In today’s world, words like “tweetable” are scholastically acknowledged as words, and children are born knowing how to use an iPhone. With that said, it should be no surprise to anyone that the world market is now an app market; and here in the Orange County housing market, it is no different.
Apps truly are a novel invention, especially when they are helpful resources for the user. If the user is an eager prospective home buyer, there are a variety of helpful apps. Here’s a rundown of the most used real estate apps on the market.
The Zillow App
Being the online real estate research mogul they are, Zillow.com wasted no time in hopping on the app bandwagon. The app is free and is compatible with both Apple and Android smartphones.
- The Good: The app includes a property’s sale history, tax history, estimated value, rent estimate, and neighborhood data.
- The Ugly: The estimates on Zillow.com are not always accurate, so don’t base your real estate endeavor completely off the Zillow.com information. Also, not all the agents advertised on Zillow are the listing agents.
Realtor.com
The Realtor.com app is available on the website for free, and is compatible with both Apple and Android smartphones.
- The Good: The user can trace on a map the location they wish to search for a home in. The app will populate information about open houses, rentals, and data about the area. Users also receive links to the listing agent on properties.
- The Ugly: The app doesn’t have any information about the property tax or sales history on homes or in searchable areas.
Trulia.com
The Trulia.com app is also available on the website for free, and is compatible with Apple and Android smartphones; the Apple and Android smartphone apps have different features.
- The Good: The user can find information about rentals, open houses, and links to listing agents. Some houses also have information about price reductions and foreclosures. Yet, they also have info about the nearby shopping, restaurant, and schooling options. The Apple app provides price history, and the Android app provides a mortgage calculator with adjusters for price, interest rate, and down payment.
- The Ugly: You can’t be 100% sure the information posted is up-to-date and viable.
An Local App-tion
The downside to almost every real estate website is that they cannot give individualized attention to every area in the United States. Yes, they try to provide as much as they can for each area, but you can’t be sure the information in the home listing is completely current. Well, a few Southern California real estate minds have created their own app for their own area of service. Listings for available homes from Laguna Niguel to Thousand Oaks are at your disposal.
The Surterre Properties App
The Surterre Properties app is available for free online, and is compatible with Apple, Android, and Blackberry.
- The Good: You can use the app to find prospective homes for sale or rent, and then communicate your find to your real estate agent to start negotiation almost instantly. The app is fully loaded with GPS and information about the property details.
- The Ugly: You can’t be 100% sure all the information is completely up-to-date and correct. The best way to use this app would be to find homes you are interested, and then hand over the sleuthing to your real estate agent.
If you find a home you’re interested in on the Surterre app, make sure to give the Arne Dewitt Group a call or email for more detailed current info.
