Why do residential real estate signs never show a price?
Some signs do have the price.
Sellers don’t want to see a sign saying that they are prepared to sell at a low price.
Buyers don’t want to see a sign saying that the buyer has unreasonable expectations of a high price.
The agents know that they are their to smooth out this communication - find the buyer who is prepared to pay the minimum the seller needs…
But often the sign is generic anyway, shifted around to 20 properties a year.
Most signs in this area have a tube/box attached with an info sheet (# BR, square feet, bathrooms, etc). Normally there is a price on the sheet.
A lot of “for rent” signs also don’t display a price, which seems counterproductive. My theory is that the rental agent has lots of properties available, and just wants you to call so he can match you up with one in your price range.
Possibly “for sale” signs have a similar purpose.
Increasingly, there is a code number on the sign that matches up with a listing on line. QRcodes are coming into use here, too, because they look hep and can be easily recycled.
I think it is just a matter of re-using professional level signs, in most cases - For Rent posters/ads around here invariably have the price, and like it was said above the Info tube or box has the price right on the sheet inside. I mean, they put up big “price reduced” additions to the sign when they lower the price, so I think it is just a matter of it being easier to manage and reuse price-less signs hundreds of times.
Unless it’s a fire-sale price, putting prices on a house for sale will probably deflect as many potential buyers as it will attract. As with every other product for sale, the seller wants price to be a nonissue - at least, until you’ve fallen in love with the color, drive-by appeal, neighborhood, etc. Calling or checking and finding out it’s $50-100k more than your expectations means you’re already committed, a little, to following through. Seeing “$399,900” when (think) your cap is $300k will make you move on.
My 4x4, 4x8, 6x 10 commercial RE signs and banners cost $200-$600+ installed. I need to reuse them.
If you are looking for a house in the $250K range and see a sign listing the house as $350K, you probably will not call the real estate company. If you don’t see a price, you may call and once they get you into the office, they can get you to buy another property.
I get a lot of crap in my mailbox “we have a long list of buyers just looking for a home like yours if you want to sell…”
Same idea. The agents want all the leads they can get, sell or buy. Anyone who shows interest is probably in the market for something, somewhere. They don’t want to scare anyone off. Even if you call for that house and find it is too much, the agent now knows you are looking and will happily try to sell you something more suitable. A price might scare you off.
Plus, as everyone knows, in RE like in used cars, no price is fixed. the only question is “how much wiggle room”? (For both the buyer and seller).
Agents want you to call them and ask about the property. The sign is there to tell you that the property is for sale, not all the details.
Maybe the inside is really nice but the outside not so much. If the price seemed high compared to how the outside looked you might not be interested.
How do agents dig the holes to put these signs up? How deep do they dig? Do they have to call the diggers hotline beforehand so they don’t hit any buried cables?
Agents typically “dig” by leaning and/or pushing down on the top of the sign until the pole that it’s attached to penetrates the ground deeply enough that it is not likely to fall or get blown over. If the soil in question is too dry or rocky for this to be done easily, a few taps with a hammer might be needed. And while this is admittedly just a WAG on my part, I doubt very much that it ever even occurs to the agent to call the Diggers Hotline.