The housing market in the United States is booming. Thanks to low mortgage rates and a surplus of available properties in dozens of different markets, thousands of Americans are looking to buy or sell a home. With busy schedules, and a plethora of options to choose from, these apps will make the home buying or selling process a breeze.
Homesnap is an MLS app with an added feature: Snap a photo of any home across the nation to get instant property details, including home values, when it last sold, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, taxes, lot boundaries, local school ratings, similar listings, and nearby sales. If a home is currently on the market, you may be able to see interior photos. When you are ready to buy a home (or put yours on the market), you can use the app to contact a real estate agent to schedule a showing or to add your home to the MLS. This app draws on the same listing information used by realtors to provide timely, accurate real estate information.
One of the most underrated apps is Dwellr. This app is backed by the Census Bureau and uses information from the American Community Survey to produce data-rich neighborhood guides. In fact, each neighborhood in the system contains as many as 40 different topics. These include things like median age of residents, racial makeup, median home values, educational background, and more. This allows you to truly see what a neighborhood is like before making an offer.
GreatSchools is another fantastic resource for studying a geographical neighborhood. As the name suggests, this app lets you learn more about different school zones and the individual schools that make it up. It will tell you exactly what school a property is zoned for and how that school stacks up compared to others in the state.
For urban homebuyers, one of the more critical factors is walkability. WalkScore allows you to see how close a given property is to different amenities like schools, stores, and entertainment. New updates also give you BikeScores and TransitScores so that you can find the easiest way to get around.
One of the more unusual apps is RealtyTrac. This resource allows users to find complete property information on thousands of properties – even on properties that aren’t for-sale. It lets buyers see how much an owner owes on their mortgage and what the current value of the home is. Interested buyers can then discover new opportunities and contact owners to see if they’re willing to sell. It essentially gives you the chance to see inventory that other buyers don’t even know exists. The app currently boasts more than 125 million homes in the United States.
