QR Code...What's That?

Scan Me! 

Remember the days when you could simply put a for sale sign in your front yard and within a few days have several offers to purchase, many of which were above asking price?  Unfortunately, those days no longer exist, and homes competing against the foreclosure and short sale inventories can expect to wait several weeks, sometimes even months before getting an offer.  As troubling as today's market may seem, the successful real estate agents are staying up-to-date on new technology, and utilizing it to keep days on market as low as possible.  Qr codes are one example of new technology that The Acors Team has been utilizing, and making our clients' properties stand out from the thousands of other homes currently on the market. 

So what is this funny looking square you ask? Quick Response Codes(QR codes) were originally used in 1994 to effectively track automobiles on the assembly line, however they have more recently been associated as a popular form of "mobile" marketing.  With almost 35% or 85 million mobile phone users having smart phones it has become a highly successful approach to reach out to clients and prospective clients. Users may receive text, add a contact to their phone, open a website, and even compose an email or text message by simply scanning the code, making their utility almost endless.  

 Baltimore based marketing firm MGH recently conducted a survey looking into the effectiveness of QR Codes.  Here are some key findings from their study:

• 65% of people polled have seen a QR Code
• Of the 65% that have seen a QR Code 86% were 15-55 years old
• 49% have scanned a QR Code
• 89% that have scanned a QR Code have a college degree or higher
• 70% would scan a QR Code again

The most intriguing and most likely beneficial statistic outlined in this survey is that 31% of people polled, who have seen an ad featuring a QR Code, were Very Likely to remember the ad with 41% were Somewhat Likely to remember it.  Even if a potential buyer does not scan the QR Code, your home now has a 70% higher chance of being remembered over homes not advertised with QR Codes.  Consider the average buyer previewing 10 homes before making a decision; your home is now 7 times more likely to be remember than the other 9.  

When deciding to put your home on the market, make sure to choose agents that don't simply put a sign in the front yard and wait for phone calls,  The Acors Team utilizes QR Codes as well as numerous other channels of marketing on all of their real estate listings. 

Where Are The Acors?

This weekend I took a trip down to Tappahannock, Virginia.  For those of you who are not familiar with Tappahannock it is a small water oriented town consisting of approximately 2500 residents and is situated on the Rappahannock River. The town is full of character and hosts several restaurants, bars, and shopping as well as great fresh and saltwater fishing, golfing, and hunting.  If you find yourself in the area, here are a few of The Acors Team's favorite spots.

 Tbonz & Tuna-  Opened this May, Tbonz & Tuna has become our families favorite place in Tappahannock, supplying the majority of our meals this summer.  Forget about $5 foot longs at Subway, Tbonz offer's Boars Head deli subs that blow Subway out of the water and cost around the same price.  For Dinner Tbonz and Tuna offer a variety of seafood comparable to that which you would find in a large fish market.  Not in the mood for seafood? Tbonz offers a variety of butcher style meats including steaks, pork chops, and ribs.  For those of us who don't have time to prepare dinner, they also offer ready to cook meals.

Want to see all their specials Click here to view their Facebook page!

Crab stuffed Filot Mignon
From Tbonz & Tuna

Bacon-wrapped King Mackerel
From Tbonz & Tuna

Hobbs Hole Restaurant-  If cooking is not your thing, or you are just looking for a nice night out, Hobbs Hole is the place to go.  Hobbs Hole is situated on a beautiful 18 hole golf course and offers a variety of foods from burgers to meals you would only expect from expensive big city restaurants.  My personal favorite is their Ahi-Tuna!  Hobbs Hole has several daily specials as well as host a vareity of performers and events.  Click here to see their Facebook page with all their specials!

My Favorite
Ahi-Tuna

Tappahannock's Real Estate Market


The Tappahannock real estate market is extremely diverse, ranging from small modular homes to multi-million dollar waterfront mansions. The Acors Team has several properties for sale in Tappahannock, here are a couple.  Check out our website www.teamacors.com to view all of them!

253 Benton Point Rd
MLS: ES7640859
Asking Price: 649,500

1332 Berry Hill Rd
MLS: ES7660681
Asking Price: $695,000

160 Pine Grove Ln
MLS: ES7671364
Asking Price: $42,500

We have over 18 land/lot listings
Ranging from $22,000-$45,000
Check out our website to see them all!

Where Are The Acors?

This past week has been truly interesting and memorable, with a 5.8 magnitude earthquake having its epicenter in Mineral Va that was felt throughout several states, and ending the week with Hurricane Irene hitting the Northern Neck of Virginia.

Maddie (The newest member on our team) in the Captains Chair

Preparing for Irene to hit the Northern Neck, The Acors Team spent several hours at Colonial Beach this weekend getting our boat ready to take on the storm.  For those of you who have never been to Colonial Beach, I suggest you take a day or weekend and check out this town!  Colonial Beach is located in Westmoreland county and has the second largest beach front in the state of Virginia.  There are several restaurants, shopping, and marina's throughout the town, as well as offtrack horse betting.  Golf carts are also street legal throughout town so be sure to bring yours, or you can rent one at Metro Golf Cart Rentals.

Some of The Acors Team's favorite locations include:
 
The Lighthouse Restaurant:  One of our favorite places to stop and catch a bite to eat!  The food venue includes seafood, steaks, as well as burgers, sandwiches and various appetizers.  As for night life The Lighthouse includes a full stocked bar and every Saturday evening they have a band and dancing on their huge dance floor.  The Lighthouse also features a marina with slips available for both yearly and nightly rates.

Seaside Thai & French:  This restaurant is top notch, and would easily compete with any restaurant in Northern Virginia or Richmond.  If you are looking for fine dining and amazing food at a very reasonable price  this is your place.

Riverboat on the Potomac:  This is Colonial Beach's off track horse betting parlor.  While the riverboat's main business is horse betting, they also have a nice bar that serves good food.  Try your luck on any of the usually 4 different race tracks, or simply enjoy food and drink while over looking the Potomac.  The Riverboat also offers a variety of events, including Karaoke, Texas Hold 'em, comedians, and much more!


Colonial Beach Monthly Real Estate Statistics:

There are 144 active residential listings in Colonial Beach.
Max Asking Price: $2,900,000
Avg. Asking Price:   $297,000
Min: Asking Price:      $44,000

There are currently 18 residential listings under contract:
Max Asking Price: $235,000
Avg Asking Price: $142,000
Min Asking Price:   $55,000

Between July 30 - August 30 there have been 9 residential listings that have sold:
Max Price: $209,000
Avg Price:  $149,903
Min Price:    $70,000


Here are some pictures from our adventure on Saturday around 3PM, only a couple hours before Irene hit the coast!

Update:  Our boat survived the storm with no damage!!  We would like to thank the guys at Bayside Marina for sticking out the storm and looking after all the boats! 

Where Are The Acors?

 The Acors Team is a father and son real estate sales team, that services the real estate markets from the Dc Beltway, including the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Lounden, and Prince William, all the way down to the Chesapeake Bay including the counties of Spotsylvania, King George, Essex, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland.  Although an extremely large area to cover The Acors service these areas by working out of the Avery Hess Lake Ridge Office, Jim living in Spotsylvania, and James living in the Northern Neck town of Tappahannock.

While working the real estate markets from the Dc Beltway to the Chesapeake Bay we have come across hundreds of "hidden gems," that we want to share with potential buyers looking to move to a specific area, as well as current residents looking for something new.

In Where Are The Acors?  We will document where our  day to day business takes us ranging from restaurants, shopping, events, lodging, and entertainment, as well as any other experiences we encounter.  We will showcase our experiences through write-ups, pictures, and video.

We hope you enjoy our new Blog as much as we enjoy serving the DC Beltway to the Chesapeake Bay!

The Acors Teams Moves to Avery Hess's Lake Ridge Office!!

The Acors Team Moves

 to Lake Ridge! 

The Acors Team is very excited to have completed their move to Avery Hess's Lake Ridge office!  

In order to increase our Northern Virginia market share, as well as better assist our Northern Virginia clients the Acors Team will now be calling Lake Ridge home.  We are very excited about our transfer and are enjoying the beautiful office already. 

In case you haven't been to our Lake Ridge office it is located at 13000 Harbor Drive, Woodbridge Va 22192,(Tackett's Mill in Lake Ridge) Check out the pictures below, it's a beautiful place to come sign a contract!! 

25 Cow Shed Road, Lively, Va 22507

   25 Cow Shed Road

Lively, Va 22507

Offered at $725,000

This is a beautiful 4 bedroom 3.5 bath custom-built home situated on 3.5 acres with 250+ ft of water frontage.  The owners left no detail behind while constructing in 2006.  The kitchen features granite counter tops, an abundance of custom cabinets, and top of the line stainless steal appliances.  This home is a boater's dream with a pier and boat lift on 4-5 ft of mean water!  Get away from the city chaos, while keeping all the amenities of city living!  Make this home your weekend get-a-way or retirement paradise! 

253 Benton Point Rd, Tappahannock, Va 22560

253 Benton Point Rd is a beautiful 3200sqft 4 bedroom 3 1/2 bath water front colonial situated on 1.59 acres.  Take a walk down the 250 ft pier where you can lower your jetski from the lift, untie your boat and enjoy the river, or simply sit down and enjoy the sunset. Capture breathtaking  water views while your relaxing around the in-ground pool, or enjoying a nice dinner from the screened in porch.   For the car enthusiast the 2 car oversize garage comes with a 7,000 pound lift and has heating and cooling.

The interior of the house is meticulous and has been updated.  Almost every room in the house has a water view!! The property has 2 fireplaces, an unfinished 950sqft basement, and a first floor master bedroom.

253 Benton Point is being offered at $649,500.
MLS: ES7640859