QR codes on real estate listings and flyers: what to link to, size and testing

Link the QR code to one mobile-friendly page that does one job — the full listing, a photo gallery, a virtual tour, a sign-in form or your agent page — and tell people what they get when they scan. Print it at about 2 cm (0.8 in) square or larger, bigger for signs read from a distance, in dark ink on a light background with the white border kept. Then print a test and scan it with at least two phones before printing a stack.

A QR code turns paper into a link. On a sign, flyer or window card it lets someone standing in front of the home open more about it from the pavement. It only works if it scans first time and lands somewhere useful, and most failures are boring: too small, too cramped, or pointing at the wrong page.

What to link to

Pick one page that does one job:

If the job is	Link to
See the home	The full listing or a photo gallery
See more of it	A virtual tour or a reel
Come to the event	A booking or sign-in form
Reach you	Your agent page

Use a link that works on a phone and does not need a login. A short, plain link makes a simpler, easier-to-scan code. Add a headline that says what happens on scan, such as “Scan for photos and price”, rather than leaving a bare square.

Size and printing

• About 2 cm (0.8 in) square is a common minimum for a code scanned from arm’s length. Signs read from further away need much bigger codes.
• Keep the white border (the quiet zone) around the code.
• Dark on light. Do not invert, recolour or stretch it.
• Avoid glare: a glossy finish under bright light can make a code hard to read, so check it on the real paper.
• If a flyer is crowded, make the code bigger rather than adding another line.

Test-print before you print a stack

1. Print one copy at the real size on the real paper.
2. Scan it with at least two phones, ideally an iPhone and an Android phone.
3. Scan it where it will be used: in daylight, in a hallway, at arm’s length.
4. Check that the page it opens loads quickly and reads well on a small screen.
5. Only then print the rest.

We build codes to the standard, but have not tested every phone, so your own test is the check that counts.

Plain link or redirect?

Some generators create a code that points at the provider’s server, which then forwards to your page. That allows scan counts, but the code can stop working if the account lapses. A code that is a plain link to your own page keeps working as long as the page does, but has no counts built in. For a sign that stays up for months, plain is the safer default; for counts, link to a page whose own analytics you can see.

Where it fits

The listing QR code generator makes a plain link code as a PNG or SVG, or a printable card, in your browser; nothing you type is sent or stored. If you want the code on a full page, the flyer maker and the open house poster both take an optional QR code. For the rest of the day, see the open house checklist.

Common questions