Real Estate and Property Management Signs

Real estate and property management marketing has evolved considerably in recent decades and not in the way you might think. Although you might assume that real estate agents and property managers are casting aside print marketing in favor of digital and that the average home buyer or apartment renter is shifting to a purely digital search, that’s not necessarily the case.

Back in 1995, less than 40 percent of home buyers used real estate signs to help them find a home. Jump forward to 2017, and nearly half of all home buyers used yard signs at some point in the home buying process.

Real estate signs let people know that a house or apartment has become available. The signs can also provide people who are at the beginning of their search with the name and contact information of an agent to work with. Around 10 percent of home buyers ultimately buy the house they first noticed through a for-sale sign.

Real estate and property management signs say much more than what’s for rent or sale. They also speak to the integrity and profile of the brokerage or listing agent. For signage that says the right things about your agency and your properties, partner with SpeedPro.

Importance of Real Estate and Property Management Signs

As a real estate agent, your goal is to sell a property for the highest possible amount. If you’re a property manager, you want to keep the properties you’re responsible for occupied as much as possible for as long as possible.

There are several things you can do to help yourself achieve your goals and objectives in property management and real estate. You can create an excellent product by attractively staging the house and by making sure you respond to maintenance requests in a timely fashion. You can advertise on social media and real estate websites. You can take steps to ensure that people’s first impression of you and the property you’re selling or renting is a good one.

Real estate signage plays a significant role in preparing your properties to make an excellent first impression. Consider two scenarios involving a couple looking for an apartment.

In the first one, the couple finds your property management company and calls or sends an email to make an appointment.

The day of the appointment arrives. The couple drives over to the property management company. Once they get to the address, they aren’t sure where to go. There are no signs on the front of the building directing them to the appropriate office, so they are stuck standing outside of the front door.

Depending on their temperament, they might call your office and ask to be let in, or they might turn around and drive back home. The lack of signage can be a significant red flag for apartment shoppers. They’re looking for a company they can rely on and might be put off if the company can’t even take the time to provide them with necessary information.

In the second scenario, the couple drives by an apartment building with a large banner out front advertising units for rent. According to the banner, there are two-bedroom apartments available in the couple’s price range. Your property management company’s contact information is printed clearly on the banner, so the couple gets in touch.

They schedule an appointment. The day of their appointment arrives, and they drive over to your office. Once there, a sign on the exterior of the building confirms that they have found the right place. Once they get into the building itself, arrows and additional signage make it easy for them to make their way to your office.

Not having signs often leads to frustration and lost business. On the flip side, if you make it easy for people to find the info they need and provide them with step-by-step instructions to help them navigate something new, they’re likely going to feel more confident in your services and will be more likely to use your real estate or property management company in their home search.

Benefits of Custom Real Estate Signs

Signs encourage people to act. Many shoppers have wandered into a new-to-them store because of a sign, and almost everyone has bought an item because of a sign.

Signs also influence people’s perceptions of a company. People make quality assumptions about a business based on the type of signs they use.

In real estate and property management, using signs and banners can provide several other benefits, along with encouraging people to act and shaping how they view a company.

1. Signs Connect With People in Real Time

Custom real estate banners and signs meet people where they are. If someone walks around their neighborhood and comes across a “for sale” sign in a person’s yard, that sign is connecting with them immediately. The person looking at the sign has some choices to make based on their goals. They can ignore the sign because it’s not relevant to them — that is, they don’t want to buy a house. They can record the information on it and share it with others, or they can record the information on it and get in touch with the agent to learn more. In some cases, a sign in front of a house or apartment building can give people the information they wouldn’t have found online.

2. Signs Provide Valuable Information

Speaking of information, signs tend to contain a wealth of it. A banner hung in front of an apartment building can tell people what’s available, what the price range is and who to call. Real estate signs can also include enticing details, such as amenities and features available, to convince people to take action.

3. Signs Provide Instruction

When people are in the process of buying a house or looking for a rental, they might be a bit lost and confused. Both the buying and renting process can be complicated. A sign can give people the instructions they need to take the next steps in the process with confidence. Those instructions can be incredibly simple, such as, “Turn right here!” or more complicated, such as, “Submit your credit application today!”

4. Signs Make a Positive First Impression

As mentioned above, signs are often the first introduction a person has to a business or real estate agent. You can convey a lot about your company’s quality, sense of humor or overall approach through the signs you create.

Examples of Real Estate and Property Management Signs

Not sure how to use real estate signs to market your properties or to connect with renters and home buyers? From office signs indicating which broker handles which area to digital signage and overhead banners extolling the unique qualities of a property or announcing a promotional event, you’ll find customizable options at SpeedPro for display graphics that work, whether indoors or outdoors. We can also extend that visibility to your fleet with partial or complete vehicle wraps, surround your office or construction site with concept renderings on fence and barrier murals, or install directional signs.

Learn more about the different sign options available and how you can use them to sell more properties or attract top-quality tenants:

1. Yard Signs

When a house goes up for sale, a yard sign is often one of the first indicators that the property is on the market. Yard signs come in a variety of styles and can be hung on a variety of support structures and frames. In some cases, you can attach riders to the primary sign to give people updated information about a home, such as the date of an open house, or to highlight special features or amenities of the home.

2. Banners

Banners are highly visible and are ideal when you have a lot of information to share with passers-by. Property management companies can use large format vinyl banners to advertise their properties and to highlight apartments that are available. Real estate agents hosting open houses can use banners to advertise an open house to anyone who might be passing by.

3. Directional Signs

Directional signs help people navigate through buildings or help people find their way to a place. If you’re hosting an open house, you can strategically place multiple signs in the vicinity of the open house, with arrows pointing the way. If your property management firm or real estate agency is located inside of shared office space, directional signs can help clients find your offices with ease. Inside of the properties you’re managing, directional signs can help people find their way to the leasing office, gym and other shared facilities.

4. Open House Signs

Open house signs can be inside of an H-frame or a-frame and are usually portable. You can place a sign outside of a property on the day of an open house to attract visitors, and you can place similar signs at the end of the block or street to help people find their way.

5. Window Graphics

If you manage a property that has large windows, don’t underestimate the power of window graphics and decals to advertise what’s on offer. Since decals can be removed and reused, they are ideal for promoting limited time offers, such as the first month’s rent free or a seller who will pay closing costs.

6. Office Signs

Office signs make your real estate agency or property management company look professional. They’re also a must-have to let people know they’ve found the right place. You can use office signs in a few different ways. You can construct a large sign near the entrance of the parking lot of your building. You can also hang a sign on the front of the building itself. Inside, signage can help people find their way to your office space from the lobby. Once they get to the reception area, a final sign can confirm they’ve made their way to the right door.

7. Fleet Vehicle Wraps

The average person in the U.S. is in their car for around one hour a day. That means that the average person is a “captive audience” for approximately seven hours a week. A vehicle wrap can be an effective way for a property management company or real estate agency to connect with people as they’re on the road. A vehicle wrap can cover the entire car so that the information is available from all sides. You can also go for a partial wrap so that your business’ information appears on the back of your car or van or just on the sides.

8. Construction Renderings

Signage isn’t only valuable for existing homes. It can be useful for companies that are building new properties and want to show off those properties to potential buyers. Large format construction renderings can give buyers or renters a sneak peek of what the property will look like when finished and entice them to make an offer before all the units are snapped up.

9. Convention, Trade Show and Expo Displays

Sometimes, it pays for a property management or real estate company to attend trade shows or conventions to connect with new clients. A trade show can be a good option for finding landlords who are looking for property managers while conventions or expos can be ideal for connecting with buyers or renters in an area. A large trade show display can help your company attract attendees to your booth.

10. Flags

Like banners and outdoor signs, flags can be an ideal way to connect with passers-by and provide them with essential information about your property. You can use flags to advertise an open house or to give details on the types of apartments available and when they’ll be available.

Best Practices for Custom Real Estate Signs

When it comes to designing your real estate and property management signs and banners, you don’t have to do it alone. The experts at SpeedPro will work with you to help you create signage that captures your agency’s or company’s personality while providing information that’s usable and legible. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when working with us to create and design real estate signage.

1. What to Put on the Signs

What you put on the signs depends on your overall goals. If you’re advertising an open house, all you might need is the phrase “Open House Today.” But if you’re letting people know that the house is for sale, you’re going to want to include the agent’s name, the company’s name and contact information like a phone number or email address.

It’s important to put your company’s logo on the sign, no matter what your goal is. Using your logo across all of your signage helps to create a sense of unity. It also lets people quickly identify when a property is one of yours.

2. Where to Put the Signs

Visibility is critical when positioning your signs. The less visible your signs are, the less effective they’ll be. When you’re placing yard signs or banners, here’s what to keep in mind:

• Height: A sign that’s too high or too low won’t be easily spotted by people walking by or driving by in a car.
• Surroundings: Pay attention to what’s near the sign. If there are things likes bushes or other buildings, you want to make sure they don’t obscure your sign. Walk to the end of the block or street and see what, if anything, gets in the way of your signage.
• Locations: Is the property you’re selling or renting out visible from different vantage points or are there multiple entrances? If so, it can be worthwhile to create a sign for each entrance or access point.

3. Real Estate Sign Design Tips

Readability is a major concern when it comes to real estate banners and signs. The more readable your signs are, the better they can do their job. These design tips will help you create a legible, useful sign:

• Use high-contrast colors. When the colors of a sign are too similar, the information will be difficult to read. For best results, pick colors that pop against each other, like dark blue on a white background or white on a dark purple background.
• Use legible text. You want people to see and read your sign from a distance. Ideally, you also want them to understand your signs or banners as they drive by at a quick speed. Pick a text that’s easy on the eyes, such as a sans serif font, and make sure it’s big enough to be visible from a distance.
• Include white space. You might have a lot of information to convey in a sign, but you don’t want it to look crowded. Include plenty of white space, or empty areas, in the sign or banner so people can decipher the most relevant and useful information.

Connect With SpeedPro for All Your Real Estate and Property Management Large Format Printing Needs

Whether you need banners to promote apartments for rent or yard signs to advertise open houses or homes for sale, SpeedPro has you covered.

When you work with us, you’ll find more than display graphics solutions. You’ll also find knowledgeable, experienced studio personnel who will ask the right questions and suggest the right materials for the job. We’ll manage the production for you, and we’ll deliver the goods in a timely fashion and on budget. For big, bold graphics on custom real estate and property management signs, you and your clients can rely on your partner printer at SpeedPro. Get in touch with the SpeedPro studio nearest you to learn more.