Realtor Visual Aids

Real Estate Marketing 101

Realtors use "sign tents" in a variety of situations (it's a called a "tent" because it's in the shape of a triangle, and looks tent-like).

The standard sign, of course, is "Please Remove Shoes."

But custom signs are a great way to call attention to hidden home features.

So, I've had them made up to alert prospective Buyers to a Kitchen warming drawer that would have otherwise gone unnoticed; draw attention to an especially large entry closet that was covered with paneling (and therefore camoflauged); and helpfully label a "Butler Bell" that people at my open houses had been puzzling over.

But another great use for a sign tent is the one I saw today at 4904 Sunnyslope*, in a lower level utility room that would have otherwise fallen through the cracks.

The sign tent read:

Enjoy this Room as:

--Storage
--Arts & Crafts
--Dark Room
--File Room
--Office

Nice touch!

*Listing agents are Amy Deckas and Marybeth Goulett of Edina Realty.

"Please Remove Shoes"

"Please Remove Shoes??" Please Remove Carpet (Tack) Strip!!

Removing your shoes at the front door before proceeding to show a home is one of those courtesies that Realtors -- and their clients -- invariably respect. Ditto for the other, standard showing instructions ("turn off lights, leave card, don't let Fluffy out").

Removing your shoes in winter in Minnesota is especially important, because not doing so could easily leave the owner with a big cleanup headache (if not a bill for carpet cleaning).

Especially if your client ends up wanting to buy the home, that's not an auspicious start.

In fact, I even wear a scruffy pair of slip-on's whenever I show homes, just to make it easier to comply.

However . . .

The implicit quid pro quo is that the homeowner's floors are clean, debris-free, etc.

And that there aren't things like nails sticking out of carpet strips in lower level storage areas!

(Guess how I discovered it? Ouch!!)

P.S.: And yes, the shoes go right back on the second it's apparent that the request is, shall we say, "inappropriate."