According to Agent Genius, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that only 10% of  its members blog;  and sometimes I wonder why that 100,000 or so of us bother to blog at all.

I am often frustrated over topics for this blog.  I mean, how many stories can you write about the dismal real estate market?  Or real estate consumer posts, like those “5 things to look out for…..” stories, that seem to appear over an over?  Other than an occasional rant about something that irritates me professionally, like buyers who waste a lot of my time, only to stray away and buy a FSBO, or  sellers who have had their house on the market for 318 days  turning down a showing, and, of course, the mandatory monthly market report, there really isn’t a lot to write about real estate that is engaging to the public in general.

Just take a look over at real estate networking portal Active Rain.  Popular bloggers there get lots of comments – from their peers.  If real estate blogging is done with some round about intention of generating income through building affinity with those in the audience, I am not really excited about my competitors colleagues in the business being the audience. I would much rather have an audience of motivated real estate buyers and sellers or people from the general public who might be interested in what’s going on in the world or real estate.

It has been my theory for the past few years that most many realtors who adopt social media, including blogging, are not looking for engagement as much as they are at continuing their 20th century push marketing techniques.  Sure Facebook, Twitter, and blogging are great tools for broadcasting listings and shameless boasting about your sales prowess.  They are great for selling your sure-fire get rich in real estate “system”  to struggling agents too.  And with the market we have had the past few years, there has been plenty of time to figure out how to manipulate the new media to push out the message, whether you connect with anyone or not.  After all, it’s free!

So, if you are reading this post, please take just a minute to comment and let me know if you are a real estate pro, a real estate consumer, or other interested party, AND what you expect from a local real estate blog.  I am always open to content suggestions, even if they include suggesting I spend more time working on my much more popular personal blog.

Joe Spake is a Memphis, Tennessee based Consultant, Real Estate Broker, and Blogger. Call 901.214.5563 for a consultation or click to make a social connection.
If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe to the RSS Feed. 

If you use Google+, I have just started a brand new business page. Visit it HERE.

QR codes are a hot topic these days.  I see QR code gurus emerging to drive this new mobile technology bandwagon.  Actually the little 2 dimensional matrices have been around since 1994.  The Wikipedia history of QR codes provides lots of info about their history and how they work.  One thing’s for sure, you are going to see a lot more QR in a lot more places.   You will see them showing up in irrelevant settings;   you will see them embellished with embedded pictures and logos; and you will find some that are not compatible with your equipment, but that is all something to be covered in another post.

I just wanted to share one of the ways I use QR in real estate.  I have been experimenting with QR codes for over a year, but am now using them actively due to improvements in  the scanners currently offered. I am adding a 4″x4″ code to my for sale signs.  The code is optimized, and not as complex looking as some others you might see.  It can be scanned with your with your smart phone camera (with Quick Mark Scanner App)  from about 4 feet away, and starts loading a property-specific, mobile optimized URL within 3 seconds.  I hope we will see this technology replace those (mostly empty) flyer boxes agents like to  attach to For Sale signs.

Here’s a quick video to show you how it works for me.

Do you see QR codes in your future as a professional or a consumer?  What do you think some good uses of this technology would be?

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Joe Spake is a Memphis, Tennessee based Consultant, Real Estate Broker, and Blogger. Call 901.214.5563 for a consultation or click to make a social connection.
If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe to the RSS Feed. 

If you use Google+, I have just started a brand new business page. Visit it HERE.

I continue to be amused at the number of real estate companies and agents who still rely on the old (snail)mail-outs, cold calling, and  extensive print advertising to get their message out. They seem apprehensive about any new technology that might make the prospecting and client relationship management process more of a 2-way interaction.  They live for the Tuesday sales meeting, and sip lots of coffee (“Coffee’s for closers,” you know.), but….

Realtor Sue Eller narrates this “Mockumentary” about The Vanishing Realtorasaur, a real estate spoof that satirically looks at what will happen to the Realtors who don’t adapt to technology. Sue Eller is a Realtor at Dilbeck Real Estate in La Canada California. To see more fun and interesting uses of video in her business visit www.ellertheseller.com.

Now could you pass me my MLS book,  and direct me to the nearest bus bench, please?

Joe Spake is a Memphis, Tennessee based Consultant, Real Estate Broker, and Blogger. Call 901.214.5563 for a consultation or click to make a social connection.
If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe to the RSS Feed. 

If you use Google+, I have just started a brand new business page. Visit it HERE.

Thanks to everyone who voted for Memphis Real Estate Buzz as Memphis’ best Real Estate Blog in Zillow’s People’s Choice Awards.

I am really thankful for your continued support!     I always appreciate your comments and suggestions.  I hope to hear from you soon!

Joe Spake is a Memphis, Tennessee based Consultant, Real Estate Broker, and Blogger. Call 901.214.5563 for a consultation or click to make a social connection.
If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe to the RSS Feed. 

If you use Google+, I have just started a brand new business page. Visit it HERE.

QR code for my blog

We are seeing more and more of these funny looking bar codes in print advertising, on websites, and as a method of loading apps on your smart phone.  QR codes are beginning to catch on as an easy way to share information on the popular mobile platforms.  All you need is a bar code scanner app on your phone.  Open the app.  Point it at the code, wherever you may find it, and be routed directly to the target of the 2-dimensional link – a URL, picture, or text.  There are lots of QR code generators out there that turn your media into a QR code.  You can also track your metrics.  The website, http://QR-Media.com is a great resource for getting started.

As you can imagine, there are infinite applications for this technology.  I have already integrated a QR code into my latest business card that takes scanners to my full social e-card (way too many links for a business card).  It’s not hard too add a QR code to real estate sign riders, to a web page, or even a paper flyer or advertisement to provide more information about a property or about you.

From my discussions with other professionals, it seems that adoption of QR codes has been much faster in some areas than in others, but as people and businesses begin to realize the power of this technology we are going to see more and more of the funny boxes around.

My E-Card

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Joe Spake is a Memphis, Tennessee based Consultant, Real Estate Broker, and Blogger. Call 901.214.5563 for a consultation or click to make a social connection.
If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe to the RSS Feed. 

If you use Google+, I have just started a brand new business page. Visit it HERE.