Have you looked at real estate ads lately, and wondered if there was a printing error that caused a box of squiggly lines to appear??
Well, it's no mistake. It's one of the newest mobile internet technologies using 'bar codes", or more specifically dubbed QR codes.
A QR (Quick Response) code is a kind of "two dimensional" barcode similar to the ones you find on products in the grocery store that enable the teller to scan and ring up your items. QR codes are more of a square shape, but just as a traditional barcode contains the item number and the price of a product, QR codes contain info that your smartphone can scan and decipher. Your smartphone "app" scans the QR code box, and further deciphers the content stored in the code and then displays the content on your phone's screen as text, hyperlinks or graphics.
I am not tech savvy, just tech aware, so to try and explain exactly how QR codes work will have to be saved for PC Magazine—but here is a layman's attempt at explaining their purpose in the real estate world.
When you see a QR code in a real estate advertisement, it may be point the user to a flyer, website or virtual tour of any particular property. This gives the public easy access to virtual/visual information on a property for sale, without the need to either log onto someone's website or do an internet search.
If you have a smartphone with a camera, and would like to test out QR codes, just browse your mobile apps and search "qr code readers". The two most popular results on the i-Phone are RedLaser and Scan. Once you download the QR reader app, you simply start the app and point your phones camera at the code image. In about 5 seconds, the "contents" of the code will be displayed on your phone's screen.
Whether it relates to real estate or another general application, such as a coupon offer in your favorite store, QR codes are just cool!
Lauren Bunting is a Broker with Keller Williams Realty of Delmarva in Ocean City, Maryland.
