Landscaping advertisement irony

Here's what happens when a lawncare and landscaping company spams its signs off-premises where they're not maintained. This poor ad in northern York County spent its pathetic final weeks obscured by weeds and very tall grass.

Political Signs article

The Patriot-News printed an article "Time o' the signs" on page 1 on Monday May 5, 2008, following PA's April 22 Primary. The focus of their article was on the free speech aspect of political signs, which I guess would naturally be a reporter's preferred slant, but in my opinion (of course) that's not the main problem with these signs. So they wasted the first 3/4 of the story ranting about how government can't enforce time restrictions on front yard political signs, before finally touching on the problem of signs in the public right of way near the end of the article.

"Lower Swatara does enforce provisions regulating signs placed in the public right of way, which Linn said can be a traffic hazard and can damage the township's mowers. Those restrictions are legal, Burch said, as long as they are applied to all signs, political or not."

I would estimate that for every 1 private front yard sign negligently left up after the election, there were 100 illegally-placed political signs choking the highways, roadsides, and intersections during the election. It's a terrible and pointless mess, twice a year, for 2 months at a time. Our community would be far more pleasant if right of way restrictions were enforced, and sign placement was actually limited to people's private yards only, set back from the roadway so as not to interfere with traffic sight-lines.

Midstate Property Group spam

Josh Schoenly (Midstate Property Group) started spamming this year, first with white signs with a hand-written local number, then a hand-written toll-free number, then on Friday evening May 23, 2008: a whole bunch of pre-printed yellow signs (at least 50) nailed to utility poles around Harrisburg, advertising a house auction dated for next weekend.

Update 5/28: Up went 20 more of these same signs, only for them to also disappear.

HOUSE FOR AUCTION
OPEN HOUSE
Sat 31st & Sun 1st 12pm-5pm
HIGHEST & BEST BIDDER
800-611-2426 ID 175



He even nails them to trees. Tree hater.



Below are his earlier signs. The feminine writing style makes it easy to assume his wife Pam helps him. That must suck, doing so much tiresome hand-writing and nailing, then having most of it disappear soon afterwards. But that's what happens when you float your illegitimate spam to the wind.

I'll buy your house right now, 307-3532
Auction, Please Help, 800-611-2426 ID 100
Auction, Worth 200k, Starts at 90k, 800-611-2426 ID 200



Here is business info about him:

Midstate Property Group, LLC
Capitol City Investments

Josh Schoenly

202 State St.
Harrisburg, PA 17101

800-611-2426 (various "ID" extensions such as 100, 200, 175)
717-307-3532
717-918-4738

http://www.midstatepropertygroup.com/
http://www.stoppayingrentinpa.com/
http://buyersforyourhouseinpa.com/
http://pabuyerslist.com/
http://www.quitworkharrisburg.com/
http://freeincome4lifebook.com/
http://wealthcreator.blogspot.com/

josh@midstatepropertygroup.com
josh@buyersforyourhouseinpa.com
jaschoenly@comcast.net
wealthcreator@comcast.net

Perhaps instead of chasing MLM wealth, Mr. Schoenly should look for a clue.

Same sign design

The design of a former spammer's sign from last year matches one from a current sign spammer.



Must be a template, right? It's one of over 20 different "We Buy Houses" templates from this coroplast sign seller. ($2.29 a sign)

Bill Stickers

News article on Real Estate Riches

Local channel ABC 27 just posted a story about "Real Estate Riches". The ads lure you in with a free seminar on how to invest in real estate, but that turns out to be a mere pep-talk promo for their paid program which would probably be a rip-off at any price but they charge thousands of dollars for it. You're supposed to fall for accepting the high cost because of the big money you'll supposedly be making afterwards.

Real Estate Riches Offer Too Good to Be True?

Here's a much more comprehensive exposé on the subject, from one of my favorite sites:

The "Real Estate Investor Seeks Apprentice" Signs

This scam is closely related to the proliferation of various "We Buy Houses" spam signs.

Ugly House Depot spam

Ugly House Depot put up a very large number of new "We Buy Houses" signs in the City of Harrisburg over the past weekend of May 17, 2008 -- somewhere around 200 signs, all nailed to utility poles. High density too, with a sign at just about every intersection in certain districts.

WE BUY HOUSES
FAST CASH -- QUICK CLOSE
763-UGLY



This is a repeat sign spammer who has been active for over a year.



Here is business info about them:

Ugly House Depot, LLC
Capitol Investment Group LLC
Reality Real Estate

Edward P. Case III
Robert L. Lawson

600 N 3rd Street
Lobby Level
Harrisburg, PA 17101

866-580-UGLY (866-580-8459)
717-763-UGLY (717-763-8459)
717-238-1005
Fax: 717-238-6410

http://www.uglyhousedepot.com/
http://goflip1.com/

mrhousebuyer@aol.com
uglyhousedepot@aol.com
goflip1@aol.com

Ugly House Depot is just one of several different sign spammers operating in the Harrisburg area advertising "We Buy Houses", which is the most common type of sign spam these days. Mr. Case and Mr. Lawson and their ilk need to learn that this manner of advertising is neither acceptable nor legal.

Spam signs are an eyesore; they are against local sign codes (pdf) and right-of-way laws, and nailing them to utility poles is a violation of PA state law as well as being against utility company rules.