Looking for that dream home at the dream price can feel like a nightmare. It’s stressful, but luckily there are more than enough applications and technology that can make the process a bit simpler. Here are our favorite sites and mobile apps to help you find the perfect house:
“Tinder” but for Real Estate
Tinder changed the dating game, and the same principle is about to change the real estate industry. Two new apps let you look at pictures of homes or apartments that are being sold (or rented), and you swipe right if you like what you see, and left if you don’t. The Doorsteps Swipe App lets you filter homes by area and price, and then presents you with pictures of homes for sale that match your interest. As you swipe right or left, it keeps your “matches” so you can visit them or delete them later, and lets you learn what kinds of homes you like. The Uptop application acts similarly, but is more renting focused, and is unfortunately only for renters in New York. Yet, we wouldn’t be surprised if this type of home shopping increased in popularity. Doorsteps Swipe and Uptop make finding the home you want easy.
Doorsteps Swipe
Price: Free
Live UpTop
Price: In Beta, Waiting for Launch
Multi Listing Apps
Of course, if you want to search for a home by more than just pictures and price, Zillow or Trulia are your best friends. Both websites (and mobile applications) are constantly updated with new listings, and let you explore homes for sale by minimum and maximum price, square footage, commute time, keywords, property type, number of beds, baths, and more. Whatever is most important to you can be added to your search result and can help you find the perfect home.
Trulia
Price: Free for mobile app and website
Zillow
Price: Free for mobile app and website
Scout out the Neighborhood
One way to find a great home is to find a great neighborhood. Walk Score is a website that lets potential home buyers (and renters) look at not just homes but the neighborhood. With Walk Score you can easily filter by area, prices, size, walkability, and what you “Gotta Have” near your new abode. For example, if you have small children and you want to explore houses that are close to elementary or middle schools so they can easily walk, you can specify that. Just go to the “Gotta Have” tab on the top of the map and filter your results. You can filter “Gotta Have” results by grocery stores, coffee shops, parks, car shares and more. We put the site through its paces and we were pleased with how user friendly it was and how specific your results can get. One thing we found? Don’t worry about having a 10-minute walk to a coffee shop in New York – According to Walk Score’s map, you could live virtually anywhere in the metropolitan area and be 10 minutes away from coffee at all times.
Walk Score
Price: Free
Paint Tester Pro
Once you’ve found a home you want to view, it may be hard to picture it as “yours.” Using paint tester pro, you can take pictures of the home during the walk through and then change the color of the walls to suit you and your preferences. This app can really change a home’s look and feel. You may find you love a home once the purple and green walls in the bedroom are white!
Paint Tester ProPrice: free
Protect your Home With The Best Home Warranty
Once you have found your future house, get home warranty coverage. A home warranty is a lot like an appliance warranty. It protects your systems and appliances when they fail from normal wear and tear, and you only pay $60 for repairs and replacements. Landmark Home Warranty lets you compare home warranty plans by specifying where you live, and what level of home warranty coverage you want. Protect your home with Landmark, the best home warranty company. Learn more at www.landmarkhw.com.
Price: Free