What buyers want from the sign
Someone standing at the curb wants three things, in this order: photos and price, a walk-through, and a way to reach you without a phone call. The listing page covers the first. A virtual tour or video covers the second. A vCard code, which saves your name and number to their contacts in one tap, covers the third.
Don't send the sign to your brokerage homepage. The person is looking at this house. An open house sign in sheet is the other half of this: what the code opens once somebody scans it.
- Yard sign rider: the listing page, or a video tour for homes that show better in motion.
- Open-house sheet: the listing plus a sign-in form, so you have their details.
- Business card and flyer: a vCard code that saves your contact.
- Just-sold postcard: your reviews page or a home-value estimate form.
Size for the sidewalk, not the desk
The yard sign is scanned from 6 to 13 feet (2 to 4 m), across a lawn, often from a car window. That means a code of 6 in (15 cm) or more on the rider, on white, with the caption "Scan for photos and price" in letters as big as the code. Riders that carry a 1.5 in (4 cm) code straight from the flyer file don't get scanned; people can't get close enough.
Use the SVG for the sign printer so it stays crisp on corrugated plastic. Matte over gloss: a gloss rider in afternoon sun is a mirror.
One code per listing, or one code forever
Both work. One code per listing gives you a scan count per property and lets you compare neighborhoods. One permanent code on every sign, repointed to whatever you're showing this month, means you never reprint a rider again. Agents with a handful of listings usually run the permanent code; teams run one per address and bulk-generate them.
How big to print it
Rule of thumb: the code should be at least one tenth of the distance it is scanned from. These are the sizes that work in practice for this job.
| Where | Scan distance | Minimum width |
|---|---|---|
| Business card | 8-12 in (20-30 cm) | 0.8 in (2 cm) |
| Flyer or open-house sheet | 12-16 in (30-40 cm) | 1 in (2.5 cm) |
| Window display card | 3 ft (1 m) | 3 in (8 cm) |
| Yard sign rider | 7-13 ft (2-4 m) | 6 in (15 cm) |
Why make it dynamic
A sign rider costs money and time to print, and a listing lasts weeks. With a dynamic code the rider outlives the listing: the day one home goes under contract, edit the link to the next one and reuse the sign. The scan count also tells you something no sign has ever told an agent, which is how many people stopped and looked, at which address, on which days.
Dynamic codes are part of Premium, $4 a month. Static vs dynamic, explained.
Step by step
- 1
Paste the listing or tour link
The MLS page, your own listing page, or the video walkthrough.
- 2
Add the caption
"Scan for photos and price" in the frame; the Sign frame leaves room for it.
- 3
Print big
SVG to the sign printer; 6 in (15 cm) or more for the rider, 1 in (2.5 cm) on flyers.
- 4
Repoint when it sells
On Premium, edit the link to the next listing; the rider stays on the truck.
Questions people ask
- What should a real estate QR code link to?
- The listing page or a video tour for the sign, a sign-in form for the open house, and a vCard for your card. Not the brokerage homepage: the buyer is looking at one house.
- How big should the QR code be on a yard sign?
- At least 6 inches (15 cm) wide, on white, with a caption as large as the code. It is scanned from the sidewalk or a car window, 6 to 13 feet (2 to 4 m) away.
- Can I reuse the same sign rider for a new listing?
- Yes, with a dynamic code. When the home sells, change the destination in your dashboard to the next listing; the printed rider doesn't change.
- Can I see how many people scanned the sign?
- On Premium, every saved code counts scans by day and device, so you can see how many people stopped at the curb and which addresses got the most attention.
- What is a vCard QR code?
- A code that saves your name, phone, email and website straight into the scanner's contacts. The generator has a vCard type; it works without any app.
- Is this allowed on MLS signs?
- Sign rules are set by your MLS, brokerage and local ordinances, not by the code. Most allow riders with a QR code; check size limits and whether the code may link to a non-MLS page.
Make the code now, change the link later
Free to make and print. Premium ($4/mo) keeps it editable and counts every scan.