Friday, May 27, 2011

Have you Seen the Signs? It's All Part of Bend, Oregon Green Real Estate!

We were so excited to launch QR codes on our "for sale" signs recently - a first for Bend, Oregon real estate. What's a QR code you may ask? Well, QR - or Quick Response - is a matrix barcode that is readable by smart phones. When the code is scanned, your phone will show you some interactive content. In our case - it's more information about the house for sale. 

This is a great initiative for us for many reasons, one of the top being that we're committed to sustainability. The QR codes on the signs reduce the need for printing fliers for distribution at sales locations, as most people can get the information that they want through their mobile device. This saves paper and contributes to our overall goals for conducting a green real estate business in Bend, Oregon. 

“There’s been a lot of hype in the real estate industry surrounding the use of QR codes, but no one has given a lot of attention to the green aspects of using codes instead of fliers,” said Sandy Garner, President and CEO of The Garner Group. “We obviously wanted to use them to help people find the information they needed quickly and easily, but we also see them as contributing to our corporate sustainability goals by reducing our paper usage.”

This isn’t our first step toward a more sustainable future. In 2009, we relocated its headquarters to the award-winning, “green” neighborhood of NorthWest Crossing. The building that houses its offices was built to high standards for sustainability and energy efficiency.

In addition, we have more agents than any other Bend, Oregon real estate company that have earned the National Association of Realtors’ GREEN designation. The certification by NAR’s Green Resource Council is earned through the completion of a three-day course focusing on fundamentals of green building practices, consumer awareness and marketing of homes built to green standards. The Garner Group has nine agents that hold this green real estate designation.

Going green! Scan one of our QR codes next time you see one! 

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