Real-estate yard signs are the most-printed sign category in the industry, and they have their own tribal knowledge — sizes, mounting hardware, photo-area conventions, MLS regulations. Get the basics right and a sign costs $8 and survives the listing. Get them wrong and you're re-ordering every two weeks. Here's the practical playbook agents and brokers actually use.
The standard sizes
Two sizes dominate. 18×24 inches is the residential standard — fits any wire H-stand, fits in a hatchback for transport, mailable in a flat box. 24×36 inches is the commercial / luxury-listing upsize — more imposing roadside, but requires a larger stand and harder to transport. Most agents standardize on 18×24 for the whole portfolio and only upsize for trophy properties.
Coroplast weight: 4mm vs 6mm vs 10mm
- 4mm: the lawn-sign default. Lasts 6–9 months in normal weather. ~$5 per blank.
- 6mm: doubles wind tolerance. Useful in coastal / Plains states or for listings staying up > 6 months. ~$7 per blank.
- 10mm: nearly rigid. The "I'll re-use this on every listing" tier. Survives 18+ months of full outdoor exposure. ~$10 per blank.
Mounting hardware
The standard mounting hardware is the wire H-stand — a U-shaped wire frame that slips into the corrugation rails on the bottom of the sign and pushes into the ground. Two stand sizes match the two sign sizes; don't mix.
For longer-term installations or commercial fences, use aluminum sign posts and bolt-mount the sign. Aluminum doesn't rot, doesn't rust, and the post is reusable across many listings.
Photo-area conventions
Brokerage-branded signs reserve the top third or top half for the brokerage logo + color system. The bottom half carries the agent's headshot, name, phone, license number. Most MLS rules require the agent's name and license number to be readable from a passing car — design for that, not for Instagram.
"For Sale" rider strips
Add 6×24 rider strips to communicate listing status without re-printing the whole sign: "Pending", "Just Reduced", "Open Sunday 2-4". Riders attach to the H-stand above the main sign and are 4mm coroplast at ~$4 each.
MLS / brokerage rules to check
- License number minimum font size (usually 16pt or 0.25" tall).
- Brokerage logo minimum size and color requirements.
- Whether the sign must include the brokerage phone in addition to the agent's.
- Sign-removal timeline after closing (usually 24–72 hours).
Practical buying tip
Order signs in lots of 10–25. The per-sign cost drops sharply at quantity, and most agents lose or damage 2–3 signs per year to weather, theft, and storm damage. Spare inventory is cheaper than rush-ordering one at a time.