What if the most profitable unseen real estate you drive past every day isn’t a house or an office building, but the billboard itself? On this episode (Ep 58) of the 5-Minute PRIME Podcast, host Martin Maxwell unveils one of the most overlooked yet highly profitable niches in real estate: billboard investing. Learn how these “tollbooths for eyeballs” generate significant cash flow with minimal maintenance and why their true value lies far beyond the steel pole.
Tune in to learn: Unseen Real Estate
- The Investor’s Moat: How government regulation and a single document—the permit—create an incredibly valuable, nearly untouchable unseen real estate asset.
- Landowner vs. Operator: Explore the three primary ways to invest in unseen real estate, from 100% passive income to building an active, high-return business.
- Static vs. Digital ROI: A clear breakdown of the two business models and why digital billboards can multiply your revenue streams from a single unseen real estate location.
- The Four-Step Entry Plan: Actionable steps to start scouting prime unseen real estate locations, navigating city hall, and finding your first billboard deal in this hyper-local business.
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Show Notes: Unseen Real Estate
Key Takeaways
- Static Billboards: Provide steady, predictable revenue with a lower upfront investment but less flexibility.
- Digital Billboards: Enable multiple advertisers per location, drastically increasing revenue potential, though with higher upfront costs.
- The Real Value: The key to a billboard investment is not the structure itself but the permit that grants the right to place a billboard in a prime location.
- Low Operational Drag: Billboards don’t have tenants, maintenance issues, or the complexities that come with traditional real estate like apartments or commercial properties.
- Regulatory Risk: The primary risk in billboard investing comes from changes in zoning laws, not market fluctuations.
Action Step:
- Start as an Attention Scout: Hit the streets to identify high-traffic locations with great visibility for billboards. Look for busy roads, choke points, and unobstructed views.
- Learn the Code: Study your city’s sign ordinance to understand zoning laws, spacing, and height regulations for billboards. Knowledge is your best defense.
- Execute the Digital Conversion Play: Focus on acquiring older, under-monetized static billboards in prime locations. Convert them to digital displays to unlock their full revenue potential.
- Build Your Local Network: Connect with landowners, city officials, and local business owners to grow relationships and tap into the local advertising market.
Mentioned in This Episode
Episodes to Revisit:
- Episode 45: “How to Leverage Commercial Real Estate for Passive Income” — A deep dive into the passive side of real estate investing.
- Episode 50: “The Power of Location: How to Spot Real Estate Deals in High-Traffic Areas” — Explores how location factors into the profitability of real estate investments, a key concept for billboard investing.
Challenge for Today:
- Step 1: Start by diving into your local area. Go to your county or city’s website and explore public property records. Identify major roads or highways in your city and start mapping where billboards are located.
- Step 2: Once you find billboard locations, investigate the owners. Are they private landowners or large billboard companies like Lamar or Outfront? Research how the zoning laws affect these locations and what you can learn from their history.
- Step 3: Visit these billboard locations in person. Look at the traffic patterns, surrounding area, and visibility. Take notes on what makes certain spots more desirable than others.
- Step 4: Reach out to local businesses or landowners near prime billboard locations and ask about opportunities for digital conversions. See if there’s interest in upgrading static signs to digital billboards, and get a feel for potential advertising demand in the area.
