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It’s no secret that even in a hot market like this one, home sellers want all the stops pulled out by their agent to get their home sold for the most money.
As well they should. Business is business.
One ironic request, however, is when the seller does not want a yard sign. Their rationale is understandable in many cases, as the perception of privacy from nosy neighbors is often mentioned. Moreover, consumers aren’t primarily driving around looking for signs, they are looking online. That’s true- to a degree. I’ve had clients opine that the signs are more for the agent than the home seller, as if it is more of a self promotional vehicle than one to sell the listing. Selling a home successfully is a win/win proposition for client and agent, so I take issue with that more than the others.
Yard signs do work. Let me count the ways.
- Let’s tackle the privacy from the neighbors first. There’s nothing less private than having 3 photos of your bedroom on the Internet 24/7. And once the agent holds an open house, the neighbors will know. But the neighbors are also the best source of word of mouth marketing a home seller has. It is considered a best practice to mail the neighborhood about the new listing, because they may know someone who wants to live nearby. You simply can’t have a home listed with a good broker and have it be a secret from select circles of people. In that respect, I recommend to clients to pull that bandage off.
- Home buyers do drive neighborhoods. They go online first, but they check out the areas in real life all the time. They want to check out the local vibe, ascertain walkability, learn how close the property is to local attractions, and soak in the setting, among many other things.
- Signs are a huge help in helping consumers and agents alike in actually making sure they are at the right property. Whether they are going to a showing or just doing a curiosity drive by, it matters. I’ve had people tell me that they are passing on a home, and they were at the wrong property. I’ve actually saved a few sales in those situations, and while it isn’t frequent, once is enough.
- Yard signs are indeed effective marketing. With modern technology, anyone driving by a property can log onto a geo-locational app, which these days is virtually every search website, pull over, and enjoy a virtual tour among many other things. Sometimes that yields that the property is out of their budget or otherwise not for them when they call the agent. But that cuts two ways, as agents can and will direct folks to your listing from other listings with signs.
There are, of course, solid reasons for not having a yard sign. I had a recent client ask me to hold off on the sign because he was out of town and didn’t want to attract attention to anyone seeking vacant houses for less than honorable reasons. That made sense. He declined the sign when he returned, but wisely took my advice when a buyer was slow to sign their contract. I don’t think it was a coincidence that once the sign went up, the contract was signed.
Given that privacy in this day and age is a myth, I strongly recommend that more sellers take advantage of what a yard sign brings. It’s admittedly a very analog instrument in a digital world, but it does open a digital gateway that didn’t exist before mobile phones.
Ah, north Westchester! The land of horse country, idyllic lake communities, winding roads, and spotty cellular coverage. When you find a home with lake rights that has good mobile phone signal like this one, you know you’ve got something special. Snark about cellular data aside, this 1500 square foot colonial set on nearly a quarter acre does offer quite a package. My clients will now enjoy lake rights on the pristine Lake Kitchawan, enjoy their deck overlooking their level rear yard, and have already begun the remodeling process on their new home.
This was the house that came back; I interviewed with the prior owner who sold it to my clients but we didn’t get the listing. This time we did! It just closed on July 31st for $800,000. Somers is known for its bucolic setting and this property didn’t disappoint, as the nearly 1.5 acre lot backs up to the a forever green preserve, the Somers Land Trust. The nearly 3500 square foot home has three bedrooms, 4 baths, a finished walkout basement, and a master suite to die for. The road is a no-through traffic street as well.
If you feel priced out of Westchester, fear not. Dutchess County, sometimes humorously referred to as “Nextchester,” often has what you need if you are open to living a little farther north. A great example is this renovated raised ranch on a 1.2 acre lot on a cul-de-sac street that we closed on today at 6 Briar Lane in Wappingers Falls. The MLS description paints a great picture:
Contractual deadlines and “by when” dates are baked into industry practices. Listings have expiration dates. Buyer agreements do also. Purchase and sale contracts have mortgage contingency dates, closing dates, and other structures of fulfillment that are terms for principals to abide by. Deadlines are not exclusive to contracts. There is a reasonable amount of time to expect a response to an offer. The seller might set a date and time for all parties to submit their highest and best bids.
13 years ago I wrote a post entitled “
First, some backstory: When I joined Howard Hanna Rand, I had been based in Briarcliff Manor for almost 20 years. My company had other office locations in Pelham and Carmel, but I hung my hat near my home. This past December, I was asked to move a bit north and manage the Yorktown and Carmel offices. So far it’s been a wonderful experience. The agents are committed professionals, eager to learn and up their game, and they’ve made me feel warmly welcomed.
Why Do I Have to Sign in at an Open House?
I get it it.
People don’t want to give out their personal information.
They don’t want to be solicited just because they were shopping or browsing.
Stop the madness.
I relate to the headache. I truly do.
But here’s the thing. When a consumer seeks to enter an open house, they aren’t entering a place of business, a store, an office, or even logging onto a website. They are asking to enter someone else’s private residence.
If a utility worker showed up to your door, they should have an ID badge and some reassurances about your security and their legitimacy, because this is your home. It’s where you live. You might have small children or elderly parents there. You probably have prescription medication. Perhaps you have a C-Pap machine or medical devices. You of course have valuables. And there is the matter of privacy; what’s on the refrigerator? What’s on your kitchen table?
Now, you might say that anyone selling their home should make allowances and adjustments for these things, and you’d be right but it is still their home. They have a right to know who is entering their home and how to contact them afterward for any reason. That’s the social contract of open houses. There are other important reasons for the sign in.
It’s pretty simple. If you are committed to being off the grid, attending an open house is not a wise place to go. In the context of how little privacy anyone with an email address or mobile phone truly have in an era of browser cookies and digital footprints, signing in at an open house is pretty benign. The seller and the agent have an absolute right to know who is entering that private residence and how to contact them afterward for any legitimate reason.
So if you attend an open house and bristle at the idea of losing your anonymity, please understand that the agent has a job to do on behalf of the client, and the homeowner expects them to do it.