This is one of my favorites from my Arizona Republic column:
You’re driving through a neighborhood, and there it is. Not the “For Sale” sign, the rider – the little white plastic sign slung beneath. There, for all the world to see, is the ultimate testament to tin-eared real-estate marketing: A house that declares in bright red letters, “I’m gorgeous inside!”
Words are simple machines. They’re the means by which we transmit ideas from one mind to another. Whatever message the sender might have hoped to convey, the only translation a thoughtful mind can make is this: “I look like a dump from the street!” More fully: “Even though I look like a dump from the street, I promise to make up for it by being more than unusually nice on the inside.” The worst part is, the houses usually don’t look like dumps from the street, not that anyone would have to point that out.
What should the sign say? How about this: “I’m even more gorgeous inside!” A house making that claim ought to have a nice curb appeal, but here’s an even better idea: Why not trust buyers to make up their own minds?
Someday I may expand on this, because I think all those goofy signs are funny:
“Very Special!” “Many Extras!” “Won’t Last!” “You’ll Love This Place!” “Honey, Stop the Car!”
My own thoughts on real estate signs are well-documented by now, but I just can’t get enough of making fun of these little riders. Everything sells something: Not just dumb, but palpably cheap…
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jf.sellsius says:
How about some reverse psychology sign that says: Do not look inside this house.
September 26, 2006 — 7:55 am