Phone Home: Top 3 Reasons To Use A Real Estate App
Posted on: 20 September 2016
Whether you're buying or selling property, there's an app for that. In a recent survey, 69 percent of respondents said they consider it a fun activity to shop for homes and other properties online, and the average time per session they spent looking at properties is nearly an hour.
While only one in five "lookers" are actually in the market to buy, there are other reasons to use a phone app to market or purchase property. The three top reasons to use one of these apps are these:
You're looking for property far from your residence
It's impossible to be two places at once, and this limitation can prove to be a challenge when you are relocating or looking for real estate in an area far from where you currently reside. With apps that aggregate real estate listings by location, price, and type, it's easier to narrow down potential choices without having to actually visit the area.
Even if you have a real estate broker working for you in the area where you plan to buy, you won't have to waste time poring over MLS listings in the broker's office when you finally arrive in person to go real estate shopping. You can have a list already in hand when you arrive, and you can send your broker any listings you're curious about no matter where you're located.
You need to update your property
To get the top price for your property, you need to offer the look and features that home buyers or other real estate shoppers are looking for in your area. Do some research into the amenities shoppers want, and then turn to design and home-goods apps to make changes happen.
There are apps that let you see how furniture, new paint colors, or artwork will look in your rooms. Other apps help you landscape and fine-tune the exterior of your property for the most curb appeal. You can determine your square footage from apps or perfectly match an exterior paint color from a picture or piece of fabric.
You want to do the real estate math
If you're attempting to get pre-qualified for a loan, there are several apps that let you figure out amortization rates and your expected payment for a potential property. This can help you pre-determine the amount you can expect to pay, although the numbers aren't necessarily written in stone. It's best to view the app results as ballpark figures rather than specific amounts. Closing costs, taxes, broker fees and insurance can make the amount you owe slightly higher or lower than the apps suggest.
If you want to pay your property off early, there are apps that help you determine how much extra you'll need to pay each month for an early payoff. Other apps can help you see how much your property has appreciated over time and how much you can expect it to appreciate in value in the future.
Your real estate broker may even have their own apps available for you to use with exclusive shortcuts to properties and other useful real estate information.
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