“There’s an app for that.” The phrase has become something of a cultural joke, but there’s a truth behind the words. From audiobooks to word processors, from apps that track your sleep cycle to apps that tell you the best time in a movie to use the bathroom (yes, it’s a thing), it’s no surprise that apps exist for a whole array of topics. Real estate isn’t any different; in fact, real estate apps aim to make homebuying as easy of an experience as possible, no matter if this is your first home or your tenth.
Some, of course, are better than others. Here are some of the best real estate apps for house hunters to download.
Zillow
Zillow is the most downloaded real estate app for both iPhones and Androids. It has over ten million homes listed in its database, and the app is the most popular way that homebuyers use Zillow’s services. It gives you the option to filter your saved searches so that you can see if the asking price for any house has dropped, and its Your Home tab lets you store your property’s information away so you can see how its estimated value changes over time.
Trulia
Desktop sites are sometimes more user-friendly than an app is, but they don’t always translate well on mobile browsers. Likewise, phones are far more convenient to search on, but desktops and laptops offer more that apps simply can’t convey. Trulia found a balance between these two problems and, through their app, offers users a desktop-like experience while using a mobile platform. The company makes itself unique by polling users who live in specific neighborhoods about the neighborhood itself and makes the information public for all users to see. It also notes any local protections offered with each property listing.
Redfin Real Estate
Redfin’s business model includes connecting with real estate agents and professionals who specialize in specific steps of the home buying and selling process. Through its app, both users and Redfin agents can communicate with one another. Clicking the heart symbol on a property you like will keep it on the radar for you, and you’re also given the option to get rid of a property entirely, preventing it from showing up as one that might interest you in your searches. The best part of the Redfin app is that you can schedule a tour with an agent directly in the app itself. Listed available tour times make it even faster to set up a tour that will work best for you and your agent.