A bright idea: Inventor introduces the Listinglight to illuminate 'For Sale' signs

By: TRACY MORAN - For the North County Times | Saturday, October 28, 2006 8:46 PM PDT ∞

When Encinitas resident Bob Visotcky came up with the idea for his invention, he was confident it was a winner.

The device is akin to a night light, but it's designed to fit real estate "For Sale" signs, illuminating them for an extra three to five hours each evening.

Since he introduced his Listinglight earlier this year, Visotcky has sold thousands of the devices. And with the end of daylight-saving time today, he expects orders to skyrocket, as sellers strive to keep their properties visible in an increasingly crowded real estate market.

It's one of those inventions that seems so obvious, you wonder why no one thought of it before.

In fact, when Visotcky did a patent search, he found that in the 1970s, someone had come up with a similar idea, but that version was so unwieldy and impractical, it never took off.

So he set about bringing his idea to fruition.

"I love creative thinking," Visotcky said. "My brain is my weapon."

But if he hadn't been fired from his previous position, he never would have come up with his idea. "It's crazy how fate works," he said.

Visotcky was in the radio industry for nearly three decades and was in senior-level management, overseeing six Los Angeles stations, when Clear Channel Communications bought out his former employer. The new owner made some personnel changes, and Visotcky was out of a job.

"I decided to move to the place where I want to spend the rest of my life," he said. In August 2004, Visotcky, along with his wife, Secia, and their three children, settled in Encinitas. Visotcky began selling real estate, as he had done years earlier in Colorado.

Then, just three months into his burgeoning real estate career, he saw a home with a "For Sale by Owner" sign out front on Cypress Hills Drive in Encinitas. He stopped to talk with the homeowner and convinced him that listing with a real estate agent was preferable to selling it himself. The homeowner agreed.

Unfortunately for Visotcky, he listed with a different agent. Visotcky drove by the house one evening, curious to see who the listing agent was. But he couldn't read the sign because it was too dark.

That's when inspiration struck and the idea for his company, Listinglight, was forged.

Visotcky, no stranger to marketing, sought feedback from real estate agents across the country.

"Not one person has said this is a bad idea," he said.

Visotcky believed so strongly in his invention, he put his life savings on the line.

But as anyone who has ever tried to bring an idea to market knows, there can be a steep learning curve and plenty of bumps along the way.

Visotcky's goal was to have his product available in fall 2005, just before daylight-saving time. But because he hired the wrong design team the first time around, those plans were dashed.

"It set me back eight months," he said of the debacle with the first design team, whose clunky prototype Visotcky likened to a brick. "I was devastated, but I told my wife, 'I'm not giving up.' "

He was already attending trade shows and taking preorders from enthusiastic real estate agents, who were sold on the idea even before seeing a finished product.

Soon he found another firm to work with, and six months later, they had a successful prototype, one that was easy to secure to signs, bright and reliable. After working out a few glitches, the Listinglight was finally available for sale in April.

When Realtor magazine featured the light in its "Cool Tools" section, Visotcky was thrilled.

"That legitimized our business," Visotcky said. "We sold 110 units the day after the article came out."

And the business continues to grow, with actual sales outpacing projections by 30 percent.

"We thought the summer months would be slow," Visotcky said. "But we sold way over our expectations ---- 7,500 units. October through April will be our busy season."

About 30 percent of his business is based in Southern California, though he has customers worldwide and distributors in Canada and England.

He markets the device at trade shows and using online databases, and also has given the Listinglight to top agents in areas that the company has identified as growth markets. This, he hopes, will entice other agents to follow suit.

"It's follow the leader," Visotcky said.

Visotcky sees his device as a way for agents to market properties more effectively, and he also sees it as a service that accommodates those who work from 9 to 5 and have to look for properties in the evening hours.

Carlsbad-based real estate broker Earl Houston finds the device useful.

"It gives your listing an opportunity to stand out," he said. "We've even gotten feedback from neighbors (of the listed property), and it's all been positive."

The device, Houston added, only lights up the sign.

"It's not like a searchlight," he said. "It's well-designed."

At dusk, a built-in light sensor switches on the device. Then it automatically turns off either three or five hours later, depending on which setting is selected.

When Encinitas resident Bob Bockstahler sold his home earlier this year, he had the Listinglight installed on the "For Sale" sign.

"I'm sure that it helped us get more visibility," he said. "It's a tough market, and the Listinglight is an additional advantage."

As for competitors, there are a few, Visotcky said, but they rely on solar power.

"They don't fully illuminate the sign," he explained. "And they're not reliable in places where it snows. Once the solar panel's covered, you're out of business."

One concern that Visotcky hears regularly from potential buyers is that someone will steal the device.

"I tell them that light is a deterrent to theft," he said, adding that the devices have multiple tamper-resistant features. "Some people actually think the Listinglight is a security device, so they leave it alone."

But soon, Visotcky had come up with yet another invention, the Listinglock, which is designed to secure signs to their post, which adds another level of security for the Listinglight and makes signs stable in windy conditions.

While Visotcky eventually sees his inventions used on a variety of temporary signs, from landscaping to political, for now he's focusing on the real estate market.

That seems to be a prudent move, particularly with more properties staying on the market longer.

"Really, there's no bad time for these products," he said. "Last year, there were 9 million single-family homes for sale in the U.S."

All those "For Sale" signs, just waiting to be shown the light.

Tracy Moran is a freelance writer. Contact her at Tracymoran@roadrunner.com

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