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  • The Best Real Estate Apps to Find Your Forever Home

    The Best Real Estate Apps to Find Your Forever Home

    If you’ve been looking for a home to call “forever,” you’ve probably noticed how hard it can be to find the right one. Whether it’s because the prices aren’t right, the neighbors are too noisy or some other reason, shopping for a home can be a difficult process. However, today we’re here to help you find the best real estate apps for finding your forever home. Let’s find an app to help you get settled in somewhere for good!

    Best Real Estate Apps

    Century 21 Local Listing Search

    Our first app is ideal for searching in your local area and finding a home that is nearby. Not everyone wants to move across the country, after all! For the people looking to just move within their area, this is a great app to start with. Expected search features, such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, are all present here, of course.

    The app also lets you check the area for nearby restaurants, grocery stores and schools, ensuring that the listing you’ve found isn’t too far from civilization. If you prefer, you can even draw in your own search area to find how far from given locations a home is. If you’re looking for a specific part of town you want to move to, this is a great app for that laser-precision.

    Xome

    Xome is a great app for those who love having options for selecting the best home for their unique needs. You can use the great “Xome Zoom” feature to zoom in on a listing and get a feel for where it is in the community. You can see the home’s score based on walkability, nearby schools and other factors. This tells you whether the home in question is good for families, for easy of walking to nearby parks and shops, and how much traffic you could expect in the area.

    Another great feature of Xome is the Xome Concierge service that allows you to go through a real agent to answer your questions regarding a listing. If a listing has a more complex feature or unusual setup that you need more information on, or if you’re simply having a hard time understanding something, this is a great service. You can even set up live walkthroughs of listings via Xome, making it a great all-in-one real estate app.

    Homes.com

    The aptly named Homes.com app is a great place to start for any prospective home buyer. You get access to a robust suite of search features, allowing you to see the relative value of given neighborhoods based on nearby property values. You can search recent foreclosures if you’re looking to save a bit of money, and you can even narrow your results by likely mortgage payments. That’s thanks to the Homes.com calculator, a big selling point of this app.

    Homes.com’s app is also well-regarded for its robust stats and pictures of every listing. You can find detailed and in-depth stats for the homes, including sale prices over the years, damages and upgrades reported, and even more. The pictures are also very illustrative, capturing the home and its rooms from many helpful angles to help you get a clear idea of what the place is like.

    Redfin

    Redfin is a golden standard for real estate apps. This is a very “big-picture” app, helping you find the right criteria and showing you the best ways to save on a great home. The first way it does this is through features like a foreclosure notifier, allowing you to scope out homes that might be on the market for much less than you expect them to be. You can also set up notifications for when a home goes up for sale by the owners, as well as for when short sellers make alterations to a listing.

    Redfin has a robust suite of search features that allow you to select based on nearby schools, home property values and the like. This way, you can be sure when you’re searching for homes that the home you’re getting is right for you. The app even has a built-in realtor feature that allows you to set up visits to homes so you can see if you like it in person!

    The cherry on top is the robust social and sharing features the app offers. If you find a listing that you really like you can send it over to someone you know via text, email or even through your preferred social media. This is really the best overall app for finding your forever home.


  • Finding the Best Realtor: Our Top Tips

    Finding the Best Realtor: Our Top Tips

    Finding the best realtor can be quite the challenge. When you’re selling your home or trying to buy property, you want the best of the best in your corner. Of course, every realtor claims they’re the best there is at what they do. However, all but one of them is lying about that, by process of elimination. So, how do you narrow down the field and find the best realtor in your area? By following our top tips, of course.

    Finding a Great Realtor

    Do Your Research

    The first thing you’re going to want to do is research the field. See what people are saying about the realtors in your area, and who comes highly recommended. A great place to start in this field would be to talk to your family or coworkers. Who did they go with for their realtor, and how was the experience? Look up any name they give you and see what others are saying about that realtor. This will give you a good idea of what kind of job that person does.

    While you’re doing your research, keep an eye out for any complaints against the realtor. You can usually look their name up at the city and see if they have their license, and if any complaints have been formally lodged against them. If they have such a complaint, then you can confidently dismiss the idea of working with them. The same goes if you can’t find evidence that they are properly licensed.

    Buying or Selling?

    If you’re buying a place, and you’re a first-time buyer, you’re going to need a lot of guidance. As such, you’ll want a buying agent who is calm, patient, and able to explain the process to you. This is someone who will guide you through tours of homes and help you understand what your budget means in relation to the home, and what maintenance the place might need.

    A selling agent will help you understand what you need to do to make your home as attractive as possible to sell. This needs to be a person with a great eye for what sells quickly, and who can help to present your home in the best possible light.

    Discuss Important Issues

    During your research phase, you’ll want to make sure you figure out how much of a rate realtors in your area normally charge. What cut of the property sale, if any, will they be getting? Do they work for a firm that takes a cut, or are they working as contractors under their own employ? Figuring out how this person gets paid is an important first step, as you want to make sure you’re on the same page.

    While having this discussion, make sure you also get a feel for this realtor’s style. Are they like you, do they share your buying or selling values? If there’s a personality incompatibility, the buying or selling process is going to be miserable, so you’re better off finding a realtor you’re a better match with.

    Trusting the Agent

    You need to make sure that this realtor is a person you can trust. You’re trusting them to facilitate a major purchase or sale for you, and you need to trust them to be an advocate for you. If you can’t trust them with important information, like your marital status and what your long-term plans for the property are, then this isn’t someone you need to be working with.

    Make sure you’re getting an experienced agent. When you’re discussing things with this agent up-front, you don’t want to be their trial case. Unless this person has experience selling your type of property, you don’t want them overseeing things.


  • Should You Buy a Home in the City?

    Should You Buy a Home in the City?

    When it comes time to buy a home, should you opt to buy one in the city, or in the suburbs? There are a number of pros and cons to both, though it’s often difficult to look at them all in isolation. Today we’re going over some of the reasons you might buy a home in the city, or reason why you might opt to live further out in the suburbs. Let’s talk real estate.

    Where to Buy a Home

    Consider Your Needs

    If you work downtown and can find a home within walking distance, or within walking distance of public transportation, it might be worth buying a home in the city. Also consider how comfortable you are with walking around urban areas all the time. Do you prefer to be out in the world, and do urban crime rates scare you? Or do you enjoy the opportunity to rub shoulders with other people in your daily activities?

    Consider, also, that you’ll have less easy access to natural spaces if you live in the city. That is, of course, assuming you don’t live near a public park, which could offer much-needed greenery. While you’re considering recreation, also think about your kids, if you have any. How close is the nearest school? Would your kids have to walk to school, and would you be okay with that?

    Walkability

    One of the biggest draws to living in the city is walkability. Younger buyers, especially, love getting to live in an area where they can walk to all the places they want to work and shop. Really, there’s a lot to love about living in a walkable area. For one thing, if you set things up correctly, you might get away with not even owning a car. That saves you a lot of money, as you’ll need no car insurance, pay no car payment and avoid having to gas up.

    The flip side, of course, is that buying or renting in the heart of a city can easily offset those costs, and then some. You’ll pay several times as much per square foot downtown than you would in the suburbs. That said, you’ll be close to the action and able to walk outside your front door and find activity any time. That’s priceless for some people.

    Suburbs

    Meanwhile, not everyone wants to live in the heart of the city. This goes double for people trying to raise children. Living in the suburbs makes it more affordable to have more space for children to grow and play. Likewise, it frees up more money for your child-based expenses, like diapers, food and childcare.

    That’s not to mention the upshots of having your own yard. Having friends over for grill-outs, backyard parties and the like becomes much easier when you have your own yard. The drawbacks, however, are still there. If you live far from the city, your commute could become much longer than a more centrally-located home. You will also almost certainly need a car to get around, which adds to your monthly bills.

    Property Values

    If you can drum up the down payment to buy a home located in the city, you’re actually making a very sound investment for your future. A home with close proximity to popular businesses like Starbucks and downtown nightlife is worth its weight in gold. These types of homes almost always appreciate in value dramatically, and this makes them ideal investments for younger buyers.

    That said, they’re also appreciably more expensive to purchase than homes in the suburbs. Older buyers tend to prefer suburban homes due to their lower up-front costs, quieter neighborhoods and larger square footage per dollar.


  • How to Find the Best Realtor: Sell Your Home the Right Way

    How to Find the Best Realtor: Sell Your Home the Right Way

    When it comes time to sell your home, you’re going to need the right realtor. You want to make sure you’ve got the right person in your corner to help you impress potential buyers, and to help you negotiate with sellers. In short, having a good realtor is like having a good lawyer. Things are just easier when the person on your side is good at their job!

    Today we’re going over the top things you can do to find the right realtor to help you sell your home and make sure you get what you want for it. After all, cutting through the marketing hype and finding the real gems can be difficult, but you owe it to yourself to get the best!

    Finding the Best Realtor

    Do Some Research

    Firstly, you’re going to want to do some research on a given realtor. When you see someone’s business card or flyer, don’t just buy their marketing hype. Look them up, ask around about them. Get in touch with their recent clients and see how they felt about the experience. Was the realtor professional, did they do their job well? Was the client happy with the sale, and the purchase of their new property? If you’re hearing lots of negative stories, it might be good to steer clear.

    Another piece of research to engage in is looking into the realtor’s license and seeing if any disciplinary actions have been taken against them. Your state will have a registry of licensed realtors, and you’ll be able to see if the person is licensed and whether they have any disciplinary marks against them. If they do, you’ll know to avoid the untrustworthy realtor.

    Look into Specialties

    Not many people know this, but realtors have specialties and fields of focus, much like doctors and lawyers. When you’re looking into a realtor, find out what they specialize in. For instance, if you’re selling your home, you’ll likely want a realtor who is a CRS, a certified residential specialist. On the other hand, if you’re purchasing a property, you’ll likely want an ABR, an Accredited Buyer’s Representative, who has special education in representing buyers.

    Another specialty to be aware of, if you’re over fifty, is the SRES, or Seniors Real Estate Specialist. This specialty means the realtor has completed additional education on representing buyers and sellers who are over fifty!

    Current Listings

    Check a realtor’s current listings online. Are they selling enough homes that it looks like they have a healthy business going? On the other hand, does it look like they have so many things on their plate that they might not be able to give you adequate attention? You want a realtor who is in that sweet spot right between the two extremes.

    Likewise, when you speak to a realtor, mention nearby properties and discuss your area. If the realtor is well-informed about the area, that’s a good sign. If they can give you info on nearby properties, what has sold recently and how business is in the area, you’ve likely got a realtor with a good sense for their job. You want someone with an ear to ground on your side.

    The Voice of Experience

    When you first encounter a realtor, it’s a good idea to find out how long they’ve been in business. In the case of a newer realtor, such as someone who has only been in business for less than five years, you might want to go with someone else. A realtor who has started less than five years ago is still learning a lot, and you don’t want them learning and making rookie mistakes with your property.


  • The Best Real Estate Apps to Find Your Forever Home

    The Best Real Estate Apps to Find Your Forever Home

    If you’ve been looking for a home to call “forever,” you’ve probably noticed how hard it can be to find the right one. Whether it’s because the prices aren’t right, the neighbors are too noisy or some other reason, shopping for a home can be a difficult process. However, today we’re here to help you find the best real estate apps for finding your forever home. Let’s find an app to help you get settled in somewhere for good!

    Best Real Estate Apps

    Century 21 Local Listing Search

    Our first app is ideal for searching in your local area and finding a home that is nearby. Not everyone wants to move across the country, after all! For the people looking to just move within their area, this is a great app to start with. Expected search features, such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, are all present here, of course.

    The app also lets you check the area for nearby restaurants, grocery stores and schools, ensuring that the listing you’ve found isn’t too far from civilization. If you prefer, you can even draw in your own search area to find how far from given locations a home is. If you’re looking for a specific part of town you want to move to, this is a great app for that laser-precision.

    Xome

    Xome is a great app for those who love having options for selecting the best home for their unique needs. You can use the great “Xome Zoom” feature to zoom in on a listing and get a feel for where it is in the community. You can see the home’s score based on walkability, nearby schools and other factors. This tells you whether the home in question is good for families, for easy of walking to nearby parks and shops, and how much traffic you could expect in the area.

    Another great feature of Xome is the Xome Concierge service that allows you to go through a real agent to answer your questions regarding a listing. If a listing has a more complex feature or unusual setup that you need more information on, or if you’re simply having a hard time understanding something, this is a great service. You can even set up live walkthroughs of listings via Xome, making it a great all-in-one real estate app.

    Homes.com

    The aptly named Homes.com app is a great place to start for any prospective home buyer. You get access to a robust suite of search features, allowing you to see the relative value of given neighborhoods based on nearby property values. You can search recent foreclosures if you’re looking to save a bit of money, and you can even narrow your results by likely mortgage payments. That’s thanks to the Homes.com calculator, a big selling point of this app.

    Homes.com’s app is also well-regarded for its robust stats and pictures of every listing. You can find detailed and in-depth stats for the homes, including sale prices over the years, damages and upgrades reported, and even more. The pictures are also very illustrative, capturing the home and its rooms from many helpful angles to help you get a clear idea of what the place is like.

    Redfin

    Redfin is a golden standard for real estate apps. This is a very “big-picture” app, helping you find the right criteria and showing you the best ways to save on a great home. The first way it does this is through features like a foreclosure notifier, allowing you to scope out homes that might be on the market for much less than you expect them to be. You can also set up notifications for when a home goes up for sale by the owners, as well as for when short sellers make alterations to a listing.

    Redfin has a robust suite of search features that allow you to select based on nearby schools, home property values and the like. This way, you can be sure when you’re searching for homes that the home you’re getting is right for you. The app even has a built-in realtor feature that allows you to set up visits to homes so you can see if you like it in person!

    The cherry on top is the robust social and sharing features the app offers. If you find a listing that you really like you can send it over to someone you know via text, email or even through your preferred social media. This is really the best overall app for finding your forever home.