tabs on what the house down the street is selling for. If you don’t have flyers, I’m not going to call you for more information (because I’d be wasting our time if I did). If you can’t put the price on the sign, could you at least put the MLS numbers on it, so I can look up the house details online when I get home? After all, if a car dealer is willing to put a sticker price on that luxury sedan in showroom, why can’t you put the listing price on the sign? Are you afraid of selling your listing faster?
Another cool thing the Bloodhound’s do is that many (most? all?) of their signs are custom printed. I love the idea of photos of the inside of the house on the sign, so if you are out of flyers, the sign still conveys enough information about this house to be useful. It’s as if the sign is there to sell the house, instead of the broker or the agent’s brand. Imagine that! I can understand why Greg’s sellers ask if they could take the big signs with them. It the closest most of us will come to having a LeBron James moment.
I don’t know how much it costs, but it has to be cheaper than mailing out 1,000 postcards that hit the recycle bin on delivery and a lot more cost effective in attracting attention in a crowded marketplace. I’m not even looking for a home, and I’m excited about his signage! I can only imagine what folks who are actually looking for a home or trying to sell one think about it. Why isn’t the price of the home on the yard sign? Why don’t more agents & brokers make their yard signs more like flyers?
In closing, I just wanted to give Greg another quote to hang in his office. It’s short, sweet, and the title from one of my son’s favorite books: “Go Dog Go!”.
Posted: June 10th, 2007 under General Real Estate.
Tags: advertising, bloodhound-realty, greg-swann, marketing, yard-sign
About the Author: Robbie Paplin
- Author's website: http://www.caffeinatedsoftware.com/
- More posts by Robbie
- Email the author
Comments
2.
Comment
from Ed Kohler
Time June 11, 2007 at 7:52 am
I’m a big fan of disclosing information to consumers. Make it easy for them to shop and provide value in the transaction where it’s needed rather than acting as a gatekeeper. Great strategy, Greg.
3.
Comment
from ARDELL
Time June 11, 2007 at 9:39 am
I also like Redfin’s new signs, though I’m pretty sure they had to come up with the new one because Move threatened to sue them. They had to change their logo as a result, hence the new signs.
A few of the guests at my house yesterday were playing “guess the price” of the Redfin listing down the street. So I guess they noticed the sign well enough 
One guessed $695,000, and one guessed $850,000, then they came to me to declare “the winner”. I guessed $750,000 (not having looked it up previously). All this based on a quick glance drive by. Others were chiming in and agreeing with one of those various numbers, most agreeing with the highest number of $850,000.
I looked it up on the mls and asking price was $735,000 and it sold immediately. Went STI within 3 days. So I’m thinking my $750,000 was probably closer than even the actual asking price. Then someone asked me about Zillow, so we Zillowed that house. Zillow value was $684,250.
When passing a sign on the way to a party creates that much attention from the party guests, you have to agree that the sign certainly was visible and different enough to cause people to take notice.
4.
Comment
from Robbie
Time June 11, 2007 at 10:45 am
I dunno, I drive around the neighborhood, and I see signs that are professional, but they are boring and uninformative. Reminds me of the old Microsoft tech support joke. Is it too much to ask for somebody to put the listing price on the sign? Seems like such a wasted opprotunity to stand out. No wonder Zillow is so popular…
5.
Comment
from Rhonda Porter
Time June 11, 2007 at 11:49 am
I agree with you, Robbie. I think some of the most brilliant ideas are the most simple ones right under our noses. It took a Bloodhound sniffed it out!
Even if you didn’t create an entire sign for a listing, it seems like you could maybe hang or post something on the sign with the price. It seems like some agents like to covet the sales price so that potential buyers have to call them (or go on the internet) to get info.
BTW…you reminded me of my favorite Suess…”Put Me In The Zoo”.
6.
Comment
from ARDELL
Time June 11, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Robbie,
Year’s ago I wanted to do that, especially for a price reduction. I hate “price reduced” riders. I wanted to show the new price so it got more attention. Oddly it was the seller that objected to it.
I don’t see the price on the Bloodhound Sign. I see everything but price. How do they do a price change? Seems the price on a rider would be easier, as Rhonda suggests, in case the price changes before it is sold.
7.
Comment
from Robbie
Time June 11, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Ardell,
I don’t make a distinction between the sign and riders attached to it. Anyway, they put the price on a rider (not the sign as I had indicated). An example sign can be found here.
8.
Comment
from ARDELL
Time June 11, 2007 at 1:32 pm
I like everything except the big dog head with his tongue sticking out
9.
Comment
from Rhonda Porter
Time June 11, 2007 at 1:38 pm
I also like that they give each listing a url. Smart dogs…them Hounds!
10.
Pingback
from Matt Goyer’s Real Estate Blog » Blog Archive » The Redfin yard sign
Time June 11, 2007 at 3:45 pm
[...] Rain City Guide had a recent post on signs, Go Dog Go! and I thought it would be a good opportunity to post a picture of a sign just down the street from me. First a quote from the RCG post: The vast majority of the “for sale” signs in my neighborhood, are the usual boring rectangular shape and size. It’s sad because the most interesting yard signs in my neighborhood are from Redfin (memorable because of its non-rectangular shape and the BUY ME “button” on the sign) and from Plateau Real Estate, a small & local company down the street from me, (memorable because it’s logo has gradient greens and a unique font). It’s not like Redfin’s logo and Plateau’s signs are that great, but at least they try to stand out amidst an ocean of boring, rectangular, monochromatic signs from most of the big and independent brokers in the area. [...]
11.
Comment
from Reba Haas
Time June 11, 2007 at 10:51 pm
It is a good idea but not one that is overly practical for everyday use for each agent out there. Given that each home that is sold has a different selling price (typically) then an agent would need to have an inventory of pricing that would not be cost effective for them to handle.
People forget that frequently agents are paying for most of their own signage and that we’re, for the most part, independent owners of our own businesses. Some agencies won’t give agents the freedom to create their own signage like this because of controls about branding, etc. Other brokers may allow for unique signage, it all depends on the firm/brokerage you work under and what, if any, corporate rules are imposed. I can’t see the “big dogs” of real estate going for this kind of signage any time soon as it would likely cause them seizures to not have the brand awareness that helps them to gain clients as well as new agents (where brokers make their revenues).
With regard to agency, an agent may not get to market a home in this way because, according to at least WA and KS agency laws, the listings don’t belong to the agent - they are the brokerage’s listings. If a broker has a specific sign policy, as an agent hanging your license with that firm, you are bound to it. It’s one reason I like RE/MAX - and specifically our broker’s office - they have some sign specifics that we must adhere to but they also give flexibility to agents to run “their business” the way they see fit which gives us a chance to branch out a bit on marketing in this and many other ways.
12.
Comment
from Car For Sale Sign
Time June 15, 2007 at 9:46 am
I like that book as well. I think that lots of childrens books could end up on for sale signs. Then maybe your 4 year old would enjoy the car ride along.
13.
Comment
from Vern Callero aka CaptainFSBO
Time June 17, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Nice Post.. and kudos to Bloodhound for cool marketing although I agree the dog’s face is much too large and first glance at 45mph some might think the dog was for sale or lost!!
There is a sign guy in Fremont that has battery powered lights hovering over the sign…anybody have his name??
Russell Shaw in AZ and others refuse flyers at the sign or prices on the sign…this way buyers HAVE to call the agents number (unless they go to the web later)..brilliant marketing on a higher level as they get more buyer leads this way…Mr. Shaw if you read this blog correct me if I am wrong on this as the reason for no flyers at the sign.
1. Comment from Greg Swann
Time June 11, 2007 at 6:20 am
Bless you, sir. This was very sweet. We love it that the sellers always ask to take the sign with them when they go. We end up hanging in the garage of their new home, kind of a commercial memento. Not to be completely mercenary, but every time someone comes into that garage, it’s an opportunity for our sellers to tell the story of their move.
You’re right that our signs are about selling the house, not us. Everything on the main sign (24″ x 36″) is devoted to the home. Even our brokerage identification, required by law, is on a separate sign that sits on top of the post. The price is on a separate rider, in case we have to change it. And we normally have Open House information on another rider, this also so it can be changed. We are often over 1,500 square inches of signage, where the signs we compete against are usually 216 square inches. The NAR says the sign has a 15% chance of procuring the buyer. We’re doing everything we can think of to boost that number for our homes.
Even so, our signs end up being very good passive marketing devices for out brokerage. We’re not selling ourselves, we’re selling the house. But potential sellers are looking for Realtors to sell the house, not the Realtors.