“The Bandit Sign Hack Attack” – by Jay Conner

If you’re a real estate investor, you’ve done bandit signs in the past. We all have! These simple, corrugated signs tell motivated sellers in your target area that you’re someone they can relate to, someone who will speak plainly and tell it to them straight. Homeowners in a stressful financial situation don’t want to be judged; they just want help. That’s why they’re happy to call the number on a bandit sign. The problem is “bandit sign” isn’t just a catchy name — in a lot of cities, these signs are in fact illegal.

When I first started 15 years ago, I didn’t know that the city I was in didn’t like bandit signs, but I found out very quickly. After that, I started to use that strategy we’ve all employed, where you got out and put up your signs after 5 p.m. on a Friday and then take them all down on Sunday after 5 p.m.

Wouldn’t it be cool to have bandit signs without committing any code violations? What if instead of putting signs on roads, highways, or within city limits where they can get pulled down or cause you to be fined, you put them in a property’s yard, where they will be left safe and sound? This month, I’m sharing my saner, safer, and more profitable strategy for bandit sign marketing, what I call the Bandit Sign Hack Attack.

Bandit Sign Hack Attack

• Step 1: Scope out your target area for 50 vacant properties. You can do this by sending someone on your team to drive around and look for houses with overgrown grass, multiple newsletters in the driveway, mail spilling out of the box, or untouched phone books on the porch. Or you can buy a list of vacant properties.
• Step 2: Hack attack! Put out 50 of your “We Buy Houses” signs in the yards of those 50 vacant properties, all in the same neighborhood. Be sure to put the sign close to the house or a tree, where it won’t be removed by a bank-hired lawn care service.

This approach is great, because since you’ve placed your signs on private property, they’re totally legit! You won’t get in trouble with code enforcement. Add this kind of guerrilla marketing to your arsenal, and you can see some wild conversion rates.

Who’s Going to Call?
When you use the Bandit Sign Hack Attack, you’re going to get calls from three different sources:

• Homeowners — If the vacant property isn’t owned by the bank, you can expect to receive calls from property owners demanding to know why you put a sign in their yard. When you get this kind of call, you or someone on your team should say, “I’m so glad you called! I wanted to talk to you about buying your house for cash.” At this point, the homeowner tends to be a lot more receptive, leading to a pleasant conversation.
• Neighbors — Remember, you didn’t just put your bandit sign in one yard. You put them in 50 different yards all over a single neighborhood. The neighbors are going to see your signs everywhere while driving home and think, “Wow, this person is buying up all the houses.” They might not be thinking about selling right then, but when they find themselves in a motivated-seller scenario, they’ll call you.
• Other Investor-Buyers — If other real estate investors call after seeing your bandit signs, make a connection and add them to your cash-buyers list. Once you get your next property under contract in that area, you now have the option to whole sale the deal to your buyer’s list.

What Makes a Good Bandit Sign?
Here are a few more things to keep in mind when using bandit signs:

• Brand Yourself — Bandit signs appeal to motivated buyers because they are simple. You can’t really slap your logo on there and get the same results. However, you can brand yourself with the same basic layout and color scheme, so people who see your signs all over a neighborhood know they’re from the same person.
• Obey Code Officials — The point of the Bandit Sign Hack Attack is to avoid code violations or having to deal with code officials. That said, if you get calls about bandit signs that aren’t on private property, be sure to follow the official’s instructions.
• Avoid Sign Wars — You might not be the only real estate investor using bandit signs in your area. If you come across someone else’s bandit signs, don’t start or engage in a sign war. That just leads to extra stress you don’t need while trying to conduct your business.
• Keep It Fresh — Go out and put up 50 new bandit signs at least once a month. This is how you enjoy a steady stream of fresh leads!

When used correctly, bandit signs can be your secret weapon for getting new leads. Of course, this should just be one of many strategies you have in your arsenal. Ready to learn more? Then I have good news for you! I’ll be sharing more strategies and resources every real estate investor needs to know at my next live event on June 19–21.

If you have questions about bandit signs, other topics covered in previous editions of the newsletter, or you’re eager to learn more about boosting your real estate investing business and getting more funding for your deals, then make plans to be at my Real Estate Cash Flow Conference. This three-day live event and Rehab Bus Tour is guaranteed to equip you with the know-how to make your real estate income dreams a reality.

Register at JaysLiveEvent.com now! I look forward to seeing you there.

–Jay Conner