Blank bandit signs are expensive

They Really aren't cheap anywhere you look. I did hear from someone that if you call in to the shipping company directly and say, "I want to buy some signs but the shipping fee is just too much," they might wave the fee.

I also saw someone say their bandit siggs were a tax write off because it was a business expense, so he always gets reimbursed.

But overall, you're right. I couldn't afford them either so I just put them on my Credit card for now. But I think they're totally worth it. I'm getting about 2 calls a day from the 20 I put out 2 weeks ago. And the majority of my calls are from people who are thinking about listing their property, so it really does pick out the motivated sellers that who are looking for a quick way out of their property.

So I say it's worth accumlating a little debt on them if they'll generate you the leads you need to get a deal done. Or just stick with flyers and advertising on CL.

I think you need more than 20 for an effective bandit sign campaign. You need to have signs out every week end at least and you most likely need to put out at least 20 per weekend in the area you are working.

I get 100 corrugated yellow plastic 18 by 24 blanks for $128 shipping included.
I use stakes and stick them in the ground or nails or zip ties to attach them to poles

I think bandit signs like any advertising, requires a lot of exposure for a consistent period of time. Put it in front of their face enough times and they will remember you.

Advertising is a tax deductible business expense.

Michael Mangham
MD Home Acquisitions LLC

you can also get the magnetic signs (2 for $75)for your car-park it from time to time in different locations with good visiability--don't forget to make different business cards to pass out or place

do like me an make your own, and also you will get a lot more respnose. beleave me I have tried both.

Randy

You can get free ones at VistaPrint.com, but you can only do so occasionally. Signs expensive most of the time, and this illustrates my point that it does take money to make money in real estate investing. Signs are a cost that must be covered, although the cost can be recouped.

If you're part of a local REIA, perhaps you and a few members could pool your money together and lower your costs...

I go to the grocery store and get empty apple boxes that have a top and a bottom. Use the sides to make signs which will give you 4 free signs. Buy black markers, stakes, nails, staples and a little of your time. Why pay high interest rates on borrowed money. Just a suggestion and I hope it helps.

Ok when dom and I first started we didnt have the money to buy that many signs either so this is what we did.

I watched the video randy made. Its under terry. They are poster board and made stakes with thick wire that comes in a role. We found that in the lawn and garden department at lowes. The poster board can cost anywhere from 33 to 88 cents a piece. We fold them in half and write on both side with bold black magnum sharpie. Make sure to the the bright colored florescent ones.

Poster board 20 @ .46 = $9.20
Marker 1 @ $2.86
Role of wire 1 @ $22.00 Makes more than 20 stands
total= $34.06 for 20 signs

Now after our first deal we started getting the real signs. I asked some investors at our local REI club and I was directed to 3 local print shops. One does blank white ones for $2.22 a piece plus .99 per stake. The other does Yellow and white for $2.00 a piece plus .85 per stake. The last one got cheaper the more we ordered. Over all our best deal so far has been ordering them online even with the shipping costs. We just got 50 blank yellow 18x24 signs and 50 stakes for a total of $126.00.

I hope that helps:)

I wanted to add also we tried many many different ways of putting out the poster board signs and the best so far has been the wire that randy showed in the video.

WE did tomato stakes but the signs just folded around the stakes. Tomatoes stakes work better with the hard plastic signs.

OH yeah and greg also said that he goes to dollar tree and picks up signs and cuts them in 4's. See if you can find them there:) He uses tomato stakes for those too.

Victorystore.com is where I have found the cheapest corrugated plastic 18 by 24 blank yellow signs. About $1.28 per sign including shipping. Home made ones are most likely 60 cents apiece. You must go out and get them while the others come to your door.
Also, if the sign stays posted over a couple of days the plastic is far more durable.
You can make home made stands, use tomato stakes, nail or zip tie to posts.
Use the black magnum markers on these yellow signs.

Michael Mangham
MD Home Acquisitions LLC

You can buy everything you need to make your own cheap bandit signs at some Walmarts. It's best not to put them in the ground or on private property without permission. Also, don't leave them in more than one spot for more than a few days, or they will disappear. Go back, get it and move it to a new location.

Garden stores have tree/plant stakes, and some places will even cut them down to size for you. I saw yellow, corrugated, blank plastic signs at one local Walmart. They were over where the poster and story board stuff was at.

or Dollar Store sells yellow and white boards, and sharpies; Home Depot sells stakes and wire.

You can put together a bandit sign for $1.50 a piece (Plus tax

Some investors recommend the handwritten ones instead of the printed ones, but everyone has to try and find out what works best for them.

Wishing everyone success,

Valerie

at victorystore.com and ordered 50 18"x24" blank yellow signs for $71.00 shipping included. That's not bad.

you have to be able to spend a little money to make money. If you don't advertise in some format, how do you expect to get homes, find buyers, meet investors, do real estate in general.

While this next statement may seem harsh, if you don't have a $1,000 to spend on start up programs, you really diminish your chances of success. Sure you can wait to find $0 money down deals (I did it when I started 30 years ago) but with so much more competition out there now, you need to jump start your business and that costs a little money.

Hey Jordan, are those signs still there after two weeks?

I am surprised that you can leave them that long. Most people I've talked to say they put them out on Friday and pick them up on Sunday. Obviously you have some great locations. Well if they are getting seen a lot that is.

I am going to try them where I'm at although nobody else is, hmmmmm, always wonder why not. I do hear locals say "You can't do that here!", just like they say about so many other things.

My outlook on how much it costs is that it depends on how many you lose vs. recover to repost. I think if I go back and find them gone or tore down I won't be putting up another one there. Obviously this is key to how many you can afford to put out. I never even considered that they would still be standing after two weeks. If I can get more than a weekend out of a sign that changes the game considerably in terms of cost effectiveness.

I am curious if anyone has a way they use to track which sign locations are working better than others, please share.

Anyway thanks to EVERYONE for the great tips and advice. I'm definitely going to check the dollar stores and if I think of any other sources I'll post them.

Steve

Does anyone know what agency or dept. to call to ask about the local regs on posting of signs? Western Washington state is so uptight it probably is illegal like they say but really what are they going to do, slap my hand and say "stop that"? I just don't want to get fined but I don't mind making a few waves.

Thanks
Steve

Some of my bandit sigs stay up for a day, some stay up for a week, and some stay up for a month or more. I have one that I put up almost 3 months ago that I didn't know was still there and I just got a call from it today (I know it was that sign because I asked where the person saw my sign). It was a lady saying she's moving to Ohio and needed to sell, so I'll be following up with her later this evening.

So in terms of where your placing your bandit signs, I guess it all depends on if the city is monitoring that area or if any business owners or homeowners nearby really care if I put a sign out. Actually, when I put some up last week I wasn't paying attention and put one on the side of the street right in front of a Windermere Office... OOps! I got an unfriendly call on that one from one of the Windermere agents, and I did apologize.lol

Anyway, like you said, if you stick a sign up in a spot and it gets taken down within 24 hrs, it's probably not worth putting another one there. You'll soon figure out where they last the longest if you stick with it. But the only reason I get consistent calls is because I consistenly put them up.

Just keep putting up bandit signs and the leads will keep coming in.

That's the key

Jordan

Haha, I love stories like that.

Yeah I think most of the folks that are saying "You can't do this and that" are mostly east-siders and we all know how that area is, (cough Bellevue, Redmond cough). You can't even park to post the sign without getting towed lol. Seattle (city of) is a lot like that too.

I think the areas by freeway on-ramps and such where there's no businesses or homes, just a strip of grass, would be good spots. I will be looking for good locations everywhere I drive now.

Thanks a lot.
Steve

The cheapest I've seen on the internet are at dirtcheapsigns.com - but, as always, the more you buy the cheaper it is...so 1000 signs are only .89$ a piece.

ya that website is where i got my last 30 signs its the cheapest ive found.

Bill you are right you do need money to kick start your business! Marketing wich requires money especially if your target area is big.

that we found that are pretty inexpensive are www.banditsigns.com www.gotprint.com www.victorystore.com. We found a local print shop that would save us on shipping and order us yellow blank ones. He also lets us know if anyone else places and order for signs and we combine orders. We also use yellow oaktag $1 from the dollar tree and cut them in half and black markers $1. We put these in areas that have a chance of them being torn down(we also test that new area) so we don't loose too much money. If they aren't down then we replace them with plastic ones.
Hope this helps

Donna

Dollar store has good poster boards, and Wal Mart has tons of cheap signs. I took a clothes rack that a friend threw out, cut the tubing in 3 ft lengths and they pound into the ground easily, and are easy to pull out. Attached the poster board to those. Even used a couple wooden broom handles I cut, and even spray painted them blue to look more attractive.
Even used the big Tidy Cats 20# jugs, filled with water and attached the signs to both sides. Heavy enough not to blow away and super easy to put out. And if someone takes them you are not out anything.
I even did that for my rummage sales and moving sale. And I even tied them with some ribbon and that draws more attention to the sign. Even had a lady ask how I made my signs because she said it looked so pretty, she pulled over to read it

Old politician signs work too. Just cover the sign part and the wire base is free.
Use your imagination!

You can get blank yard signs from www.CheapSignsNow.com for cheap pricing, or also

www.CheapSignsOnline.com or www.DonJohnsonSigns.com for really cheap pricing.

You also can get them from Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, Office Depot, Costco, or Staples, too.