Can Political Signs in THIS Election Blow a Sale?
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Call it another “sign of the times”. WFAA-TV ran a great report last week on how obsolete political yards signs have become. The reason? They are not as valuable as they once were. They are, as one political consultant put it, old school. Social media far outperforms them. What good does a yard sign on a side street do anyhow when only the neighbors see it?
I am sure the obsolescence is making many a Realtor breathe a sigh of relief, right?
Photo courtesy of WFAA-TV
I have noticed far fewer political signs propped up in North Texas yards this election, particularly in Republican strongholds like Park Cities and Preston Hollow, and zero political signs on homes that have a for sale sign in front.
(If I do see a Trump-Pence sign, I sort of hold my breath for the household.)
Political consultants say that is because the two presidential candidates are so unpopular:
“No. This is the fewest I’ve seen,” said Harold Clarke, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Dallas.
He theorizes that since the two presidential candidates are so unpopular in 2016, fewer people want signs to express support.
I did see more Hillary-Kaine signs in Preston Hollow and Highland Park this week than I would have expected. I knew Barack Obama was the winner in 2008 when I saw his yard signs sprinkled throughout Park Cities and North Dallas. Therefore I am now pretty sure Hillary Clinton will be our next president.
But question for agents and sellers: if your home is on the market, should you ditch the political signs altogether, especially in this horribly divisive election?
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I was surprised yesterday to see a Trump/Pence sign in front of a listing on Tokalon……seems like a certain curse for a quick sale.
I saw a yard sign that said: EVERBODY SUCKS 2016
I will not report the address
I think political signs on for sale homes fall under the same banner as de-cluttering and de-personalizing. It’s what smart sellers do when they list. After all, if it’s on the market, it’s not really your home anymore, it’s an asset you’re selling. (CRITIC: Is that because you don’t want us to know where you live?)
Thank you Jon! You are absolutely right. Any stager will tell you to get yard signs down as well as any other
“yard art.”
I do agree with MOST of what you have said about the political signage largely being absent in this year’s election.
However,I would “kind of hold my breath for the household” that had the Clinton-Kaine sign in the yard.
For what it’s worth, my neighborhood seems to be evenly divided.
Nancy — like the entire country!