How to Generate Real Estate Leads With QR Codes
Published September 5, 2011 | 
In recent real estate news everyone has been talking about the amazing bar code that can be scanned by cell phones. In this how to I will give you some ideas on how to use these codes to hopefully generate you some leads and get peoples contact info.
Step one: figure out what you want your leads to see when they scan a code. A common mistake is sending people to your website which is not optimized for mobile and does not have any value to the consumer when they scan it. What you can do though is send them to your business Facebook page where they can “like” you and you all of the sudden have someone to market to automatically! You can also make a Google site or form with school information, or buying tips, get pre qualified. for the specific house if that’s where they are scanning from, or a form they can can fill out to receive more listings from or set appointments to see a property which is great because you will have their contact info. If they scan if from a business card you can make a Google page that will give the person links to Facebook, LinkedIn, blog and so on. (Google sites will be covered in another post).
Step two: create some bar codes. There are many free QR code generator sites and you just have to Google QR code to find them. This part is simple. Just copy and paste the desired URL into a box and click generate to make the code. It takes about 3 seconds but make sure you test the barcode before saving it. (Tip: if its a long URL you get a huge code box which takes longer to scan and doesn’t work as well. You can go to tinyurl.com and shorten the web address which will make you a much better bar code).
Step three: put the codes on stuff. You can put the codes just about anything. Signs, paper flyers, water bottles, yard signs, business cards, even a baby! Its fast and easy so you can make a bunch of the to correspond with any of the pages talked about in step one that will give consumers a reason to “follow” “like” “friend” or fill out a form. Just make sure its useful.
I hope these tips are useful for you and if anyone out there manages to actually generate substantial business from these, I want to know about it! This technology is still new but I think in the near future these will be huge for business as people will want to save everything on a smart phone that they can pull from the real world.
Real Estate Predictions for 2011
Published September 5, 2011 | 
Well it’s going to be a question of good news and bad news, depending on which side of the fence you stand: buyer or seller.
If you are a seller, I expect that prices in the Phoenix metropolitan area will remain flat, with a possibility of some areas losing another 10% in value. This is because we are not done with distressed properties. In fact, Bank of America’s recent moratorium on foreclosures, since expired, only served to kick that can down the road. Add in the fact that the state of Arizona is suing them, and you can deduce that 2011 will also be a rocky year.
At this point I must add, and I have said this before, that the banks are also their own worst enemy. Their languid responses to short sales, (anywhere from two to twelve months) is costing sales and delaying the possibility of a return to a normal market; whatever that will mean in the future. Their utter disdain for the conventions and customs of the real estate market is certainly not winning them any friends among the ranks of real estate professionals. So, keep offering insulting commission rates for what are arguably more difficult transactions and see the caliber of agent you will attract. Keep insisting that potential buyers MUST pre-qualify with your Aunt’s second cousin at Billy-Bob’s Ammo, Pizza and Mortgage Emporium. Let me know how it all works out for you. Many real estate pros have long memories so your future will not be bright.
I think the main problem with the banks, due to their corporate culture, is that few of the people tasked to approve a short sale have the stones to actually sign off on that loss. Too often they are scrambling for excuses to kick it upstairs, or off to another lackey, so as to avoid responsibility for any decision-making. This further exacerbates the problem.
On the positive side, it won’t be a bad year for buyers, price-wise at least. For those who saw prices sky-rocket in ’05 and ’06 and who thought that the dream of home-ownership had died for ever, the reprieve has been extended. It will be a demanding and possibly fraught experience due to the above-mentioned reasons, and the cautiousness, understandably, of the appraisal community. However, for those buyers with a steady job and a good credit score there will be some good deals to be had.
Here’s hoping that everyone enjoys a happy, prosperous and most importantly, a healthy 2011.