Some of you may have seen the image on the right around your town. Here in Zephyrhills, Florida I have seen them at Subways, on movie posters, at the tire store, and in other places of business. Perhaps you do not know what they are or what they are there for.
They are called Quick Response Codes or QR Codes. They work a lot like the barcodes you find on every item you buy at the supermarket. Only in this case, instead of the skinny lines, fat lines and spaces telling a computer what product the scanner is seeing at the checkout stand, the QR code is made up of small squares that are configured in special way. But they do not tell you what the price of a bar of soap is. These QR codes will give your Smart Phone an internet website address. That way, when you are out looking at homes and you want more information about a home, if a QR code is displayed, your Smart Phone can scan it and take you to the website where you can find more information about that home and others. A whole lot easier than trying to type in letters on a tiny keyboard.
To be able to do this, you need to do the following. If you have a Smart Phone, it will have a screen where you can find and download Apps or Applications (usually found under a "Market" icon) that let your phone do lots of neat things. One of these is a scanning app. On mine it is called RedLaser. Not only will RedLaser let you scan QR Codes, but it will also let you read most barcodes on products at Walmart, your supermarket, or any other retail outlet. Your phone may have other scanning apps. If you have problems finding the right app, the place where you bought your phone can help you, I am sure.
Once your Smart Phone has the scanner app installed, all you have to do is open it and then point your phone's camera at the the code symbol. Almost immediately, the phone will either open your browser and show you the website, or it will ask you if you want to open the website. Just tell it "YES". At that point, you can see lots more information that could be useful.
The QR Code in this post is for one of the pages that hosts my listings. If your Smart Phone is ready now, you can even scan that image right now to see how it works. Give it a try for practice! On my webpage you will not only see my listings, but also the following interesting links to help you when you are looking for property:
- Video tours of my homes
- Lots of still pictures
- Community information
- And lots more!
So, if you see one of these QR Codes when you are out and about, try scanning it into your Smart Phone and see what you can learn. You might be pleasantly surprised. I am sure that my sellers like having the latest innovations utilized when I am marketing their homes.
If you have any questions about QR Codes or other real estate issues, do not hesitate to contact me. John Elwell - REALTOR at CENTURY 21 Bill Nye Realty, Inc. 813-783-4444 or e-mail me at: jelwell@tampabay.rr.com
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