Navigating the Realty App World:

United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties agents know today’s fast-paced realty market requires their clients to keep on top of realty listings. Navigating the realty app world requires a little savvy and an understanding of realty lingo. School is never out with technology and United Country Midwest Lifestyle Property agents are happy to help their clients level up and keep in the know!

There’s an app for that?

Most folks object to useless apps on their phone and we understand! Let’s discuss why you, a realty client (buying or selling), would even bother with loading a realty app on your phone. Considering the current real estate market, if you are serious about selling or buying a home, you need to keep your finger on the pulse of your market interest. You can easily accomplish this by downloading the Redfin app or the Zillow app. It’s free to do.

Once you’ve decided which app you’d like, download that app to your phone from the Google Play Store. Next, you will set up an account with a username and password. Why have an account? Having an account gives you the ease of keeping track of homes you’ve liked. Think of it as a notebook always at your fingertips.

I had no idea!

With your account registered, you can begin your property search. You can search for rentals; homes for sale; and homes already sold. Many apps allow you to view a map and draw your area search box. You can also search by zip code. Give yourself some time to play around on the app and look at a few listings.

After you’ve had some time to play, you will want to set your filters for your realty interests. This can be a price range, geographical area, style of home (square footage, number of baths, bedrooms, etc.), type of home (foreclosures, short sales), or all of the above.

It’s important to remember to TURN ON THE NOTIFICATION BELL (Yes, we know another ‘ding’ going off is annoying) so you can stay alert for your dream property! Truly, the early bird gets the worm!

Putting the reality app on your home computer may tempt you. We would discourage you from using the realty desktop app. Why? The desktop web version has fewer features of that app on your phone. Which translates to slower response time, and possibly not enough information. You have your phone on you most of the time, so take advantage of the phone app and stay informed.

Benefits of using the app

Everyone values their time. Having a realty app on your phone makes property searching seamless. United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties agents see these apps as time savers. Clients can easily sift out unwanted properties, quickly take a photo tour of desirable properties, and gather additional intel on schools, area shopping, real estate taxes, and time the home has spent on the market. Don’t forget to ‘save’ your favorite homes!

Several tools are also available on the app that are handy. Use their calculator to figure out monthly payments and interest. Some apps will give you a monthly insurance quote as well. Most of these figures are calculated as averages for your geographical area. Treat the answers you received as “ballpark” figures.

Using that information, our clients can make a quick decision about touring a property in person by simply sharing the listing with us. We can then quickly gather further intel and have that information ready to share with our client before touring the home. Homes can be sold simply by virtual tours. AMAZING!

United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties agents always recommend touring a property in person, but if distance makes it difficult, the realty apps bridge that gap.

App drawbacks

We can’t think of many drawbacks to the realty app, but here are just a few:

1. Home Evaluations–Realty apps are not 100% accurate with evaluations. Most calculations fluctuate because of how the information is obtained- state to state, county to county. There can be mistakes in correct property information. Just take it all with a grain of salt and see it as a figure to start with.
2. The App is Free, BUT–Even though the app is free, we all know that having a free app means you’ve agreed for the app to gather certain data from your phone.
3. Featured Listing–Keep in mind that the app is like a giant search engine, you will probably get a ‘featured’ home at the top of your search every time, even with a filter in place.

United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties agents understand buying or selling real estate requires you to use every tool available to make your home buying or selling experience as seamless and stress-free as possible. Realty apps give our clients up-to-the-minute realty information on the dream homes they are searching for.

United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties. People and properties are our two favorite investments. Call us today at 608-742-5000.