(Scan this QR CODE !)

The problem I have is that while everyone and their brother is telling you that you need to be using QR codes, very few resources are specifically showing you the best ways to use QR codes for real estate.

It is actually why we exist, innovation is rewarded, execution is worshiped. Just like with Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Mobile, Video and any other buzz worthy platform or new technology some will adapt it quickly and pick up market share, most will fail and simply use it because the other agents in their office are. So below you will find what in my opinion are the 5 best ways to use QR codes for real estate right now. I would never assume these are the only ways and would love you to add your own creative ideas in the comments below.

Quick note before we get started with the list. A QR Code is simply a bridge to a website that when scanned with a mobile device takes a consumer on a journey beyond the paper it is printed on. One of the major perks is that all of the scans are tracked and thus the ROI is fairly easy to detect, critical to any high level marketer. I also think there are 2 key things to consider when using QR codes:

1. The web page that you direct the consumer to MUST be optimized for viewing on a mobile device. Due to this I am recommending 3 sites that will cover all 5 strategies. The first is Vyoo.it which will create a mobile friendly landing page with all of the details of the property of your choosing including price, photos and of course your contact info. The second site is Goo.gl which allows you to turn any URL into a QR Code in seconds, again all scans are being tracked. The third is YouTube which is not only optimized well for mobile but will allow you to bring a video element to your QR code marketing. To make a long story short when I recommend a video be used as the destination simply go to YouTube and grab the URL of the video and then visit Goo.gl to generate the QR Code.

2. This is a new, rapidly evolving technology (visit Best Buy, public transit, hospitals, etc lately?) that requires further explanation than just slapping a weird looking icon on your print marketing. Anytime you use a QR Code be sure to in small text explain that it requires a QR Code Reader which can be downloaded for FREE to their phone NOW by visiting their app store. It is also critical that you provide a tiny URL as an additional option below the QR Code so that those who just can not figure out the whole scanning thing can type the shortened URL directly into their mobile browser and end up in the same place anyways. Both Vyoo.it and Goo.gl provide a tiny URL along with the QR Code making this very easy to execute.

On to the top 5 ways to use QR Codes for Real Estate:

1. Lawn Signs – This would be the most obvious usage in my opinion and this is where Vyoo.it will come into play handily. Consumers like to get as much information as humanly possible before calling a sales person (you BTW). By placing the QR Code on your sign riders you will be providing potentially the hottest leads, those driving around looking for homes to buy, with all of the information needed about that property instantly. Price, interior photos and community info are typically things that a lawn sign does not provide and by leveraging a QR Code you are really giving the consumer what they want when they want it. I know some Realtors would argue that there is no longer a need to call you if you give away all of that info through the QR Code on the sign. I would argue there is already no need to call you to get that information (think online portals like Realtor.com, Zillow and Trulia all of whom have mobile apps that provide those details). People work with people they like, they will like you more if you give them more of a reason to and stop holding back data that is easily obtained without you. Again, follow the guidelines I mentioned above by further explaining the technology and providing a URL alternative on the sign rider.

2. Business Cards – Another no brainer in my opinion but I can envision agents screwing this up royally. If I had to guess most agents will put a QR Code on their business card that will lead to a website where the exact same information on the business card is then regurgitated. NO VALUE there beyond maybe the web visitor but again is your website even mobile friendly yet? So here is the strategy. Record a video that you upload to YouTube that is 100% specific to the fact that they got your business card and scanned it. Then use Goo.gl to generate the QR Code. So for example the beginning of the video should say “Thanks so much for taking the time to scan the QR Code on the back of my business card it was great meeting you in person…” I would also then offer them up any other resources like your Facebook Page, Blog or Twitter account letting them know that you want to connect where THEY want to connect. In the video be sure to layover text with all of the other URL’s that would be relevant and mention that when it gets closer to the time for them to buy or sell hopefully they will remember that you leverage the latest technology both off line and online!

3. Direct Mail – Tracking ROI through the mail is now actually very easy using QR Codes. If you do just listed cards use Vyoo.it to send them to the mobile optimized site for that new listing. If you are looking to generate leads and new business you may also consider doing a video unique to the mail campaign similar to the above business card strategy. So for example you are mailing to Cypress Creek…start the video with “One of the things I love about working in the Cypress Creek area are the people…” Then obviously let them know that when the time comes to list they deserve to work with a Realtor who leverages the latest online and offline marketing. Even include images and video of the neighborhood to really give it that hyper local touch. Again offer up all of
your contact info and social media URL’s in the video and on the mail itself.

4. Property Flyers – Considering all of the information about the listing is on the flyer right there in front of them I think that this is another opportunity to leverage video. If you have a full video tour of the home on YouTube link to that. If not create an Animoto video or something slideshow esque, upload to YouTube and link to that. If you are uncomfortable with video then link to a Vyoo.it listing page where they can then see additional photos and information that would not fit into a single page flyer. I have walked past 1000′s of real estate offices and have seen none of them leveraging this idea which again seems to fall into the no brainer category.

5. Your Vehicle – Hear me out on this one. I polled our Facebook fans a while back to see how many of them were leveraging their contact info and domain name on their ride. Seemed to be the majority. That being said how many agents have taken it to the next level and actually placed a QR Code on their car? My guess is zero, but hey I could be wrong. The strategy with this QR Code should be similar to the business card. Again, address in the video that you link to that you appreciate them taking the time to scan the QR Code on your vehicle and that if they are looking for a tech savvy agent to help them with their buying or selling needs you are the one they should contact when they are ready. An additional bonus is that if it replaces the current headshot you have on the window of your Camry I have made the world a better place!

So there you have it. Again I am confident there are many other uses for QR Codes in real estate and would love to hear them but I feel that this is the most specific and strategy focused list on the web created with Realtors in mind.

by Chris @ www.techsavvyagent.com

For the first time in years, buying a home may beat renting.

Two factors are at play, according to researchers who recently crunched the numbers, Ken Johnson of Florida International University and Eli Beracha of East Carolina University for a paper to be published in Real Estate Economics.

First, rents, though mostly stagnant the past few years, are expected to head higher as more people bitten by the housing bust turn to renting. Rents could rise 7% in each of the next two years, according to Peggy Alford, president of Rent.com. Second, home prices have finally dropped enough to create a buying opportunity. Nationally, prices are down 32% from their peak, set in 2006.

The net result is that home price gains would need to average only 3.25% annually to beat renting, according to Beracha and Johnson. To make the math work, you have to stay in the home for at least eight years. (Buy or rent? 10 cities rated)
Beracha and Johnson compared the cost of owning with the cost of renting.

Renting has usually come out ahead, they say. Buying typically leads to higher monthly and annual bills once all costs are factored in — mortgage payments, property taxes, maintenance and transactional costs. Those higher costs can be offset if the home gains in value. But renters — the researchers assume — can invest the savings. And that is a big part of why the professors say renting has typically been the better deal. “I was shocked at how often renters won,” said Johnson.

Another reason had been the push to homeownership, which resulted in a premium on home values. “My dad always told me not to ‘throw my money away on rent,’” said Johnson. “This mania toward homeownership tends to drive prices up.” But that’s changing: Homeownership has dropped to 66.4% from a peak of 69.1% in 2005, according to the Census Bureau. (See “Home prices in ‘Double-Dip’”) How much better buying will be depends on location. Of the 23 cities Beracha and Johnson looked at, Seattle is the best place to buy right now. When renters invest in portfolios that include stocks, the appreciation rate required over the next eight years there is 4.84% and the area’s historical average is 6.06%.

For several cities, including New York, Boston and Dallas, renting is still preferable. In New York, for example, homeowners would need a 7% annual rise in home values to beat renters. (See “Fastest growing cities in the South”)
Buyers should beware the assumption that home prices will rebound, even from these depressed levels, said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Hiring has been slow and there are tons of potential foreclosures that could flood the market with distressed homes, depressing prices.

Even in cities where people are, theoretically, better off renting, they may not be in reality. Paying off a mortgage is a forced savings plan, said Baker. The mortgage bill comes in every month, the homeowner pays it and the mortgage balance goes down.
Renters, meanwhile, are just as likely to spend their savings. They’ll wind up with less money than homeowners, which is kind of what your dad was saying all along.

For many homebuyers, mortgage financing is hard to come by these days. Lenders have tightened up credit requirements in an about-face from the lax lending of pre-crisis days that put people into mortgages they couldn’t afford and fueled record-high delinquencies.

Evidence of constricted mortgage credit was highlighted in the latest HousingPulse report from Campbell Surveys and Inside Mortgage Finance as cash transactions set a new record, accounting for 33.7 percent of home purchases in February. A separate study conducted by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows the same trend. NAR also found that all-cash sales were a record 33 percent in February. By comparison, they were 27 percent in February 2010, according to NAR’s historical data. The HousingPulse report notes that the increase in cash purchases last month paralleled a rise in activity among investors, who for the most part have their sights set on distressed properties that can be scooped up at a discount. Investors bought 23.5 percent of the homes sold in February, up from 19.9 percent just two months earlier, according to the industry survey. Real estate agents participating in the HousingPulse survey of February transactions confirmed the surge in investors.

“We are seeing investors come back into the market. One investor told me that one house he wanted came on Wednesday p.m and had nine offers by Thursday a.m.,” stated an agent in New Jersey. “There are a number of investors and businesses buying up the short sale and REO properties and renovating them and then selling them as traditional sales,” reported an agent from Arizona.

NAR’s February report on existing-home sales noted that the median sales price on previously owned homes dropped 5.2 percent in February compared to the price points of a year earlier to hit a nine-year low. The trade group attributed the decline to a larger number of distressed properties in the sales pool – 39 percent in February – thanks to investors with cash in their hands snapping up homes at bargain prices.There are conflicting views within the industry as to the effect increased investor activity in the distressed property marketplace has on communities struggling to recover from the housing crisis. A separate article here on DSNews.com examines both sides of the debate over whether property investors are solving or contributing to neighborhood blight.

While investor appetite is strong for REOs and short sales that carry a discount price tag, the selection of properties that fall into this class has contracted somewhat. The HousingPulse Distressed Property Index (DPI) registered a slightly lower reading in February than in January, marking its first decline since last fall. The report notes that the drop was not likely the result of a healing housing market, rather is appears to be linked to delays in the listing and sale of distressed properties as mortgage servicers continued to deal with legal and regulatory fallout surrounding title and paperwork issues following the robo-signing mess.

The HousingPulse survey polls over 3,000 real estate agents from across the country each month to provide insight into home sales and mortgage usage patterns. The survey also found that average transactions per real estate agent fell from 2.1 in January to 1.7 in February – a sign the home sales are slipping at a time of the year when they typically begin to increase. The report notes this may be an indicator that the spring buying season will start with a deficit.

Article By Robert Worthington

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Breaking news: the housing market still stinks! According to online real estate firm Zillow.com, house prices across the nation fell 3 percent in the first quarter of the year and were down 1 percent in March from February, the 57th consecutive monthly drop. The median house price is now $169,600, DOWN 8.2 percent from a year ago and off nearly 30 percent from the top of the market in 2006.

In the category of “it CAN get worse,” Zillow anticipates that prices could slide another 7-9 percent from this point and that the elusive bottom to the housing market will not come until 2012 at the earliest.

I know that everyone wants the housing market to recover sooner than 2012, but let’s have a reality check. Home prices doubled between 2000 and 2006, fueled by a massive credit bubble. When the bubble burst, prices dropped in a big way. The government tried to intervene in the housing market, by providing first-time and move-up home buyer tax credits. That was nice while it lasted (the credits expired last June), but the market is reverting to the trend and that trend is down, proving that it really is hard to stop a speeding train.

I recall plenty of times over the past few years when “experts” said the housing recovery was “coming soon”. As it turns out, these folks were realtors, not economists. Anyone with even a tiny understand of the market could gather that there was simply too much supply and not enough demand, which meant there was only one way for the market to go: down.

The big explanation for the abundance of homes is the record number of foreclosures in the pipeline. According to Calculated Risk, which I think provides the very BEST analysis on the housing market, there are over 6.33 million loans delinquent or in foreclosure, so the downward pressure on house prices will continue.

On the demand side, there are two big problems: Zillow says that 28.4 percent of single-family homeowners with mortgages were underwater at the end of Q1, meaning they owe more on their mortgages then their homes are worth. That removes nearly 30 percent of would-be, move-up buyers from the market. Additionally, the jobs market may be improving, but its far from robust.

In other words, we can kiss that housing market bottom goodbye, at least for a while. Here’s my simple way of looking at the situation: given that it took seven years for the housing market bubble to form and burst; it’s likely to take another seven years to claw back. While Zillow says the bottom will come in 2012, I am sticking to my earlier guess of 2013–I just can’t resist the 7-year symmetry.

That doesn’t mean you should wait around for the bottom, though. If you are a buyer, you are likely trying to purchase a home for a long time, so even if prices drop by another 5-10 percent, so what? If the numbers look right for your family, I would be taking advantage of low mortgage rates and not attempt to buy the rock bottom. Find the right place to live and take the plunge!

Formal living room with fireplace with built in bookshelves. Finished attic gives this home plenty of room to stretch out. Located on a corner lot with a 2 car detached garage.

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This is a great home situated in a solid, family-oriented neighborhood who show pride of ownership. 4 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1,205 sf, great back yard for kids to play in and you to entertain friends and family.

“Shining Star” Schofield Avenue Like New 4 Bedroom Home

This is a great home situated in a solid, family-oriented neighborhood who show pride of ownership. 4 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1,205 sf, great back yard for kids to play in and you to entertain friends and family.

This house has been totally renovated. It’s your “shining star” new home and ready for you to move in.

Nice family neighborhood. Good location near Douglas Park, a few miles from downtown, on a bus line and close to I-70.

This totally rehabbed house is ready for you to buy today.

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Completely Rehabbed Schofield Avenue For Rent

3 bd/1 ba 988 sq. ft. Lot: 42 x 130 bungalow, totally rehabbed. Nice hardwood floors, living room, eat-in-kitchen, laundry room, a good size back yard to play and entertain in.

Nice family neighborhood. Good location near Douglas Park, a few miles from downtown, on a bus line and close to I-70.

This totally rehabbed house is ready for you to buy today.

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2BR and 1 bath condo on the north west side of town. Laminate hardwood and parquet floors! Convenient to restaurants and St. Vincent hospital.

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