Finding a new home is equal parts exciting and stressful — let alone expensive. You need to consider a lot of factors, including your budget, the location and size of the house, and the neighborhood. Luckily, real estate companies have come up with mobile apps that provide accurate housing information, help you narrow down your search, and help you secure your dream home. So if you’re looking to ease the stress of house hunting, you’ve come to the right place. In this handy guide, we’re giving you a rundown of the best house hunting apps that you can download to your phone today.
The Best House Hunting Apps
1. Zillow Real Estate and Rentals
Google Play Store Rating: 4.4/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5
You’ve probably heard of Zillow before, as it’s one of the most downloaded house hunting apps for both Android and iOS devices. And it’s probably been around the longest, having been launched in 2009. Through this app, you can get access to housing information of practically every home in the United States; Zillow has millions of listings, which are updated regularly, so you never miss out.
One of the best features that this app has is the 3D Home Tours, which allow you to tour the space using immersive, panoramic photos while also getting to view the house’s floor plan. If the home you’re eyeing is owned by Zillow, you can go on a self-tour, a feature that lets you tour a home whenever it’s convenient for you. No appointment needed; just use the app to unlock the door.
Zillow also makes finding specific features in a home and/or neighborhood so much easier. They have robust filters for things like pricing, school districts, pets, and HOAs. Plus, if you’re looking for a home with a partner, you can coordinate your search by tagging your favorite home features. You also get push notifications so you’re alerted when there are new houses on the market or price drops.
2. Trulia Real Estate
Google Play Store Rating: 4.5/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5
Next on our list of the best house hunting apps is Trulia. With over 30 million neighborhood reviews from locals, this app is a great way to know every important detail about a neighborhood before deciding to move in. Here, you’ll see whether residents feel safe walking alone at night in a certain area, or if neighbors are friendly. The app also gives you stats about crime rates, schools, and commute, among others. Plus, you get to see whether the area has put up legal protections against sex- and gender-based discrimination.
Trulia’s house listings are as detailed as their neighborhood profiles. Besides information like the floor area and the number of rooms, the app also notes financial details you need, such as property tax and sales history. You can also browse high-quality photos of the house as well as drone footage of the neighborhood.
On top of that, Trulia also has more than 30 search filters and custom keywords, which make it easier to find the specific home features you’re looking for. Then, if you’ve decided on a house you want to buy, you can easily contact verified real estate agents through the app.
3. Real Estate App by Realtor.com
Google Play Store Rating: 4.5/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.7/5
Another one of the best house hunting apps out there is Realtor.com’s Real Estate App. The app offers virtual tours of millions of properties, and you can even go on a 3D tour if the listing agent has enabled that feature. It also has search filters so you can look for homes that match your needs, taste, and budget more easily.
Realtor.com’s app offers detailed property profiles as well. It takes note of details like the property value and tax history of each house, the neighborhood sound levels, crime rates, school information, and whether the house is in a FEMA flood zone. Plus, the Monthly Cost Calculator calculates the mortgage, property tax, and insurance of the house that you’re eyeing.
You can also enable alerts so that you’re notified when there are new listings or when houses go on sale. The listings on the app are updated every 15 minutes, so you don’t miss out on anything. Then, when you’re ready to make a purchase, or if you just want assistance, you can connect with real estate agents and set appointments through the app.
4. Rocket Homes Real Estate
Google Play Store Rating: 4.3/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5
Rocket Homes Real Estate is another app you can rely on during your house-hunting ventures. The app constantly updates its home listings so you can check out properties once they become available for purchase. Rocket Homes also creates a Home Buying Plan for you; this gives you an overview of the home buying process as well as a detailed and easy-to-follow action plan so you can buy your dream home.
Another great thing about the app is that it lets you access your TransUnion credit report, which is updated every week. This report shows you your current credit score as well as your credit score history. Here, you’ll see how your credit score has changed over the years and which purchases have impacted your score significantly. The app will also notify you when there are changes to your credit score.
5. Homesnap Real Estate & Rentals
Google Play Store Rating: 4.3/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5
Also one of the best house hunting apps you can try out is Homesnap Real Estate & Rentals. True to its name, and probably the key feature that sets it apart, the app gives you all the important information you need about a house by just snapping a photo of it. These important bits of information include home value estimates, pictures of the house’s interiors, rooms, nearby schools and ratings, and lot area.
Homesnap also lets you look for open house events by date. But if you don’t want to go outdoors, especially now that we’re in the middle of a pandemic, you can attend a virtual open house instead. With this feature, you can watch a live broadcast of an open house, which is hosted by a verified agent.
The app has built-in private messaging and sharing as well. Plus, every property you look for and share through chat is automatically saved so that you can easily access it later on.
6. Homes for Sale, Rent by Homes.com
Google Play Store Rating: 4.4/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.6/5
Homes.com’s mobile app is another app you can use if you’re looking to buy or rent a new home. The real estate company has partnered with MLS (or Multiple Listing Service) boards to bring you updated and quality listings. They also notify you when there’s a new available listing, and you can find available properties that you won’t find in other house hunting apps, which can help eliminate competition with other buyers.
Homes.com also has search filters so you can quickly find the homes that fit your lifestyle and needs. You can also view high-resolution photos of properties, interactive maps, and live mortgage rates through the app. If you want to see the house more up close, you can do so by scheduling in-person or virtual open houses and showings through Zoom.
The app features a mortgage calculator so you know how best to finance your new home. On top of that, they also have mortgage options if you’re buying a house for the first time, refinance loans, and special rates for members of the military and retired veterans.
7. Estately Real Estate
Google Play Store Rating: 4.4/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.7/5
Estately is another app you can consider if you are looking for a house-hunting companion. The app frequently updates its listings on a daily basis and grants you easy access to detailed profiles of all listings. These profiles provide you with important information, like taxes, school ratings, and utilities. You can even do an advance ocular inspection by just browsing high-resolution pictures of properties and the street view of each neighborhood using the app.
Estately has helpful search filters as well. With this feature, you can look for properties by location, MLS number, or school boundary. You can also search for open houses and directly add them to your calendar. See a house you like? You can save it through the app and get alerts if its status or price changes.
However, if you’re looking to find a new home in Alaska, Estately isn’t for you; the app currently doesn’t have listings in that state.
8. BHG Real Estate Homes for Sale
Google Play Store Rating: 3.9/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5
Better Homes and Garden’s Real Estate app is one of the best house hunting apps available for download in terms of accuracy. All of the listings in the app are MLS-based, so you can be sure that they’re accurate and up-to-date. With this app, you can look for homes based on your preferred specifications, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, floor area, neighborhood, and price, among others. Then, if a property catches your eye, you can easily save it for easy access later on.
BHG’s app also brings you New Listing Alerts, so you’ll be the first to know when new homes that fit what you’re looking for hit the market. In addition, it gives you important information about the neighborhood, such as neighborhood boundaries, school districts, restaurants, grocery stores, and the like. The app also has Yelp integration, which means you can view Yelp reviews of restaurants, gyms, and other points of interest around the area.
That said, do take note that the BHG Real Estate app doesn’t have as many listings as the other house hunting apps on this list. Currently, it has limited coverage in 21 locations, including Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, and Washington.
9. Century 21 Local
Google Play Store Rating: 3.8/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.7/5
Century 21 Local is developed by ZapLabs, which is the same company behind the BHG Real Estate app. Thus, it offers the same great features that BHG does, more or less. One key feature that sets it apart, though, is the notes section, which is available for every home listing. This allows you to take notes on the properties that catch your interest so that you can easily compare them later on.
Century 21 Local also lets you define your own search boundaries, which makes narrowing down your options a lot easier. You can also bookmark your searches and favorites so you can look through them again later on.
10. HomeSpotter Real Estate Search
Google Play Store Rating: 4.6/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5
HomeSpotter is a user-friendly app that provides its users with accurate listings that are constantly updated, making it one of the best house hunting apps today. With this app, you get to see important information on a certain property, including its MLS number, history, home value estimates, and open houses. Every home also has a browsable high-resolution photo gallery so you can tour the space without leaving your couch.
Moreover, the app has an interactive map where you can see all the available listings in a certain area. If you see a property that you want to show your friends or family, you can easily do so through the app’s chat function. The chat also lets you directly contact your real estate agent if you need assistance.
11. Redfin Real Estate
Google Play Store Rating: 4.6/5
Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5
Another one of the best and most reliable house hunting apps you can use is Redfin Real Estate. Unlike most house hunting apps that update their listings every 15 minutes or so, Redfin updates its database every five minutes, so you’re first to know whenever a property hits the market.
With Redfin, you can easily look for homes that fit your criteria. You can search by price, property type, home features, school, or location. The app also sends you notifications when a house that meets your search criteria becomes available. Plus, it lets you know which properties will likely sell the fastest and gives you exclusive insights (provided by Redfin agents) on what a certain house is really like. Redfin also has a mortgage calculator that calculates the mortgage, property tax, HOA, and insurance of your desired home.
If you see a house you like, you can easily book a virtual or in-person tour with a Redfin agent through the app. Planning open house visits is also made easy, as the app gives you the schedule and the directions to every open house event in your area.
Find Your New Home With the Best House Hunting Apps
Looking for a new home is a big undertaking. It can be fun and exciting, but stress makes up a huge chunk of that journey, especially because you want to make sure that you land on the best option possible. But with the best house hunting apps, you can significantly minimize that stress. These apps help you explore your desired home and neighborhood thoroughly, right from your phone. If you’ve used any of these apps, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
