Wayne Preston
Remarks:
Jp, I swear, I JUST ordered these from VistaPrint after getting inspired by the “cheap, obnoxious marketing” forum topic and listening to Tingle’s Marketing CD which I recently purchased. Then I read your “Share marketing..” post 10 minutes later. Wish I had waited. No matter, yours for inclusion if you like. No results yet (obviously).
Patrick Malone
Remarks:
…my mobile billboard is a Ford E150 that I picked up for $2,100 and paid $500 to have the decals designed and installed on it. They have been on the van a little over a month and I have already gotten a couple of calls from them, and people definitely know what business I’m in when they see my work van outside the houses we’re working on. The calls I got weren’t deals, people wanting market value but at least I’m getting noticed.
My plan is to park it in high traffic areas to get the most exposure while I’m not using. I also lend it out to family and friends as much as possible.
The van is also great for picking up materials and hauling away trash. I’ll save a lot of money on clean out crews and dumpsters…
Thanks,
Patrick Malone (Phila-PM)
Lawrence Roberts
Remarks: None
Lawrence’s Billboard…
Lawrence’s Postcard…
Lawrence’s Vacant Letter… 
Chris Larson
Remarks:
Newspaper Ad: This did not come out line by line. I am not too disappointed though. This will run for 4 weeks.
Next time, I will do just text and not pay for the border or $$ graphic and get it aligned right. I might just buy another right now, plain text and put it in another section.
Business Cards: Here’s a copy of my obnoxious business card.
Also, you have to check this out. Maybe you have seen them. This looks exactly like a $100.00 bill when folded in half. The 2 – 3 neighborhood I target will be chasing these down as the wind carries them……lol.
I also have full size $20.00 bill ads, but I can’t find the proof. These are just awesome. I got the idea when I found myself chasing down a few fake twenties at a Phillies game. I noticed everyone was doing it until they picked up the $20 and realized. Many people pocketed it anyway.
I also have visions of a sort of infamy for my biz cards being used to rip off certain less legal enterprising activity.
Police - “Yep, busted this one trying to buy from the other one using these fake twenties again. I wonder who this guy is…….???” ring ring ring lol
I don’t know if that is such a good thing or not, but I bet it gets the card around.
Bandit Signs: I am happy with these. Maybe a little busy. I am thinking next time I just go with just “WE BUY HOUSES” plus phone and website.
Scott McAnally
Remarks:
Flyer: JP – this first pic is what I post at the general stores, laundromats and assorted bulletin boards. Fresh idea not yet proven, but I’m feeling it! I will let you know the results.
Car Lettering: This pic is self explanatory. I started my marketing with this $50.00 sign on our two cars about a month ago. Immediately the calls started coming in from other investors, contractors and so far, unmotivated sellers. I feel this will pay off soon. By the way, this sign made me a better, more courteous driver since my number is posted for all to see. Sometimes I forget about it and people at red lights yell at me wanting to sell a house. It’s wild and fun.
Blaine Babineaux
Remarks:
B&W Bandit Sign: This is my bandit sign that I have been using. By far, this marketing venue has gotten me the most calls out of all the marketing I am using. I use black and white simply because it’s more appealing to the eye and they seem to stay posted up longer.
Bandit Sign #2: This is the sign I put out once I purchase a home to advertise what I do. The back of the sign has for sale by owner, agent protected and my number.
Carey Buck
Remarks:
Car Lettering: Vinyl lettering on the back of my ’05 Sonata.
Bandit Signs: Large bandit signs 18 x 24 & small signs 18 x 12
Postcards: I send these to pre-foreclosures, out of state owners, distressed property owners, vacant property owners, expired listings, fsbos, etc.
Letter: this one is just a letter that I sound out to the same places I send the postcards. I have gotten a better response rate from the letters than the postcards, but I haven’t implemented a system to send any of them consistently yet which I KNOW for a fact will improve the response rating.
Apparel: T-Shirt and Polo
Aric Lawrence
Remarks:
Truck Lettering: Attached is my truck advertising. This was done in 01/05 and I have received roughly 50 calls from this advertising. Cost was just under $300.00. The picture doesn’t show the tailgate, however the tailgate has everything that you see on the side of the truck.
Tom Carrington
Remarks:
Truck Lettering: The signs on the side are magnets and the back lettering is cheap peel-and-stick lettering from a craft store. I get the occasional call from them, but I have yet to attribute a single deal to the truck signs.
Bandit Signs: Bandit signs are my #1 method for getting deals! This is my current bandit sign, 12″x18″. After many years of tinkering, I found I got the best response with a pre-printed message combined with a hand-written local phone number. I have tried completely pre-printed signs, all hand-written & toll-free numbers, but found this to be the most effective. Notice that I also specifically target a property type. Performing research on the MLS, I noticed a huge glut of townhouses in my target areas. So I place these bandit signs in the vicinity of neighborhoods that have many townhouses in my price range.
In the 1999-2004 timeframe, I used a similar sign that said “We Buy Condos” and put them in front of condo neighborhoods. This was when the market for reselling condos was terrible. When the DC-area condo market took off, I stopped using those signs.
My strategy is to buy what other people don’t want. That way there is less competition and I get better deals.
Old Bandit Signs: A bandit sign from the late 1990′s. This was a poor performer in many ways. The signs did not stay up long, and I think this was because the size was larger (18″x24″). Perhaps bigger is not better? Maybe smaller signs are less intrusive?
Another problem was that many people called about the house for sale. They wanted to see if they could take over *my* payments!
I put these up all over the place – no demographic targeting, just high-traffic intersections were people would be stuck at lights and read it. I think there is too much information presented on this sign. Although I did get one condo deal from it, so the effort was not a complete waste. 
Postcards: One of many postcard mailings that I “shotgunned” to entire condo developments in the 1999-2004 period using the USPS online mailing. Little or no response to these.
