Realtor Wars – The Sign Stealing and Stomping Episode

You really can not make this stuff up:

A Fort Mill real estate agent ended up in handcuffs after he was allegedly caught on tape cutting down a competitor’s business sign.

“Shows him vandalizing the sign, stomping down the sign, that’s when I called the authorities,” said real estate agent Art Mullen.

Only NewsChannel 36 cameras were there when deputies with the York County Sheriff’s Office took Daniel LaFranca Jr. into custody Monday afternoon. The deputies were serving a damage of property warrant. via the CharlotteObserver.com.

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There Are 5 Responses So Far. »

  1. Hey there! I read the entire story here (after stumbling across your post) http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/587066.html

    I just want to say that many may see these signs as an eye sore, but the person who pays for them in an effort to advertise their service or business, sees them as an investment. When others can come along and destroy their property with no legal recourse, it is disheartening. The fact that this gentleman took the matter into his hands via camera, should give other such vandals pause in the future.

  2. At one time (the 1980s, for instance) selling agents really did have their seller’s interests in mind, and would tell the sellers that an overabundance of For Sale signs on the street could actually lengthen the time it could take for the home to sell and negatively affect the amount they would net from the sale. This advice was actually taught in RE schools here in Arizona, and many brokers would advise their listing agents of the same.

    Today, however, it’s all about making the agent’s phone ring, with the needs of the seller taking a back seat.

    Especially in attached housing, it looks horrible. When we moved in to our condo two years ago, there was a cluster of For Sale signs at every entrance to the property. I was elected HOA Chairman and wrote up a notice for distribution to the residents advising them of the negative impact of too many signs.

    We had a homeowners vote on whether or not to ban For Sale signs on the common areas and it was passed overwhelmingly. We’ve sold six units since then and have exactly one available.

    There is no excuse for agents trashing other agent’s signs, or stealing and tossing their flyers, and so on. But, the rationale for doing so is simply an outgrowth of the same overly prevalent attitude that has agents planting signs in as many places as possible, no matter how detrimental to the neighborhood aesthetic or to the seller’s property values.

  3. Most respectable communities have a sign ordinace That says these signs are trash….just like litter

  4. We’ve been dealing with this problem in Las Vegas for a while. It is very common for Open House signs to be taken so that people driving around on a weekend can’t find what they’re looking for. Doesn’t make much sense to me why agents wouldn’t want to reduce the inventory in a neighborhood.

  5. Too bad this guy wasn’t using his energy on something more positive such as promoting his own business instead of trying to destroy his former employee’s business.

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