If you got a legitimate call from the power company asking your politely not to post your signs on their property (the pole does belong to the power company and they have an esment on the land that that pole sits on) why not just comply??
I don’t get it? just post them on stakes and place them in the ground.
The nails and screw people leave in the poles cause many injuries to “linemen” (the guys the climb the poles to make repairs).
Do it right…do it legal… and go make some money without trespassing and violating laws.
Again, this is my opinion. I am not a bandit sign basher. Just don’t post them on private property and you should be ok…
I don’t want this to happen to me. I am running on such a tight budget that I could not afford a fine before I have completed my first deal.
How do I find out what my local law or ordinance is? Do I call the Sheriff Department? Please help.
I also have a couple of questions before I try to swim on my own.
Who pays for the closing costs on a double close when flipping? Does it just depend on negotiations and what the norm is for the area?
I plan to speak with realtors in 3 different towns tomorrow. I’m determined to make an offer a day! How happy will a realtor be knowing I will be offering much lower than the listed price lowering their commission? Steve Cook states something about a minimum commision??? I would like to know more about that.
I’ve tried to read everything on this site. I have binders full of printed out pages with tabs and highlighter marks and margin notes. I have a course and a couple of books. I lurk on this site and Steve Cook’s site.
I have some capital gain questions also. Don’t know where to go for the answers.
I don’t know if I am ready, I’m just going to jump in and learn while I am making offers.
Last week I put up some signs for the first time in my target areas. The first day nothing happened - no calls at all. The second day, the only call came from someone from one of the cities who said they really crack down on this kind of stuff. He said they had already taken down one sign, and if I wanted to keep my signs I had better take down the rest. So, I went back and removed all but two of the signs in their city limits. The two I left were not on main roads and not as likely to be seen by the city officials. Funny thing is that one of the signs that I left up in their city has generated several calls from sellers. The point here is that even though this particular city is very anal about bandit signs, they just told me to remove them and don’t do it again. Oh well! I have plenty of other places to put up signs, and can do other forms of advertising in the areas where bandit sign prohibition is more strictly enforced.
On another note, even if someone calls you threatening you, just play “Mr Nice Guy”, and they probably won’t be too hard on you. For example, “Oh, my guys put them up in your area? They should have known better than that. I will get them back out there and remove them from your area!”
Don’t be too worried. It is pretty fun putting them out, and even more fun when the calls start coming in!!! Just do it!
I’ve been in the business for about a month and can honestly say ALL of my responses come through my signs (I concurrently do mailouts and flyers). The biggest thing is they will get taken down - not a matter of IF but rather WHEN. I do random checks and some stay up longer than others, but they all eventually come down.
At first I was puzzled as to who would be doing this. After posting this mystery on a few sites (including this one) I found out Realtors and brokers partake in this activity.
As far as the laws go, I haven’t had any complaints. I’d imagine if I were breaking the law that they’d call me (my number is on the sign : ) ) - but thats not to say you shouldn’t research the laws of your town…some places do enforce stricter laws (w/ fines) so be careful
I got busted for bandit signs. They called and gave me a warning. They told me I had to remove the signs or I would be fined. If you want to find out the rules, call code enforcement. They can answer your questions. Goodlluck and keep moving forward.
Congratulations on working really hard on your real estate investing! Talking to people is the best thing to do right now. Start working on your contacts, work on your buyer’s list, KNOW YOUR EXIT STRATEGY BEFORE YOU MAKE AN OFFER. Before you start making ofers you should have your team built.
That’s one of my biggest mistakes. I didn’t have any hard money lender’s set up just in case I actually had to close on a house. Speak with title companies to see which one’s work with investors. You should have contracts, assignment of contracts, and other blank forms ready. It sounds like a lot but it will save you from a very expensive seminar, as Mr. Ron LeGrand says.
I hope that this helps somewhat. Good luck! God Bless!
Kelly,
I don’t know about the fines with Bandit Signs. All mine got taken down. But i did want to congradulate you on taking the PLUNGE. It’s the only way you can really learn. That’s what we did and we are loving it.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Kristy
Well, I spoke too soon. I just received a call from my state’s power company telling me that it is against state law to post signs on any utility pole - and that I am trespassing in doing so. He said I have 14 days to remove all my signs, or else… Well, it looks like in 13 days I will have to go remove my signs and change the phone number and switch to a voice mail system like I have heard others use - such as the “friendly investor” from Joe Kaiser.