How to Shop For Real Estate Using Your Mobile Phone

<!–
A:link {
–>Use technology to make real estate shopping easier.

The latest trend in real estate shopping is mobile apps for smartphones. With 58 percent of adult Americans owning a smartphone, the latest trend in the real estate market has gone mobile. In fact, the online marketing firm The Search Agency says that in just one quarter, there was a 10.7 percent increase in the clicks on real estate advertisements through smartphones. The following apps are essential for every prospective house hunter.

Zillow

Zillow has been the go-to website for many home buyers, and now they’re taking their real estate knowledge and putting it in a free app. Buyers can search for homes before they even go on the market, compare prices of recently sold homes, see the estimated worth of any home, and search for homes for sale with this app.

HomeSnap

If you’re out and you drive by a home for sale, you no longer have to wait for an agent to show you around. HomeSnap is a free app that lets you upload a photo of any home on the market, and immediately see pictures of the inside, the list price, and the sale history of the home. If you’re really interested in the home, this app will even let you schedule a showing with an agent.

Mortgage Calculator

Before you fall in love with a house, it helps to know if you can afford it. Once you put in the cost of the house, the down payment, the interest rate, and the length of the loan, the Mortgage Calculator quickly figures what your monthly payments will be. You can even calculate per square foot to make sure you’re getting the best house for your money.

Dictionary of Real Estate Terms

Every industry has its own jargon, and if you’re new to real estate, you might feel overwhelmed by what you don’t know or don’t understand. This $3.99 app has over 3,000 terms and definitions specific to the real estate industry. The app is fully searchable, and has a history feature if you need to look up the same word more than once.

AroundMe

When you’re looking for one of the best places to live, it’s important to know what kinds of amenities are available. This free app uses GPS to give you an idea of the businesses in the surrounding neighborhoods. As you’re scouting out potential neighborhoods, use this app to find the closest bank, hospital, pizza joint, pharmacy, supermarket, and post office.

Sherwin Williams Color Snap

Once you find that perfect home, you might need to make some changes to the wall colors to truly make it yours. The free Color Snap app by Sherwin Williams allows you to take a picture of any color around you, and then browse the Sherwin Williams paints that closely match that color. Whether it’s from a picture in a magazine, or a flower on the street, you can find your favorite colors quickly and easily.

Buyers are increasingly comfortable using their smartphones while looking for a new home. Being in the market for a new home may feel like a daunting task, but with these latest apps, the process just got a little easier.