Draft Resolution for Real Estate Open House Signs Too Burdensome
A minimum of $250 will be charged per open house plus $30 per directional sign. City workers will place directional signs. Applies to
Palm Coast – May 23, 2008 – In a move led by Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon, the city has drafted a new resolution to deal with real estate open house signs. The city’s current sign ordinance prohibits private placement of signs in a public right of way. Palm Coast’s street design, with its residential neighborhoods tucked back into clusters off the main thoroughfares, makes it difficult to find specific addresses. Open House directional signs are a necessity.
The city’s draft proposes to use the "special event" mechanism to allow open house signage. Under the proposal, signs would be limited to the third weekend of each month. A non-refundable application fee of $250 per open house address would be assessed as well as a charge of $30 per directional sign. City workers would place and remove the signs. Sounds like a "make work" project to me. In addition, the city’s website would provide a photograph and directions to each open house.
The Flagler County Association of Realtors® has expressed its objection to these excessive charges. In support of the Realtors® and of those who choose to sell their own homes, I add my voice. The charge for a typical open house, with 3 or four directional signs would be well in excess of $300. These charges are too high, especially in today’s distressed market. Their imposition will act to restrict a well established and time tested real estate marketing practice at a time when our city suffers from too many "for sale" properties. The city manager has previously expressed his desire to get rid of open house signs. It looks like he is trying to accomplish his goal by making open houses too expensive.
The city has scheduled a workshop for Tuesday, May 27 at 9:00 a.m. at the Community Center. The draft resolution is on the agenda. To view the agenda, click agenda. To see the proposed resolution, click resolution. To see the proposed application, click application.
If you disagree with the proposal, make sure you make your feelings known by contacting council members. The workshop does not allow public comment, but the subsequent council meeting on June 3 will (if the item makes that agenda). Or express your thought by commenting on this article.
Open Hoiuse Signs
I find this unbelievable, during the elections there are signs all over the place, including our scenic highway, without charge and when it is all said and done, these signs are never even picked up and discarded, because there not required to do so.
Stay out of our business
It’s ridiculous to me that the city workers would be placing the signs or that open houses would be advertised on the city website. It’s not their place to be in our business helping us advertise or anything else. Advertising and costs are part of a business plan and there are certain rules/regs that apply to Realtors® that require we be in compliance. Is the city going to make signs with each real estate agencies name on it? Or is it going to be a generic sign that does not give the agency the advertising benefit it deserves at such a high cost?
There is NO reason why the city should be making money off the fact that there are homes for sale and an open house would be held there. NONE. There is also NO reason why the city should be regulating when an open house should be held… a particular day? And if I’m able to assist my customer sell their property by having an open house every day or on the spur of the moment there’s going to be a city regulation against it? I don’t live in an HOA and I really would like it if the city counsel would remember they aren’t an HOA. Stop behaving like one. Get out of my business model. You do NOT belong there.
open house signs
FROM A FELLOW REALTOR FROM MA,NH I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING SO ABSURD. THE MARKET IS BAD ENOUGH WITHOUT MORE OBSTACLES. I WOULD THINK THE CITY COUNCIL HAS BETTER THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT, THAN PUTTING REALTORS OUT OF BUSINESS
Why?
Why is Mr. Landon making it so hard for people trying to sell their own home and people trying to sell homes for a living? He does realize that we have the highest unemployment rate of all of Florida. Maybe he can hire the REALTORS to put up and take down signs instead of the city workers.
Open House Signs
Open house signs promote our real estate in Palm Coast. Does Mr. Landon want to see our city grow…. or not?
He sure seems to be making it hard for people to be attracted to moving here.
The businesses are hard to find, the homes for sale are hard to find.
Please….lets make it easier for our real estate to sell, not harder. Our unemployment is the highest of all, and now he wants to do something stupid like this. I am not an agent, and my house is not for sale, but this article really made me think Mr. Landon is trying to hurt the real estate industry even more then it is hurting already.
Charging $300 for Signs??
It’s ridiculous for the city to charge ANYONE such an outrageous amount to post a sign. As someone else mentioned, during elections thousands of signs are placed along our roads and it takes several weeks before they’re removed. If they want to charge a refundable deposit to ensure Open House signs are removed after the open house, we could understand but to charge a non-refundable fee is crazy!
WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?
I’VE BEEN A REALTOR FOR 32 YEARS, IN ILLINOIS AND OWN A SECOND HOME I PALM COAST. I ALSO OWN INVESTMENT PROPERTY IN PALM COAST AND BEVERLY BEACH. I FIND THE PROPOSAL FRIGHNTING-DOESN’T THE CITY COUNCIL HAVE ENOUGH TO DO TO TRY TO MANAGE THE CITY? WHERE IS THE COMMON SENSE? WHO DO THESE PEOPLE ON THE COUNCIL THINK THEY ARE?
do your job Mr. Landon
Are you serious???????????
How about you focus on bringing bigger business to the area and promote economical development instead of worrying about open house signs, Mr. Landon…..
I somewhat agree in EXCESSIVE signage, but that usually only comes from builders who fill up the center of Belle Terre on the weekends, not Realtors with a few small open house signs. But even then, there is still no place for the \”manager\” of our city to be putting restraint on something so trivial.
This city has bigger issues that he should be attending to!!!!!
Furthermore, think about how many people in this towns’ livelyhood is directly affected by the success of real estate sales in this area. Restaraunts, car dealerships,mortgage companies, bankers, appraisers, how about the gas that we buy! SIGN MAKERS!
And Im sure there are alot more people in this town who have seen a decline in business since property sales and values have slumped.
Help the us, dont hurt us, real estate sales only make growth more and more possible for Palm Coast.
do your job Mr. Landon
Are you serious???????????
How about you focus on bringing bigger business to the area and promote economical development instead of worrying about open house signs, Mr. Landon…..
I somewhat agree in EXCESSIVE signage, but that usually only comes from builders who fill up the center of Belle Terre on the weekends, not Realtors with a few small open house signs. But even then, there is still no place for the \”manager\” of our city to be putting restraint on something so trivial.
This city has bigger issues that he should be attending to!!!!!
Furthermore, think about how many people in this towns’ livelyhood is directly affected by the success of real estate sales in this area. Restaraunts, car dealerships,mortgage companies, bankers, appraisers, how about the gas that we buy! SIGN MAKERS!
And Im sure there are alot more people in this town who have seen a decline in business since property sales and values have slumped.
Help the us, dont hurt us, real estate sales only make growth more and more possible for Palm Coast.
open house signs
Hey,what a great job Jim Landon is doing . He comes up with these big money making idea’s and with all the money the city is going to make , they can make his raise a even 10,000.What a guy.
Real Estate Open House Charges/Signs
As a resident/Realtor in Palm Coast, this is the most absurd idea I have ever heard of. Today’s housing market is in a difficult slump anyway, but by doing this, you are making it even more difficult for Realtors to serve our community by increasing our costs to do business and promote the sale of our client’s homes. Many Realtors simply cannot afford the added costs to do this. When our own advertising expenses are taken into account, another $300 per home will put a lot of Realtors out of business and many homes will remain on the market unsold. Did any of you people ever take a business class in college or are you just plain dumb? You are killing our economy.
Bill May, Palm Coast
Real Estate Open House Signs
Most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of – instead of promoting sales of homes to help the economy I guess we should all sit and rot so that we aren’t \”charged\” for absolutely everything we do — before you know it those that sit on the city council might just find taxpayers time to find even stupider things in order to get revenue – stay tuned (wonder how long it took for them to come up with this idea and how many more stupid ones we will see in the future) We need to get these people out of here and get people that want growth and good things in our city instad of spending time to figure out how to get more money out of all the residents that moved here for the good life that are now beginning to see that this Council is not working for the people it’s working for \”how to get money from everyone at every turn.