New Subdivision Entrance Signage Ideas

The entrance is a new community’s front door. Buyers form an opinion about the whole neighborhood in the few seconds it takes to drive through it. A strong entrance says the community is real, well planned and open for business, even while most of it is still under construction.

Here’s how to plan entrance signage that works in each stage of a community’s life.

Permanent entrance: the monument sign

The monument sign will be there long after the last home is sold, so it’s worth getting right.

• Make the name readable from the road. Large, simple lettering with strong contrast. Decorative fonts are hard to read at driving speed.
• Light it. Uplighting or backlighting makes the entrance visible at night and looks finished.
• Landscape it. Plantings around the sign soften it and make the entrance feel established. Choose plants that look good while they’re small, since new landscaping takes time to fill in.
• Match the community’s style. Materials and colors should fit the homes inside.
• Plan for both sides of the entrance if traffic comes from both directions.

Temporary marketing signs: while you’re selling

While homes are for sale, the entrance needs to do more than show the name. It needs to tell drivers they can buy here.

• A marketing sign with “New homes from the $300s,” “Model open daily” or “Now selling,” plus a website or phone number
• Model hours that are easy to read from the road
• Height and color at the entrance, such as flags, feather banners or a balloon display, to catch drivers who wouldn’t otherwise turn in. These are especially useful before landscaping and permanent signs are finished.
• A changing message for new phases, price changes and events

Keep temporary signs in good condition. Faded banners and leaning signs make a new community look stalled.

Directional signs: from the entrance to the model

Once buyers turn in, guide them to the model or sales center without wrong turns.

• A sign at every decision point: each turn and intersection between the entrance and the model
• The same colors and design on every sign, so buyers recognize the trail
• Clear arrows and the word “Model” or “Sales center”
• A clear marker at the model itself: a sign, flags or a display in the yard, plus marked visitor parking

Construction routes change. Walk the route every week and move signs when roads open or close.

Off-site signs: from the main road to the entrance

Many new communities are off the main road. Directional signs at nearby intersections help drivers find the entrance, where local rules allow them. These are often more tightly regulated than on-site signs, with limits on number, size, placement and how long they can stay up.

Keep the entrance looking finished

Construction is messy, and buyers notice. To keep the entrance looking finished:

• Keep construction traffic and materials away from the main entrance if there’s another way in.
• Clean mud and debris from the entrance road regularly.
• Screen construction areas near the entrance with fencing and banners.
• Water and maintain landscaping at the entrance first.
• Replace damaged signs right away.

Check the rules

Monument signs, temporary marketing signs and off-site directional signs are often regulated by the city or county, and sometimes by the community’s approved development plans. Some places limit balloons, flags and banners. Check before ordering. (See Curb Appeal That Gets Noticed and Stays Within Your City’s Sign Rules.)

A quick entrance checklist

• Monument sign readable at driving speed and lit at night
• Landscaping around the sign maintained
• Marketing sign with “Now selling” and model hours
• Something at the entrance that rises above the landscaping
• Directional signs at every turn to the model
• Model marked and visitor parking clear
• Construction traffic and debris kept away from the entrance
• Local sign rules checked

The bottom line

A new community’s entrance should look finished and welcoming from day one. Invest in a readable, lit monument sign, add temporary marketing signs and displays while you’re selling, guide buyers to the model with clear directional signs, and keep construction mess away from the front door.

(See Model Home Marketing: Getting Buyers Into New Communities.)

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