THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 24, 1995 TAG: 9506220385
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Common Ground
SOURCE: G. Robert Kirkland and Michael A. Inman
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
I live in a townhouse-style condominium complex where several units are for sale. It seems like every other house has a different sign in front of it, and the community is starting to look tacky.
I checked the complex's rules and bylaws but didn't see any regulations on signs. I think people should only be able to put small signs in their windows.
Also, some people want to put ``No Soliciting'' signs on their front doors. Several board members feel this is an exterior modification, requiring approval. Can a community association restrict or prohibit signs?
A community association's board of directors can regulate signs in the community unless bylaws forbid it. Generally, the board may enact rules concerning community aesthetics.
The presence of several ``For Sale'' or ``For Lease'' signs can hurt the community's appearance and the units' sales prices.
Nevertheless, the board might not be able to bar someone from advertising the sale of a unit with signs, either on the unit itself or near the community's entrance. To do so would restrict the resident's free use of the property and ability to sell it.
The board must consider all the issues before deciding on the matter. Perhaps you, too, should realize that if you want to sell your unit, you will want to market if effectively.
Pretty or not, a sign planted in front of the unit is an effective sales method. Here are three ways to deal with the issue:
Establish an approved sign, which must be rented from the association. If done right, this will ensure uniform, high-quality signs.
Restrict signs to a certain size, color and quality, to be placed in a window.
Prohibit signs on the unit itself and only allow a small advertisement - say, a 3-by-5-inch typewritten card - to be placed in a glass-enclosed bulletin board at the community entrance.
As to the ``No Soliciting'' signs, we believe such signs are in a totally different category and can be banned on aesthetic grounds or subject to approval. Your board may want to consider one of more of these strategies for controlling signs, or it can come up with a different solution. MEMO: G. Robert Kirkland, president of a Virginia Beach property management
consulting firm, and attorney Michael A. Inman specialize in Virginia
community association issues and are affiliated with the Southeastern
Virginia chapter of the Community Associations Institute. Send comments
and questions to them at Real Estate Weekly, 150 W. Brambleton Ave.,
Norfolk, Va. 23510. To submit questions by fax: dial 446-2531. by CNB