Are you looking to invest in real estate and want to make your property search easier? If so, then you should consider using house hunting apps. Real estate investing can be a reliable way to generate passive income. However, finding the perfect investment property is certainly not an easy job. It requires a lot of research and a firm grasp of several moving parts.
The traditional process involves working with a network of agents, wholesalers, and other professionals in the real estate industry.
However, this is often a time-consuming approach and may involve a lot of factors that are outside of your control. Fortunately, technology has made finding investment properties for sale easier and cheaper than ever before. In this day and age, most people begin their search for real estate for sale with an online search, mostly on a mobile device.
If you are wondering where to buy property, this blog has the answers you are looking for. There are several search apps that have been specifically established to help investors find a house for sale with minimal effort, money, and time. Read on to learn more about the 10 best house hunting apps for investors and why you should consider using them.
Related: 7 Best Real Estate Investing Apps for 2019
What Do House Hunting Apps Do?
House hunting can be a very stressful process for any beginner real estate investor. Shifting through hundreds of thousands of properties can be daunting. Real estate apps combine real estate data and technology in an easy-to-use format to streamline the house-hunting process. With just the click of a button, you can now find your dream investment property regardless of your real estate experience. You can literally kick-start your real estate career from the comfort of your smartphone. With house hunting apps, the market is more accessible than ever.
However, with dozens of apps offering real estate listings, it can be confusing which one to go for. So, which real estate investing app is right for you?
The Best House Hunting Apps for Investors
As we’ve mentioned, there are a plethora of house hunting apps out there and they vary greatly from each other. While all house hunting apps give you access to a huge database of real estate listings and will allow you to narrow down your search results using a variety of filters, they usually offer unique features and tools that can make a huge difference in your property search.
For instance, some apps focus on a particular type of real estate assets like commercial properties or auctions. Some typical features you could expect to find on top real estate apps include active MLS listings, blogs about real estate news and investing tips, lender and real estate agent referrals, home valuations, and predictive analysis. Therefore, depending on what you are looking for, some apps may be better for you than others. So, what are the best apps for house hunting for investors?
As a real estate investor, the best real estate apps for you are those that help you to be more efficient in your property search and help you make wiser investment decisions.
If you want to have an edge over the competition, you shouldn’t just use any house hunting app. You need to find the best apps when house hunting. Before you pick a buying app, you should understand how it’s going to help you find the best real estate deals.
Here are the best apps for house hunting that you should consider.
1. Zillow
If you have been in the real estate industry for some time, you’ve probably heard of this one. Zillow is arguably the most popular and one of the best house hunting apps. You can seamlessly browse properties for sale including those not on the MLS. It has the largest real estate inventory and has several efficient features that cover the most basic needs of an investor looking to find a house. When it comes to house hunting websites, it is actually one of the household names.
One of its best features is “Zestimate”. This is a property value estimate generated using an algorithm that takes into account a lot of data. Therefore, Zillow is a great starting point for investors. While the Zestimates may not be 100% accurate, they are fairly reliable estimates to use in your decision-making.
With its new video feature, buyers can also have a more realistic view of a house. If you are wondering how to find the best realtor near me, Zillow also offers access to premier agents. If you are looking to find a house in the United States, you may want to consider downloading this app.
2. Redfin
Redfin is another of those apps like Zillow that offer a massive database of listings and their estimated values. It is one of the best house hunting apps as it combines technology and customer service through its own real estate agents. Basically, it’s both an app and a brokerage firm.
Through the app, users can communicate with Redfin agents. Moreover, the standard agent fees for Redfin are typically lower than that of traditional real estate agents.
3. LoopNet
If you are looking for multifamily homes for sale or commercial real estate, LoopNet is one of the best house buying sites to consider. The app specifically targets commercial real estate investors and not residential property investors.
With hundreds of thousands of commercial property listings, comprehensive listing reports, and advanced filters, LoopNet can help you stay ahead of the game. You also get alerts for new commercial listings and changes to properties you’ve added to the favorites feature.
4. Xome
Xome is one of the best house hunting apps for houses being sold through auction. If you want an app that specializes in live real estate auctions, then this is the app you need. The app offers real estate auctions from the MLS as well as properties exclusively auctioned at Xome.
Moreover, investors can search for short sales, foreclosures, and bank-owned deals before they hit the general public. Therefore, they can often get them at a discounted price.
5. Auction.com
Auction.com is another great house hunting app for investors looking to find foreclosures and bank-owned properties.
If your preferred strategy is buying distressed properties, then you should consider the Auction.com mobile app.
With this app, you can get alerts of new auctions and even place bids remotely within the app.
6. Trulia
Trulia is another one of the best home apps in the market for investors. The app allows you to browse millions of listings in the country. Moreover, users get an easy-to-use desktop-like experience on their smartphones which enhances user engagement.
Since the company is owned by Zillow, you might notice some similarities between them. For instance, Zillow’s Zestimate works similarly to “Trulia Estimate”. Nevertheless, there are still differences between the two. The main difference is that Trulia focuses on the local community. You get a genuine feel of how the neighborhood is like before you make a purchase.
For instance, users get detailed information on the neighborhood. This includes everything from crime rates and school ratings to amenities and even virtual neighborhood tours.
7. Homesnap
With this app, you simply take a picture of a house you are interested in and it will instantly pull up all accessible details about it. This includes property value estimate, square footage, photos, school ratings, etc. This innovative and user-friendly app makes your property search easier. It serves as a platform for quick real estate searches.
8. Realtor.com
Realtor.com is a real estate website affiliated with the National Association of Realtors. It is one of the most visited real estate apps. You can search for real estate for sale using a number of filters such as property type, property price, and time spent on the market.
For each listing, you’ll see the house details, information on the neighborhood (schools, crime, noise, etc), and the property’s interior and exterior pictures. With its Sign Snap feature, users can also take a photo of a real estate sign and immediately get information about the property.
If you are looking for a real estate agent, Realtor.com also gets you in touch with local agents. However, make sure you carefully vet multiple agents before hiring one.
9. Homesnap
With this app, you simply snap a picture of a house you are interested in and it will instantly pull up key details about the house. This includes property value estimate, square footage, photos, school ratings, etc
The app’s Virtual Open House feature makes it easy for users to tune in to a live open house by the listing agent.
10. Mashvisor
We decided to save the best for the last. Indeed, there are a plethora of house hunting apps out there and they vary greatly from each other. However, if you are just getting into real estate investing and are looking for the best house rental apps, the house-hunting app we strongly recommend is Mashvisor.
In general terms, Mashvisor is the best real estate website for real estate investors as it allows you to begin and end your property search in one place. It comes with a variety of tools and features that can help any investor find the best homes for investment in the US housing market.
Mashvisor’s real estate investment tools use the power of AI to help investors to find profitable Airbnb and traditional rentals in a matter of minutes.
These tools include:
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Real Estate Heatmap
Before you invest in real estate, you should understand that the best housing market for you may not be in your state, city, or neighborhood. Where you invest will depend on your budget and your personal investment goals.
The best way to find a profitable place to invest in is to look at market data. You can quickly get insight on the best cities to invest in by checking for city data on Mashvisor’s blog. However, to find the best neighborhood for investment in your city of choice, you need in-depth neighborhood analysis. This is where Mashvisor’s real estate heatmap comes in.
Mashvisor’s real estate heatmap is a tool that uses different color codes to help investors quickly identify areas that best meet their criteria. The tool allows you to use filters such as average rental income, home price, cash on cash return, and Airbnb occupancy rate. With just the click of a button, you can locate the most suitable place for you to buy an investment property.
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The Property Finder
Apart from helping you locate the best places to invest in, Mashvisor is considered the best home buying app because it allows investors to find properties that match their goals in their market of choice.
Using interactive filters provided by Mashvisor’s House Finder, users can find rental properties for sale that can meet their expectations in terms of the property price, property type, return on investment, and optimal rental strategy.
Related: Rental Property Finder: A Revolutionary Tool for Investing in Real Estate
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The Mashvisor Property Marketplace
Another useful tool on the Mashvisor app is the Property Marketplace. This tool allows investors to find off-market properties for sale quickly. This includes short sales, foreclosures, auction homes, and bank-owned properties. Real estate investors looking for distressed properties will, therefore, also find Mashvisor a very useful app.
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Mashboard
Investors can also find off-market properties for sale in the US housing market by finding homeowner data. Traditionally, investors would find out who owns a house by searching through public records. However, this method is time-intensive, to say the least. Fortunately, there’s an easier and more efficient way to find homeowner data – using Mashvisor’s Mashboard.
Mashboard allows users to search for homeowners using filters such as state, city, address, zip code, and property type.
Related: Mashboard: The Best Tool for Real Estate Professionals
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Rental Property Calculator
When it comes to real estate investing, the key to success is to run the numbers before purchasing an investment property. One tool that makes Mashvisor one of the best house hunting websites in the market is the rental property calculator.
The rental property calculator provides accurate full analysis for all investment properties for sale on the platform in a matter of minutes. It provides key real estate data and analytics such as rental expenses, rental income, cap rate, cash on cash return, occupancy rate, real estate comps, payback balance, and more. This tool eliminates the need for rental property analysis spreadsheets which are time-intensive and conducive to errors.
One feature that differentiates Mashvisor from other rental apps is the ability to determine the optimal rental strategy. This is because Mashvisor rental calculator provides real estate data and analytics for both Airbnb and traditional rentals.
The rental property calculator also has a built-in mortgage calculator that allows investors to determine the best financing method.
To get access to our real estate investment tools, click here to sign up for a 7-day free trial of Mashvisor today, followed by 15% off for life.
The Bottom Line
Whether you a seasoned investor or you are just getting started in real estate, using real estate apps can considerably boost your productivity by making the potentially complex and time-consuming property search process easy and fast. However, if you want to have an edge over the competition, you need to find the best apps when house hunting. In this article, we’ve done the leg work for you and compiled a list of the best house websites. With maps, photos, property data, analytics, and more, these buying apps make it easier for you to find a home to invest in
If you want an app that will allow you to quickly find suitable investment properties and accurately analyze their investment potential, be sure to use Mashvisor’s real estate tools. As an investor, this should be your go-to app as you can start and finish your house-hunting in one place. With Mashvisor, average people can find properties with a good rate of return in a matter of minutes and compete with savvy investors. No more searching for weeks or months, no more analysis spreadsheets.