You can literally get free business cards online nowadays.  They have ads on the back of them and you have to pay for the shipping but they are free nonetheless.

Why wouldn't someone just order these free ones instead of spending $50 or so for 250 custom designed business cards.

I am going to give you my personal insight as to why you should always invest in design that represents you personally.

A business card should be like a fingerprint, unique to its owner.  It's what our customers can identify with and is just as important as a good logo.

The best examples of a template style, cookie-cutter business card design I can think of are the ones passed out by real estate agents.  They are all the same.

A portrait of the agent on the top left corner, the company logo in the top right, and the contact information laid out boringly somewhere in between.

This is definitely the cheapest way to do things but is it really helping you make a good impression?

You are basically representing to your potential clients that you are no better and no worse than any other agent out there.  You are simply just another agent they can use if it's convenient for them.

You want to seem indespensible and if you want somebody to remember you when they are buying a quarter million dollar house you want to stand out against the crowd.

When you hand somebody a business card they automatically associate the quality of that card with the quality of your work so why not invest in something you'll be remembered by?

By making a single good impression that leads to a single sale you will have received your initial investment back along with a very hefty reward.

It's as simple as taking 15 minutes to hire a designer that will design, print, and have your cards shipped right to you.  It's a win-win situation.

For the sake of your business as well as good design, I urge you to consider the small investment that will ultimately pay off in a big way.