We’ve all moved past searching the classifieds for our dream homes. But with so many available online tools, it can be hard to choose how to power your search. Here, I’d like to share the apps that have made my job as a realtor easier — and hopefully they will improve the home buying process for you as well!
1. Realtor.com Real Estate
FREE — With many online listing search tools available, Realtor.com’s Real Estate app tops my list for its up-to-date and accurate listings. It is the only app that pulls directly from MLS systems with listings refreshed every 15 minutes. Other helpful features include:
- access to detailed property photos
- ability to save searches
- tool to draw a custom search area on a map
FREE — So you’ve found your dream house but before you fall in love too deeply.. what about the numbers? This is my go-to calculator for helping my clients crunch numbers on-the-go. You can’t beat the user-friendly interface, and it offers four easy options for payment calculation:
- Payment Purchase Calculator – Determine your monthly payment on a home when you’re house hunting
- Payment Refinance Calculator – Figure out what your monthly payment would be if you refinanced
- Amortization Calculator – Calculate the total cost of your loan and how much you could save by making extra payments
- Home Affordability Calculator – Effortlessly learn how much home you could afford
3. Sitewise
$0.99 —It’s every homebuyers worst nightmare — you find the perfect family home, later to learn your neighbors are rowdy fraternity brothers.
Avoid this snafu with Sitewise. Backed by U.S. Census data, Sitewise creates a demographic report that provides details like population by age, household income, and transportation to help you evaluate personal fit and market potential.
4. AroundMe
FREE — Wondering whether you’ll be able to stroll home after an evening cocktail? AroundMe provides a quick assessment of how far away the nearest essentials — including supermarkets, banks, restaurants, and more — are from your home-of-choice.
Easy to navigate business categories and walking/driving routes make this app a must-have for property visits.
5. zillowdigs
FREE — The neighborhood is perfect, but the house needs some work. How to decide if those popcorn ceilings, faux-wood paneling and grandmotherly shag carpets are worth the upgrade?
ZillowDigs gives you the information you need to determine project cost estimates on the spot to help you decide if that fixer-upper is worthy of investment.
What are some of your favorite real estate apps? Let us know — Leave a comment and like us on facebook!
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