Haris & Associates Phuket Thailand Legal Blog

Allowing the agent to erect a sign is very important as our brand name and reputation may draw in the passer by as they understand we are a professional company and can assist with the buying or renting process and represent their interests. It also avoids visits without appointments and time wasters as we are the first point of contact and will qualify them first and arrange an appropriate time convenient to you.

Quoted from leading UK estate agent:

 The Importance of a “For Sale” board.

I can’t think of any really good reason for not having a For Sale sign, if selling your house this side of 2015 is your aim.
I’ll tell you what you’re missing out on by not having a For Sale sign:

Drive-buyers – these are people who don’t even know they’re a buyer yet. They’re not looking for a house, they’re not trawling Rightmove or the local property pages, but they drive past your house twice a day, every day, and they’ve always liked the look of it. They’re not looking to buy a house – until they see that yours is for sale. Trust me, this happens more often than you might think, so don’t miss out on these unexpected angels.

Re-locators – these buyers don’t know the area at all, but they’re being sensible and are taking a drive around to work out which areas and streets they like before concentrating on those in a web search. They won’t know enough to match up your internet photo with the streets they drove round, so you might find yourself out of their search area if you don’t tell them by way of a For Sale sign that there’s a house available on that street.

Sneaky-peekers – buyers who want to take a quick look at the outside of the house and the area it’s in before they book a viewing. They’ve not called the estate agent yet so they don’t know the address, just the street name. With no sign outside, it’s likely they won’t find your house and they’ll end up frustrated. Definitely not a good start in a buyer-seller relationship. Help them out – let them know which house they’re supposed to be checking out!

Early-birdies – a little bit like sneaky-peekers, early-birdies turn up waaaay before their allotted viewing time with the estate agent, so they’ve not got the branded agency car parked outside to point them in the right direction. They probably have the address, but it’s a heck of a lot easier to identify the right house if there’s a sign outside that can be seen at 30 mph from 10 houses away. And again, a sign avoids any feelings of frustration and annoyance. First impressions remember – you only get one chance to form them, so they have to be good.

I’ve heard many reasons for not having a For Sale sign up outside, and these are some of my favourites:
• “I’m sick of the sight of that board outside my window.” Um, I think you could get past that don’t you?!
• “I don’t want my mum/girlfriend/ex-husband/neighbours to know I’m selling.” YOUR HOUSE IS ON THE INTERNET!!! Chances are if they’re that interested they already know!!!
• “I don’t need to advertise.” Ok. Whatever. Good luck to you!