{"id":2544,"date":"2016-08-12T07:56:59","date_gmt":"2016-08-12T11:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/?p=2544"},"modified":"2020-01-03T08:53:59","modified_gmt":"2020-01-03T13:53:59","slug":"sign-ban-or-boosting-realtors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/12\/sign-ban-or-boosting-realtors\/","title":{"rendered":"Sign ban or boosting Realtors?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190929175937\/https:\/\/www.newseum.org\/2015\/07\/03\/state-of-the-first-amendment-2015\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190906190230\/https%3A\/\/www.newseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/FAC_SOFA15_infographic.jpg?resize=250%2C400&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Sign ban or free speech\" width=\"250\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sign ban or Free speech? (infographic from newseum.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A special thanks to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.montgomerycountymd.gov\/council\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Montgomery County Council<\/a> whose proposed sign ban will undoubtedly help local real estate agents.\u00a0 Last week\u2019s testimony about a zoning text amendment relating to signs and their location illuminated their place in the community as well as reminded us they are a form of free speech.<\/p>\n<p>Of course the unintended consequences of a blanket sign ban in the right of way is yet to be determined.\u00a0 However, it would certainly make it more difficult for county residents to sell their home by owner (without an agent), as well as home buyers wanting to go it alone without an agent.\u00a0 The resulting lack of information that is currently provided by these signs would certainly compel consumers to hire a local Realtor\u00ae. Thank you.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/montgomerycountymd.granicus.com\/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=136&amp;clip_id=12062&amp;meta_id=125284\" width=\"500\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/gcaar.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors\u00ae<\/a> (GCAAR) president Peg Mancuso testified: \u201cFrom a real estate perspective, signs are an inevitable means of communicating with Montgomery County residents both new and existing. The proposed sign ban would be a tremendous inconvenience to community members who are in need of information for short term related events, such as open houses.\u201d\u00a0 She mentioned a Realtor\u00ae best practice (which most agents adhere to) of placement of open house signs just prior to and removal immediately after the event.\u00a0 She also pointed out that many home owners are unaware how their properties relate to the right of way, as well as being uneducated about the permitting process of signs.\u00a0 These logistical and educational issues would make such a sign ban difficult for home owners to advertise their homes.<\/p>\n<p>GCAAR vice president and COO Bill Highsmith, Jr reminded those at the hearing that GCAAR not only represents local real estate professionals, but is also a voice for home owners on property rights issues.\u00a0 He asserted that signs in the right of way have historically been a means of business advertisement, expression, and community engagement.\u00a0 He stated that \u201c\u2026publically visible signs are an important method of communication for county residents, Realtors\u00ae and the broader real estate market.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Highsmith stated, \u201cFor <a href=\"http:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/07\/real-estate-agents-getting-back-to-basics-and-focus-on-relationships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Realtors\u00ae and the clients they serve<\/a>, these signs are a particularly important way to communicate information about open houses and homes that are for sale.\u00a0 While you may believe the internet is the primary way folks learn about opportunities to purchase a home, real estate signs are vital to let the broader public know about the real estate market in surrounding neighborhoods.\u201d\u00a0 He cited anecdotal evidence that many home buyers have bought the home they initially spotted from a sign.\u00a0 He asserted that many consumers begin the home buying process by visiting open houses (especially first time home buyers).\u00a0 And additionally suggested that these signs allow more county residents to become home buyers.<\/p>\n<p>Allen Myers of the <a href=\"http:\/\/maplewoodcitizens.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Maplewood Citizen Association<\/a> (MCA) stated that these signs are useful to inform their residents of association meetings.\u00a0 Collection of permitting fees for temporary signs would be cost prohibitive, possibly adding additional financial burden to the members of the association.\u00a0 He asserted that the MCA believes that the signs are <a href=\"http:\/\/thelanding.missourirealtor.org\/blogs\/missouri-realtors\/2015\/12\/07\/could-the-supreme-court-put-an-end-to-open-house-signs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Constitutionally protected form of free speech<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It is reasonable to believe that many people agree seeing \u201cshoe repair\u201d signs are annoying. \u00a0And it is also reasonable to surmise that improperly planted signs can become a hazard.\u00a0 Nonetheless, the takeaway for anyone attending last week\u2019s hearing should be that these signs are <a href=\"http:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/21\/regardless-of-investment-value-homeowners-do-better-than-renters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">beneficial to the community<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright \u00a9 Dan Krell<\/p>\n<p>If you like this post, do not copy; instead please:<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/wp.me\/p1VZLf-F2\">reference the article<\/a>,<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/dankrellrealestate\/\">like it at facebook<\/a><br \/>\nor <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dankrell\">re-tweet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyscape.com\/plagiarism-detector\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page.\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/banners.copyscape.com\/images\/cs-bk-3d-234x16.gif?resize=234%2C16\" alt=\"Protected by Copyscape Web Plagiarism Detector\" width=\"234\" height=\"16\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/disclaimer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Disclaimer<\/a>. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A special thanks to the Montgomery County Council whose proposed sign ban will undoubtedly help local real estate agents.\u00a0 Last week\u2019s testimony about a zoning text amendment relating to signs and their location illuminated their place in the community as well as reminded us they are a form of free speech. Of course the unintended &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/12\/sign-ban-or-boosting-realtors\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Sign ban or boosting Realtors?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[375,330,404,13,402,23],"tags":[1047,901,921,797,920,803],"class_list":["post-2544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advertising","category-marketing-plan","category-open-house","category-real-estate","category-real-estate-agent","category-realtor","tag-advertising","tag-marketing-plan","tag-open-house","tag-real-estate","tag-real-estate-agent","tag-realtor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1VZLf-F2","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2544"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5917,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2544\/revisions\/5917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}