Visit Real Estate Answers on Amazon’s Appstore and download it for free.

Over 300,000 new Android phone activations per day…

Over 18,300,000 new Android phone activations by spring…

How many will be buying and/or selling a home this year?

Of those API uses,  the success of the pay-per-lead model was most surprising in 2010.  To be fair, it was the first and had time to undergo several iterations.  In fact, it was a downright rocky start last January when it first went live.  However, the pay-per-lead model had a strong finish.  Here’s a sampling of what agents said after paying for leads from our first partner in the final quarter:

• “It is nice to work with referral partners that make it a win win for everyone.”
• “It seemed like a serious lead. Yes, I liked the quick bid response and the quility [sic] of the lead seemed good.”
• “I am still new to this but I have been able to meet two excellent sellers in my market area. One resulted in a short sale listing and one meeting is today.”
• “The qualty of the leads are good. Better than any I used in the past. All the info wth the leads was correct.”

I expect an even better 2011 as we continue refine the process.

Happy new year!

Our second Auction API partner, ExpertHomeOffers, went live with its integration yesterday. ExpertHomeOffers is using our Auction API to automate the matching of their buyers and sellers with RealtyBaron agents based on a referral fee paid at closing. But RealtyBaron’s platform doesn’t stop at just matching consumer and agent. RealtyBaron also tracks the progress of the referral on behalf of ExpertHomeOffers to ensure referrals are paid when a sale transaction is closed from the referral.

ExpertHomeOffers.com is a company that connects motivated home buyers and sellers with local real estate professionals nation wide. The company was formed in 2007 in an effort to bring quality and honesty to the real estate lead generation industry. Since its inception the company continues to consistently increase its placement on the major search engines and lead volume.

Welcome aboard, ExpertHomeOffers!

We’re pleased to announce the debut of RealtyBaron’s first Android application: RealAnswers for Android.  The app is available free from the Android Market in the Lifestyle section.  To get the app on your Android device, do one of two things:

1. Search for “real estate answers” in the Lifestyle section of the Android Market.
2. Scan the QR Code (above) using your Android device.  Step-by-step instructions for scanning QR Codes can be found here.

Once installed on an Android device in the US, consumers can begin unlocking knowledge of their local real estate market.  For example, home buyers can ask questions about a city, ZIP code, or property while driving new neighborhoods in search of a new home.  Sellers can ask about current market conditions in their neighborhood or how much their home is worth.

Once a consumer’s question is approved, RealtyBaron relays the question to local Realtors for a response.   Consumers remain anonymous when asking questions but can make contact with a Realtor through his or her answer.   Expert knowledge at the consumer’s fingertips and new business opportunities for Realtors….a win-win!

Screenshots:

The plug-in offers three distinct value propositions for publishers:

1. Free – no cost to download, install, and/or use the plug-in
2. Revenue – a new source of revenue from advertising embedded in answers.  Ad impression, click tracking, and payment collection is handled by RealtyBaron
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – When a blog sources a question, the blog earns a “clean” link back to the blog from all web sites publishing that question.  Plus, there is potentially thousands of new pages of free, relevant content for search engines to index on the blog’s site.

We’re making a development copy of the plug-in available today to get some early feedback:

Download RealAnswers WP Plug-in 1.0

Update: Download from WordPress Plug-in Directory

Let us know what you think!

These spots are not paid advertising.  The three available spots are awarded to agents based on their AgentRank™. In other words, it’s free advertising for REALTORS who are able to climb into a top spot on AgentRank.com.  If you haven’t already signed up for a FREE RealtyBaron account yet, do it now.  Good luck!

Earlier this morning, I approved a ListingHedge™ for 3605 HAMMERKOP DRIVE in NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV making it the world’s first risk-free listing ever. OK, not entirely true since a ListingHedge™ is purchased and settled with BaronBucks during the beta period, but still a monumental moment. Here’s the breakdown:

If home sells….

+ $5,423 Est. Commission Side
- $2,000 Expenses
- $458 Cost of Hedge
= $2,965 Net Earning

If listing expires…

+ $0 Est. Commission Side
- $2,000 Expenses
- $458 Cost of Hedge
+ $5,500 Hedge Payout
= $3,042 Net Earnings

During the beta period, a ListingHedge™ is purchased and settled with BaronBucks™. Any broker or agent with a RealtyBaron.com account is automatically credited with $5,000 BaronBucks™ that can be used to purchase a ListingHedge™ for each listing the broker or agent is marketing.

After the beta period ends and the service officially launches, a ListingHedge™ will be purchased and settled with real money. BaronBucks™ accumulated by agents during the beta period will be converted to equity shares in (pre-IPO?) RealtyBaron, Inc.

To get started, follow these steps:

1. Log in or sign up at http://www.realtybaron.com/agent
2. Complete your AgentRank™
3. Upload your current listings
4. Hedge your current listings

Question, comments, or concerns? Add a reply below and I’ll respond.