Posted by Michaela-ATL on March 07, 2003 at 11:22:52:
Actually, they might as well…since i would never agree to meet one of those ‘blind date’ 
Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by Mark-Chgo
Posted by Mark-Chgo on March 06, 2003 at 14:30:05:
Just when you think you’ve seen it all. Here’s a great idea for those looking in this direction:
I saw a car professionally painted on all sides “I BUY HOUSES”. And he was talking into his ear-mounted cell phone microphone. Could it have been a motivated seller he just drove past? (or maybe his wife telling him to pick up milk on the way home…who knows)
Do it… - Posted by TRandle
Posted by TRandle on March 06, 2003 at 22:06:00:
Mark,
I had magnetics on my truck for a couple of years and they worked well. About a year and a half ago, I had my truck done up in vinyl letters.
My web site url (without any “www.”) takes up the entire length and most of the width of the full-size bed. “We Buy Houses” takes up the entire front door panel and my phone number takes up the back door panel. It’s that way on both sides and the back window is full as well. It’s very subtle, 
It’s difficult to guage the additional phone calls I might have been getting since the web site url is so prominent. My calls are actually about the same as when I used magnetics, but my web traffic almost doubled.
It’s just a guess, but I would imagine your calls would go up at least 50% on a magnetic to vinyl or paint comparison.
Also, one of my friendly competitors bought an old van and plastered his message all over it and left it in a parking lot by the access road to a highway. Similar to what someone else suggested, his calls were numerous.
Hope it helps…
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by Rob FL
Posted by Rob FL on March 06, 2003 at 21:56:25:
I’ve bought several houses off of the signs on my car. 3 magnetic signs with my number and website cost about $90. Every few weeks somebody stops me and asks me about my services. It also makes a heck of an impression when I pull up to the house of a seller.
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by mike…kcmo
Posted by mike…kcmo on March 06, 2003 at 19:40:16:
I have a magnet sign on my pickup that reads " we buy properties for cash" and my phone number.I was just wondering if it was paying off when a guy stopped me in a neighborhood I was scouting for deals in today.He said he saw the sign on my truck and wanted to know if I would want to buy his house.I got some basic info on it and then parked and walked back to house with him.I was pleasantly suprised at the condition and high dollar features of this home!Turns out he was in preforeclosure and was willing to sell his home to me for $80k.I need to do a little more research on it tommorow, but I already know that this home is worth about $120k(needs carpet and roof). Not a bad return on a $15 investment!
Bandit CARS!!! NO, BANDIT VAN!!! - Posted by Darren
Posted by Darren on March 06, 2003 at 17:28:49:
Today I saw a box van with the face of a local realtor and her message plastered on the side. The message stated that you could use the truck for free to move if she listed and sold your house.
This could work just as well for the CRE investor. Advertise your services on the equivalent of a billboard and make free use of the truck a cheap incentive to your seller. If you’re in the rehab side of the biz, the truck could come in handy delivering materials to the site.
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by GL - ON
Posted by GL - ON on March 06, 2003 at 15:55:08:
You should definitely have signs on your car, if you have bandit signs. Car signs are effective and legal everywhere. Around here they used to be mandatory (on trucks).
Seems to me I suggested this 2 years ago. I also suggested you could buy an old truck cheap (the kind with the big box on the back) and paint your advertising on it, then pay a gas station or other business in a high traffic location to park it on their lot. Nothing like an 8 foot by 25 foot billboard. I have even seen this done with a full size transport truck, in a location where billboards are illegal.
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by IB (NJ)
Posted by IB (NJ) on March 06, 2003 at 15:42:41:
Is anyone getting calls on their signs? I ask because I’ve gotten hundreds of calls on my bandit signs. But my car signs have brought in 0 calls.
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by Shawn J. Dostie
Posted by Shawn J. Dostie on March 06, 2003 at 15:12:25:
You can go to any sign shop and they can make you a nifty set of magnetic signs to go on whatever car you are driving. I have a set for my car lot that get used for parades and loaners and such.
Good luck,
Shawn(OH)
Why not? - Posted by Brent_AR
Posted by Brent_AR on March 06, 2003 at 14:55:10:
More and more cars are becoming moving billboards, probably for the better for that person.
I can’t tell you how many cars I see driving around town with simple white block letters that spell out a short message with a phone number or website.
website??? - Posted by Bob (MA)
Posted by Bob (MA) on March 07, 2003 at 11:12:30:
What’s your web address? Nice post.
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by michaela-ATL
Posted by michaela-ATL on March 07, 2003 at 07:36:47:
I’ve not once gotten a valid call from my car signs. The calls i get are:
wholesalers, wanting to get me on their fax list
contractors, looking for work
guys, looking for a date
Once i got a call from a tenant looking for a place to live. But he had no job and no money, but figured he’d get a job real soon, so there shouldn’t be any problem paying $ 1700/month for a lease/option.
michaela
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA)
Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA) on March 06, 2003 at 21:40:19:
You need to make sure that you drive slowly when driving near motivated sellers; they need time to read the whole sign to get the phone number.
I would think that a sign is constant and a driver who sees it will see it continually over a period of time and remember it, or at least the location so that a number could later be had. With a car, it is usually a 1 time thing that they see it and you have to catch their attention at the time they need you. It would be much harder for someone wanting to sell to remember to look for a car driving on main street so they could get the phone number because they didn’t have a pen handy 3 weeks ago when they passed you.
Hey, the above is assuming you are driving your car as opposed to having it in a parking lot all day for constant viewing.
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by GL - ON
Posted by GL - ON on March 06, 2003 at 15:49:46:
How do you know? I consider it incredible that you never got even one call from your car signs when people in other businesses consider them their most valuable advertising. Truly Nolan Pest Control in the Southwest used to paint their ads on the side of old cars and park them in gas station lots, for many years this was their main means of advertising.
Make your own - Posted by Rob WA
Posted by Rob WA on March 06, 2003 at 16:40:00:
I repoed a mobile and needed to sell it fast.
What got the job done for me was white corablast 3 ft. by 4 ft. On my computer I printed out the letters then took those to Kinko’s and enlarged them to fit the space on the corablast.
I went to a sign supply and bought sign vinyl roll ends for $1.00 a roll. Total $6.00 I had the corablast already. Made 2 signs put them out near the major street had many many calls and sold the moble in a week.
From that experence I know that sign shops use this sign vinyl --(something like electrical black tape) colored and slick on one side sticky on the other) comes about 15 inches wide. Sign shops make most of the signs on cars and trucks these days with this sign vinyl. I am thinking of making up a template for one of my cars. Could run around $20.00 to $45.00 plus a little fun time. Or I might have a sign shop make the first one then use that as a pattern to make more. BTW somewhere on the internet I saw a minivan with I buys houses running up at a 45% angel I think it was off of Charlies and Frances Get the deed web page but not sure. Now I know some will say spend your time looking for Houses not making signs---- but I say let the motivate sellers know about me and find me instead
The very best of investing to you all
investorrob
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by IB (NJ)
Posted by IB (NJ) on March 07, 2003 at 08:16:19:
Michaela, you know you’re having a bad day when the guy with the ‘future’ job and the one looking for a date ends up being the same guy…
Re: Bandit CARS!!! - Posted by IB (NJ)
Posted by IB (NJ) on March 06, 2003 at 16:37:06:
I asked every caller. They all got the number from the signs in the street. No one uses them in my market. It’s possible they’re not effective here. Who knows…