Shotguns and Real Estate Signs: A Day in the Desert

by Jay Thompson on August 5, 2007 · 18 comments
Written by: Jay Thompson

in Arizona, Real Estate

Francy and I ventured into the desert yesterday for a "sign check". The weather has been pretty rough lately, and we figured some of our signs were likely in disrepair.

It was a stunningly beautiful day in the high Sonoran desert….

I should have put Francy next to one of these saguaro for scale. They are roughly 30 – 35 feet tall, and quite plumped up from recent rains.

Some of the signs had weathered the storms just fine. A few needed to be cleaned off, some bolted back on the sign posts.

Then we came across one sign that ran into the wrong end of a numb skull with a shotgun…

I don't understand what compels some to do this. I guess the thrill of stalking the elusive real estate sign and the glory of the kill does something for these folks. More likely they're such lousy shots they can't hit anything unless it's bolted down and in point blank range…

Oh well, price of doing land business in the desert I suppose.

The recent rains sure greened up the place, and the mud makes for a lot of fun…

 

[tags]Sonoran desert[/tags]


 

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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Scottsdale Homes August 5, 2007 at 8:14 pm

I can’t believe someone did that to your sign. Bad luck for sure. By the look of your Jeep, it looks like you had fun anyway.

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2 Lydia Taylor's assistant August 6, 2007 at 3:33 pm

“I guess the thrill of stalking the elusive real estate sign and the glory of the kill does something for these folks. More likely they’re such lousy shots they can’t hit anything unless it’s bolted down and in point blank range…”

Wow, I initially read this post because of the beautiful pictures of the desert, but I commented for the line above! That’s why we like your blog. Good writing!!!

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3 Jay - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy August 6, 2007 at 3:46 pm

Scottsdale – it was a blast!

Lydia Taylor’s Assistant – THANKS so much for your for your kind words! The pictures don’t do it justice. Now, can you get me a couple of tickets to next years Masters? :)

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4 Lani August 6, 2007 at 5:27 pm

Where the crap are you listing? The windy (previous post) shooting range (current post)? :)

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5 Costa Rica Real Estate Dude August 6, 2007 at 7:26 pm

Don’t worry about it Jay, they’re probably shooting at those birds that rested on your sign… see any feathers on the ground?

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6 Bali Property August 7, 2007 at 7:32 am

bye bye Century 21…good pic

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7 Calie Waterhouse August 7, 2007 at 3:23 pm

That’s really sad. The good part is – you weren’t around when it happened and they were not aiming at you or Francy. Looks like your Jeep had fun, but was it worth the price (of the sign)?

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8 Jay - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy August 7, 2007 at 4:18 pm

Lani – welcome to listing land in the desert…

Costa Rica – the only critters I saw were rabbits and lizards. Live ones. This tragedy appears to have been purely for sport.

Bali – you may be more prophetic than you realize. More to follow in the next couple of months.

Calie – it was WAY fun, well worth the price of the sign!

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9 B.R. August 14, 2007 at 5:28 pm

lol Jay, think you’d get in trouble if you rigged the sign to shoot back? Or rigged it to scream out “HEY YOU SHOT ME!”

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10 Lydia Taylor's assistant August 25, 2007 at 11:18 am

Sorry it took me a while to get back to you! About those Master’s tickets…Practice rounds are easy but the tournament tickets run several thousand. If you have the money it can be done, but for the rest of us they are pretty hard to get! Maybe the hardest tickets in sports, actually. Sorry :-(

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11 Jim October 3, 2007 at 4:21 pm

Jay, that is sad. I own and operate my sign post buisness. Here in Phoenix. I came along alot of the same problems. sign shot sign hit by bats. someone took one of my post with the sign, tube, flyers, and rider sign, and put it in a spa ten houses away from where i had the sign… funny part of this is. they had to of carried it like a flag pole in a parade….. The flyers in the tube did not even get wet?????? every thing was good… If you need a sign post person. Im your man. I have over 130 post up at this time. Hope to do buisness with you JaY HAVE A GOOD DAY. jjsignservices@yahoo.com 602-350-5099

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12 Jim November 24, 2007 at 10:32 pm

We have run into this also. As well as graffeti on posts. We have had over 150 posts stolen in the last year and a half. That is what happens when you have nice posts I guess. We just recived a metal stamp with our company name and phone. Hope that will deter them. It will take a while to get them all stamped.
Also had post run over.

Jim

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13 Pure December 10, 2007 at 5:41 pm

That’s pretty darn funny. You always see signs out in the country shot up, but never get to hear the other side of the story.

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14 Esinam Shop May 28, 2008 at 2:33 am

Great quality photos.
Amazing looking place really. I think people with guns just love to shoot them.. why at a sign i don’t know.. maybe some of the shotgun balls rebounded back and hit themselves !!

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15 Candace Robinson August 6, 2008 at 12:15 am

Jay – I agree, our Sonoran Desert is a great view no matter what time of year. I don’t agree with some numb skull using your real estate sign for target practice. Rude and uncalled for… I’ve learned just recently you can’t put riders on your listings that sport, “I’m Gorgeous’ or anything of the like as they simply disappear. I’m sure they make a great wall plaque for the neighbors teenagers room. Theives…vandalism… crazy!
The jeep however looks like it was a fun time… just curious, did you wash it or did you take it to a drive through?

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16 rorysiems August 14, 2008 at 2:21 am

beautiful desert… but not to be added with the real estate business. if so then what about the urban areas?

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