Realtors and Oak Park's "For Sale" Sign Ban
In the past, I've blogged about Oak Park's ban on "for sale" signs (here).
I've recently spoken with two Oak Park realtors about the ban. Both of them informed me that the realtor community in Oak Park works very hard to made sure that the ban is kept in effect. One local realtor told me last week that, when she started working in Oak Park, she had a client (seller) who wished to display a "for sale" sign. She was told by another realtor that she shouldn't allow such a display, because it would give her a bad reputation in the community, and other realtors might not want to work with her. As a result, the realtor convinced her client not to display a "for sale" sign.
I find the above very troubling. One of the reasons why the ban is still in effect, even though clearly unconstitutional, is because the individuals most active in selling Oak Park real estate have a vested interested in retaining it. A "for sale" sign is one cheap method of advertising real estate for sale that doesn't require the services of a realtor. If you eliminate the ability to display a "for sale" sign, you are making it more difficult to be a FSBO ("For Sale By Owner") seller. That means more business for the realtors, and no incentive to push for a ban, even though it seems like "for sale" signs = more potential buyers becoming aware that a given property is for sale = a net plus for sellers of Oak Park real estate.
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