What is Sticker-Flicker?
Sticker-Flicker is a term coined by Arit in last weekends Friday free-for-all post to describe a real estate sales sign that has a ’sold’ sticker applied, removed, and then applied again in any number of cycles. This is a phenomena I’ve increasingly noticed myself lately in front of apartments, townhomes and houses around town.
There are a number of theories about the root cause of Sticker-Flicker ranging from a conspiracy to make it appear more sales are taking place to overzealous realtors applying the sold sticker upon recieving an offer, only to see the deal fall through.
Personally I believe its likely the latter. I have very little confidence in the organizational skills of people when it comes to conspiracy and I don’t really see the point anyways. The fact remains that we have over 20,000 places for sale in Greater Vancouver right now, the sellers market is over. Would Sticker-Flicker really motivate someone to buy?
But maybe there’s something I’m missing. What do you think- Have you noticed this phenomena? What causes Sticker-Flicker?
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July 31st, 2008 at 9:05 am
July 31st, 2008 at 9:27 am
July 31st, 2008 at 9:46 am
I have fired more realtors (both with and without the ™) than I’ve worked with, mostly for reasons just like this: sheer incompetence, which is the professional manifestation of stupidity.
It’s my opinion that practically all realtors get into the business because they’ve found they’re not fit for anything else. While in school, not one person I talked to ever said “I’m going to be a REALTOR™ after I graduate!” People don’t choose the profession, they back into it.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:05 am
Other common conditions are satisfactory home inspections, successful financing etc. A business instructor I know even likes to stipulate, “as long as my wife agrees” which essentially gives him a free pass if he wants out of the deal before it’s closed.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:09 am
I’ve noticed entire signs going up and coming down too, (always unsold) - but I’m convinced they’re still for sale and people are being shown through them. It makes me think they don’t want people to see their listing beside two or three others. Does that make any sense?
I’ve also seen signs with sold stickers come down within a week (after being up for months) - doesn’t the realtor want everyone to know it’s sold?
Then there’s all the unsold signs that have come down in the past few months - maybe to be re-listed when “things pick up” in the fall?
July 31st, 2008 at 10:30 am
July 31st, 2008 at 10:35 am
I also just snagged the shot exx uploaded to the sales sign super stack challenge in the forum for the photo animation I just attached to this post.
I tell you I just can’t be trusted.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:38 am
Noticed realtors here putting for sale signs in windows a lot now, as opposed to hammering them into the front lawns…..trying to hide the obvious.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:39 am
July 31st, 2008 at 11:37 am
I guess he faked his death to escape to a profession with integrity rather than becoming a sellout like the rest of his bandmates.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I wonder what having a lot of sales fall thru due to unapproved mortgages does for the seller’s psychology. That’s gotta be a good reality check for sellers that the market simply cannot pay they price they are asking. Imagine trying to sell a place while having multiple sales fall thru because of this…
July 31st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 1:22 pm
there you go…most realtors probably don’t have any C/S stickers (why bother in a boom?) and so use “sold” instead; that explains sticker flicker.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Any realtors (TM) out there care to confirm this?
July 31st, 2008 at 1:36 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Raise the price so the upcoming reduction looks that much more of a deal?? lol
Or maybe they installed granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, along with laminate floors… who knows?
July 31st, 2008 at 2:02 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Any agent that let’s their client fall for a trick like needs to be fired…
July 31st, 2008 at 2:13 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 2:25 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I think guy just included loss in price after being 80 days on market in order to maintain feeling that he has control over his investment.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Drachens post was really good too:
“If we can’t sell our current residence the deal is off at x date.”
With the market pressure you could write completly insane things into the agreement like
-You must drink a letre of syrup
-I get to keep your Aunt Dorthys ashes
-Your wife must come over every tuesday to make me pankcakes for a year
-I get to keep your dog sparkles
-You must wash all my dirty socks for a month
July 31st, 2008 at 3:02 pm
He does have control. He can either
1. sell for market value, which is currently dropping and has a long way down until it hits fundamentals
or
2. not sell, but pour cash into a losing investment for the next 5 or 10 years.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Bwahahaha!
Thanks Pope for the recognintion. And BubbleLad for the warning LOL!
Lately I am seeing more and more sticker-flicker. I usually see it in new houses though, where there is no current owner who migth oppose the tactic.
Next task for arit:
Film a realtor while flickering OFF a sticker (peeling it) and post his sad look in YouTube.
Coming soon to a monitor in front of you.
Cheers,
arit
July 31st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 4:12 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 4:48 pm
“Crazy conditions to put in an offer”
- Months of inventory must decrease 20%
- The benchmark price cannot decrease by more than 1% in the applicable area over the next two months
- Commandos must storm Parliament
- Aliens must launch an attack on India
- Barack Obama must admit he’s not some kind of deity of change sent from above
All about equally unlikely.
July 31st, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Seller’s mom must perform her “Special happy surprise” Tijuana donkey show at the GM stadium for her adoring clients.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:03 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 7:55 pm
“Tijuana donkey show”
I thought your move was the ‘angry pirate’.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:24 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Realtors are having trouble keeping awake at their empty open houses.
Prices are falling, rapidly. They will likely continue to fall rapidly until a few years from now when things will finally land. Those without parachutes will go >>>splat<<<
July 31st, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I personally have looked at this townhouse; it has the smallest most useless deck with no view… there is no wonder it is a dog below 1 mil but cranking it up to 1.1M???
I notice they changed REALTORs (TM) to Gordon Marony “A Delta area REALTOR and former BCREA (2004-05) president… Oh, he’s a Delta agent trying to sell a townhouse in Yaletown, maybe that explains why he has no idea how to price…
July 31st, 2008 at 10:04 pm
July 31st, 2008 at 10:11 pm
A second listing MLS# V721464 - now at listed at $597. Shows the same owners as before the ’sale’.
Anyone know what the heck is going on here?
July 31st, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Year to date sales are strong. Total sales by revenue is indeed high and above historical norms. However July sales by units sold are the lowest since 2000. In 2000, July sales were around 1600 or so. the source is right: still a long way to go for this bad boy to be called horrendous. But we’re well on our way.
Get your affairs in order if you rely on real estate to make a living. It’s not too late to save some reserves just in case.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:16 pm
The Source, you’re kidding right? Or is that kool aid you’re drinking?
http://paul-northvancouverhomes.blogspot.com/
Numbers are up for July, it was the LOWEST amount of sales for that month in years.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:31 pm
August 1st, 2008 at 7:56 am
August 1st, 2008 at 8:24 am
“This July was one of the strongest in history for sales.”
Yes, and if you count history back to Egyptian times we’re looking at a month that’s in the top 1%! Given the recent market conditions there is an exponential need for buyers and as sales show the actual number of buyers is dropping off from the last few years. Of course if you take pretty good sales and add them to record breaking listings you still have the recipe for a crash. In this case sales that are merely ‘good’ are like a pile of feather pillows trying to stop the listings locomotive.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:29 am
Sales numbers are still above historical norms. Realtors having trouble keeping up. Prices to lag inflation rate but poised to slowly move up.
Sales numbers are always above historical norms…unless they aren’t. So please, tell us where we can see your data. Or do you not have any?
This July was one of the strongest in history for sales.
Must be opposite day.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:32 am
http://dailydose4u.wordpress.c.....bc-canada/
It’s a great shot, let me know if you have a problem with me using it here.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:35 am
They’ve been doing sticker flicker for the longest time. Even during the booming years back from 2004 to 2007. I went many BOSA and Polygon development pre-sales. One week I go there and they have only two units left on the second floor, the next week they have another unit on the third, the next week they have two on the first floor, the next week they have two more on the second floor. And this will go one for weeks and weeks.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:41 am
As long as you don’t count recent history. Compared to July of last year sales have dropped by 41%:
http://paul-northvancouverhome.....ntory.html
August 1st, 2008 at 9:50 am
Do you mean Shiko Shiko?
Segoi!
August 1st, 2008 at 9:53 am
August 1st, 2008 at 11:38 am
“the historical data.”
As I’ve been trying to point out (I guess I’m too subtle for you) ‘history’ means different things to different people.
It’s completely accurate to say, “Historically Vancouver has had a population of under a thousand.”
Or, “Historically Vancouver has had no real estate market. If you wanted a house you picked a nice piece of land and built one!”
You’ve got to specify what bit of history you mean and preferably provide some data.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:06 pm
August 1st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Was last July not an unusually high number? Look at the historical data. To say this July is historically low is incorrect.
Okay, please look at this chart: http://tinyurl.com/5b66q4
Now please tell us what ruler or equation leads to the claim that 2400 (July 2008 sales) > 4900, 2750, 3600 (July 2007, 2006, 2005 sales respectively).
August 1st, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Sold stickers are only supposed to go on once the deal is firm.
It’s possible, even after all conditions are waived, for a buyer to decline to follow through on a transaction. There are consequences, of course, but it’s not unheard of. So a Sold sticker could get peeled off.
shikko Says:
July 31st, 2008 at 9:46 am
Are there any similarities between the flickered “for sale” signs? Same realty group, for example? This will help us determine if it’s mass stupidity (many realty offices) or willful deceit (a few realty offices).
I have fired more realtors (both with and without the ™) than I’ve worked with, mostly for reasons just like this: sheer incompetence, which is the professional manifestation of stupidity.
some supercilious tool said…It’s my opinion that practically all realtors get into the business because they’ve found they’re not fit for anything else. While in school, not one person I talked to ever said “I’m going to be a REALTOR™ after I graduate!” People don’t choose the profession, they back into it.
Nobody forces anybody to use a realtor. Sell your own house. Buy a house on your own. Fill yer boots. Why so much bitterness?
People pay, what, a few thousand bucks once every 5-25 years to sell their biggest asset. But they pay tens of thousands of dollars every year to the government. In the former instance, they have a choice to avoid realtor fees. In the latter instance, if they choose to avoid taxes they go to jail. Get your anger pointed in the right direction instead of being a whiny victim all your lives.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
uh, we get health care and fire services and library services and road maintenance and police in return for the taxes. what do you offer?
August 2nd, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Not to mention protection, the oldest and best reason to pay taxes. If we lived without taxes (ie in a state of anarchy) any warlord could come and take your things, your family, your life at a whim. People who whine about taxes as much as islander are just too stupid to consider the alternatives.
But then islander’s already proven his lack of intelligence by proposing that, if no services were offered to homeless people, they’d all just go away.
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 pm