I do endeavor to be semi on top of things, and upon occasion I get a well meaning request from a friend for technical help with something they are doing on their computer or online. But I am really not that great a tekkie. I can type; I rely on others for web design. 

I therefore did not really know what a QR code really was until this past week, after speaking about them with a smarter guy than myself, Stephen Fells, who writes code and does things on computers that would completely stump me. Simply put, a QR code (quick response code) creates a hyperlink of sorts on print material where a hyperlink would not otherwise be possible.

For example, if you have a printed brochure to a listing, you can put a QR code on it and if people have a device such as a cell phone with the right app to read the code, it will take them to the web page on the phone. This makes them great for print ads, signage, riders, and even business cards. The limitation, of course, is that you could also just print “www.jphilip.com” and people can just input the url in their phone to get there.

But it is faster, and I can see them in places where web-based advertising might not have been feasible before, such as men’s rooms of restaurants and mass transit wall ads. You see it, you scan it, and you are dowloading their message instantly. 

Now, what I don’t get is all the QR codes I am seeing on web pages and blogs, because people are already online, and the QR code is simply a hyperlink in print, so to speak. To link on a web page or blog, you just need to put in a link. To my understanding, putting a QR code on a web page is redundant. Yet I am seeing them everywhere- in footers, sidebars, and I think I spotted one in a header not long ago. Why? Where else will we see them popping up next? It seems like real estate people are so paranoid about being ahead of the curve that they jump on a trend they perceive as important without really thinking it through. 

They have their place, these QR codes. But I think the QR Code fever we are witnessing is a little bit of overkill.

Just a quick thought on rentals after an experience one of my agents just had. We have a situation where we need to get a client into a rental. They need something specific, she found one they liked and they made an offer. However, the offer was only for about 80% of the monthly rental price. In other words, if the unit was on the market for $1000, the client offered only $800 per month. The landlord declined. By the time we raised our offer, someone else came in at full price and swooped it away. 

Rentals are different animal from purchases in our area, and the market is relatively healthy when a place is priced right. Even if there is no other offer, if a place fills a specific need, such as a first floor entrance or proximity to a train station for example, it is unwise to be too much of a wheeler dealer when submitting offers. There is a far more open minded appetite for low offers on purchases than rentals. 

While I have your attention, the wise thing to do in submitting an offer here in Westchester is to include a fully filled out rental application (name, address, employment, current address, and landlord references) as well as the first page of the credit report showing your score. This is what landlords need to make a judgement and withholding this sort of information is considered a red flag. 

We happily service rentals at J. Philip Real Estate. Some brokers aren’t excited about them because they aren’t super lucrative, but we are all about putting a roof over your head. We also know that many of today’s renters will be buyers down the road, and we want to establish a relationship when they need us, not just when we need them. I’ll put my money where my mouth is: Anyone who hires J. Philip Real Estate to represent them in getting a rental in the first quarter of 2011 (Jan 1- March 31- we’ll include leases that start April 1 because I’m that kind of guy) will get a rebate equal to half a month’s rent (often our rental fee) if they buy a home with us in the 3 years after. 

Find all the rentals you want with a free Listingbook account. 

. 

Another overt self-pimping piece of information: I am rather prominent in a piece run in yesterday’s AOL Daily Finance on the real estate market in Mt Vernon, NY.

The article addresses how there are certain pockets of Westchester County more adversely affected by the housing decline than most. Even though I am in the northern part of the county, I do my fair share of business in Mt Vernon and the piece sheds light on  how the foreclosure crisis has affected one neighborhood. The numbers are rough; values overall in the neighborhood we examined was down 50%, mainly because of the huge amount of foreclosures clustering the city. 

Here’s what isn’t in the article: I have been through a number of those REOs, and many were partially or fully renovated. The owners simply ran out of money, lost their jobs, or got caught in the cross hairs of the declining economy. The people who bought the repossessions got new kitchens, new baths, and in many cases homes that needed very little. It was sad, in a way, they they benefited from the prior owner’s efforts at a huge discount. And many would-be owner occupant bidders lost their shot at affordable ownership to cash investors. But that’s the reality. 

I’m glad the blog is getting the company a little ink, but more glad the media is focusing on where we are falling down in this economy- that’s the first step in getting back on our feet as a society. 

I had very mixed feelings when I came across the article New Rochelle neighbors get rowdy over Iona dorm plan in the local paper. The neighbors are essentially concerned about more dorms undermining their quality of life and property values. The article talks about broken bottles, loud music and drunk students. Colleges in residential areas can have issues. As a real estate broker, I understand the concern.

As a former college student, however, I have a more visceral reaction. It is in my financial interest to support the neighborhood homeowners. I want them to think favorably of my company. I want them to list with me when it is time to sell. But they are wrong.

When I was a student at Villanova University in the 1980’s Radnor Township had draconian regulations on the dormitories the school could build, resulting in no guaranteed housing for upperclassmen. After sophomore year we were forced to live in the surrounding community, right in the middle of suburbia, in rental homes, low rent apartments, and basements.  What made things worse was that the municipalities in the area had severe “blue laws” limiting the number of non-related people who could live in one housing unit to just 2 or 3. Students often live in larger numbers due for budgetary reasons, so we either lived in fear, moved way out, or, like me, got evicted by the town authorities. Not fun. 

All of those problems could have been been avoided had the University been allowed to build more dorms. Eventually, they developed west campus on an old estate adjacent to main campus, and the problem was alleviated. Far fewer students parking on the side streets and living in the neighborhood absolutely helped. My nephew, a junior at Villanova, lives on campus. And he’s never spoken a word to me about problems with the township.

If the Iona students can’t live in that dormitory, then they’ll have to live in the surrounding area, right among the homeowners at odds with the college now. I’ve lived that way, and it isn’t my fondest college memory. It is my considered opinion that the only thing worse than that dormitory being built would be to not build it. 

These days it is tough to find anything in Westchester for under $200,000. Unless, of course, you are talking about a co-op, the “starter home of Westchester” as they say. The Dehaven Drive complex in Yonkers is a terrific collection of condos and cooperatives very conveniently located near shopping, transportation and schools with plenty of parking and a quiet atmosphere. 

For $165,000, you can get a 2 bedroom co-op in the Greystone 4, a garden-style apartment with an updated granite kitchen, updated bath, hardwood floors, and new appliances, all on the ground floor. Our buyer just closed on it last week with the fantastic guidance of Tom Ricapito. The unit is 950 square feet with a monthly co op fee of $756, which includes all utilities and is 50% deductible.

We wish our buyers much happiness and health in their new home.  

This is the market data for September of 2010 for single family homes in Peekskill, and all information is sourced from the Empire access (formerly Westchester-Putnam) MLS.

To say that I am bullish on Peekskill is an understatement. 

Now, the good news. There are FIFTEEN homes under contract in Peekskill now, and I have one of them. It is simply too nice a place for people not to take advantage of the affordability. I said this in September:

when the buyers wake up to what they can get at these low prices, you’ll see a spike. All markets are cyclical, and I think we are witnessing the calm before a storm of activity. 

Expect a powerful finish to 2010 and strong first quarter for 2011 in this wonderful Hudson River town. 

Get yourself a free Listingbook account and check out homes for sale in Peekskill. It is absolutely a buyer’s market here.

Previous posts about Peekskill are here.  

The call came in at 11am this morning, and it was a buyer one of my agents has been working with the past few weekends. They are looking for a home, and that is our favorite kind of client. They had a list if beautiful homes in Southern Westchester for sale they wanted to see. 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t help them this day. I had to offer a raincheck. The reason? Weekends are our busy days in this business, and Saturdays and Sundays get filled pretty fast. If you don’t have yourself in the schedule by Friday, I can’t promise that I can make time for you on a weekend day. Most people are off on the weekends, and because of that, we in the real estate biz are “on.” That’s the way it is, and if you don’t work weekends in this business, you are losing business. Clients and customers need us at these times.  

But Sunday at 11am is too late for me to make time sometimes-like today. I tried- My agent was already booked, I was booked, and everyone else in the firm I called had other clients scheduled. We couldn’t honor the request. And that is a bummer! Had we known Friday they’d be in. 

In my book, anyone who is looking for a house in December is a serious buyer whom we take seriously. I love December business. We just need more notice, and we’ll go to the mat for our buyers! 

You can search for a home 24/7 in your pajamas just by registering for a free Listingbook account. 

This is the second time I have reblogged something by this home inspector, Joseph Michalski, and for good reason. The home inspector’s job, done properly, takes these 10 rules into account. Excellent commentary on a crucial part of the home buying process. 

J. Philip real estate excels in providing a strong inventory of pre foreclosures and short sales in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties that are great for people looking for a handyman or fixer upper at a good price. 

We have a  short sale opportunity for a handyman or developer in northern Westchester County. This is a colonial era 2400 square foot 4 bedroom, 3 bath farmhouse on 2.6 acres for $449,000. Includes a large barn on a flat wooded lot. Restore or build new. 178 Smith Ridge Rd South Salem, NY 10590. 

In Mahopac, Putnam County, we have a fixer upper short sale on almost 2 acres with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, woodburning fireplace, eat-in kitchen, hardwoods, ample parking and a rear deck on 192 Barrett Hill Road, 10541 for $275,000. 

Short sales do take longer to close, as bank approval is required, but for the patient buyer these can be gems. For more information on short sales, check out the New York Short Sale blog. To find pre foreclosures in other areas, get a free Listingbook account and search the MLS like an agent.