With so many top real estate apps to choose from, it can be difficult knowing which ones are best to help you find and purchase your new home. Thankfully, we did the work so that you don’t have to.
Here are the six best homebuying sites and apps for house hunting.
1. Zillow
There’s a reason that Zillow is one of the most recognizable names in real estate. Considered by many to be the best homebuying app, Zillow is a one-stop platform for anyone looking to buy, sell, or rent a home. As of December 2021, it had more than 100 million listings in its database. You can filter your real estate search based on the type of residence, neighborhood, price range, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and even number of parking spaces. Each listing comes with a Zestimate® approximation of the house listing price using Zillow’s proprietary home valuation algorithm. Zillow offers a robust real estate agent directory and mortgage tools to help you throughout the homebuying process. The app is free to use for homebuyers and sellers, making its money instead through real estate agent fees and advertisements. Zillow is also one of the best online tools for real estate market research; it provides in-depth analyses on regional home value forecasting, rental rates, and more.
2. Realtor.com
When a site is supported by the National Association of REALTORS®, you know it must be one of the top real estate sites. Realtor.com has millions of listings acquired from nearly a thousand listing services. Two neat features on the site are Street Peak and Sign Snap, which you can think of like Google Lens. Both features allow you to use your smartphone camera to take a picture of a home or For Sale sign and see the home’s listing on the site if they are in the Realtor.com database. On each home’s listing page, you can see the property’s history, surrounding neighborhood and schools, and crime rate. If you’re looking for a home with specific features, you’re in luck: The site’s in-depth filtering options include not only the usual square footage and price range but also amenities, such as tennis courts, flooring style, and even fireplaces. Like Zillow, Realtor.com includes a mortgage calculator, although the site does not conduct its own home value estimate. It also does not allow you contact the home seller directly, but it will connect you with a licensed REALTOR® to help your home search. Realtor.com’s Buyer Cash Rewards program even allows you to earn money on certain home purchases in select markets.
3. Trulia
Like Zillow and Realtor.com, Trulia allows users to search millions of residential properties, including single-family homes, condos, and townhouses. With its video walkthroughs and 3D tours, you’ll feel like you’re taking an in-person tour of your dream home. You can create a customized feed and personalized notifications for homes that fit your unique requirements. Although Trulia was acquired by Zillow in 2015, it differs through its more simplistic site design, the inclusion of a visual depiction of monthly property costs, and map overlays that provide insights into what living in a specific neighborhood might be like. These touches make it one of the best sites for real estate out there.
