How We Built Our Custom Bixby Realty Listing Signs
Hello from Bri Steel, Broker/Realtor® & Owner of Bixby Realty!
Since starting Bixby Realty, one of my dreams has been to replace the typical plastic real estate sign with a beautiful custom sign for our clients that exemplifies our commitment to creative marketing and great service.
I believe our clients deserve something eye-catching, enticing, and different in front of their home when it is listed for sale.
A few months after starting the business, I put that dream on paper and began the creation process.
From design to implementation, it took us about a year to have seven signs ready to be used.
It was an investment in time, effort, and money, but we want these signs to reflect the same love and care that people put into their homes and that we pour into our clients.
So many people have commented and asked us questions about the signs that we thought it was time to explain their origin story!
In the meantime, please give us a call if you are interested in buying or selling a home on the California coast!
Who’s idea was it to build custom listing signs?
It was my idea! I believe that our listings deserve a beautiful work of art in the front yard. Homes on the California coast are not cheap, so they need something better than a plastic sign blowing in the wind. When a buyer drives up to a home, the sign is the first thing they see. If it is a high quality sign made out of real materials, it will make a lasting impression on them, as will the listing.
What are the signs made out of?
They are made out of rusted and sealed Corten steel, powder coated aluminum, stainless steel fasteners, and stained wood posts. I really wanted to go with a set of modern materials, and Corten steel is a really cool element that is currently being used on a lot of architectural buildings and signage.
What is Corten steel, and why use it?
Corten steel is also known as “weathering” steel. It is a type of steel alloy that was developed to eliminate the need for painting. It forms a stable golden brown rust appearance. The surface oxidation of the steel typically takes a couple of months, but I used a special acidic mixture to rust them myself in just a few weeks. After they were rusted I took a wire brush to them to get all the excess large bits of rust off, and layered them with a very special sealer made for Corten steel. The thing with Corten steel is that if you do not seal it, it will continue to rust and it will actually drip rusty water (which stains) on everything that is below it. I chose to use Corten steel as the main element in my signs because I really enjoy materials that take on character. Materials that can tell a story! I also really like aged barnwood. I love mixing natural elements with solid, smooth colors in both my homes and signage.
Who designed the Bixby logo?
That would be me as well (with a little input from my significant other). Above is actually the picture of the first logo sketch up from a day when I was doodling and coming up with ideas. I wanted to create something that was both professional and fun, something that stood out. It was my goal to have a logo that really reminded people of the oceanfront in Santa Cruz. I wanted a logo that would also be a catchy sticker on the back of a car, as everybody in Santa Cruz loves their Santa Cruz stickers!
Tell us a little bit about the design process of these signs…
My significant other is the one that really helped with this part. He is really good on Google’s design program called sketch up. We put our minds together for a few hours and came up with the first render of the sign, pictured above and below. Dimensions of various parts definitely changed a few times throughout the process. It was actually a couple month design process with the file going back and forth to the metal shop. As with any construction project, little things always come up that you don’t think of in the design process, which need to be changed when it comes to what the sign is going to end up being like in real life. I learned a lot about designing a sign, as there were quite a few different pieces that needed to work with each other.
At Bixby Realty we bring a fresh and innovative “boutique” approach to real estate on the Monterey Peninsula. In the process, we make dreams come true.
Looking to sell? We will make your home SHINE. Listings like ours that are beautifully presented and professionally inspected sell faster and for more money.
Looking to buy? We help our clients write offers that WIN. We are competitors at heart and negotiators at work. We get results.
Call or email us to set up an appointment with our broker and owner, Bri Steel.
Bri Steel
Broker/Realtor® + Owner
Bixby Realty
831.200.6338
bri@bixbyrealty.com
Bri Steel at the Bixby Realty office with her two mini Aussies Kiwi and Fiji.
