One of the first things you should do before even looking at houses, is to determine how much house you can afford by using a home affordability calculator to avoid wasting hours of time spent and potential disappointment that often happens when failing to do so. Once you know, you can be comfortable moving forward, searching websites and apps using filters that will only show you houses in your price range.
There are multiple tools that can be used to find that perfect home, as well as to help you through various parts of the homebuying process. As this is typically one of the most expensive purchases most will ever make, you’ll want to have as many good tools you can for the best possible buying decision. A report by the National Association of Realtors found that nearly three-quarters of people that search for homes these days are using an app, tablet or mobile website for assistance.
These three apps in particular are arguably the most useful for home buying in 2019.
Redfin
An app by Redfin real estate company, Redfin uses a map-based interface that’s ideal for finding the home you’re looking for. You can search through listings and view details about homes in particular neighborhoods, search for open houses in the community, and even send a message to the real estate agent connected with the listings you’re interested in.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for now, use it to set up an alert to tell you when a good option comes onto the market. It features the homes that come directly from the MLS real estate listings, and they’re continuously refreshed, within 30 minutes at most, so you’ll always see the very latest. You can even view comments from other people who’ve toured the home to give you a better idea as to whether you want to do the same.
Xome
If you’re hoping to score a great deal by purchasing a home via an auction but aren’t sure where to start, Xome is a no-brainer. While it offers real estate searches similar to many other sites, it also provides access to homes that are being auctioned, some that are exclusive to this platform.
The Homes Only section includes foreclosed, bank-owned, short-sale and standard listings. It can be a great way to buy a property at a discounted price before it hits the general market.
Co Everywhere
Buying a home involves more than just buying the house itself. A big part of it is the community is located in. As they say, ‘location, location, location,’ and many believe that factor is equality as important as how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are, how large the yard is and so on.
While a home inspection can ensure the house is in good condition, figuring out what it’s going to be like to live in the neighborhood can be more difficult to ascertain. CO Everywhere is an app that can make that easier.
It pulls in all sorts of juicy information about the area, using real-time data from various social networks. You’ll find out where some of the best places to dine out are, popular local events, sights to see and more.