Explore your mortgage options
Whether you’re looking to buy a house, rent an apartment or invest in commercial property, the best way to peruse the market is through a real estate app. Thanks to technology, house hunting is now literally at your fingertips, and it’s easier than ever to buy a house online. All that’s standing between you and your dream property is a swipe and click.
Just remember that not all home buying apps are created equally, and features can vary between products. So before you download the first app you see, check out this list to find the best option for your specific situation.
How Real Estate Apps Help You Find Houses for Sale
Real estate apps have completely streamlined the house hunting process. Not only do you now have on-the-go access to a huge database of real estate listings, but you can filter your search and narrow your results to pinpoint anything from location to price range to square footage. You can also find a real estate agent or open houses, use mortgage and home affordability calculators and much more.
Plus, listings are typically loaded pretty quickly, so you’re able to see homes right when they hit the market.
You can download and use most real estate apps for free on your smartphone or tablet. If you’re a seller, some apps may charge you a listing fee (usually about 1 – 3% of your home’s total cost).
The Best Home Buying Apps of 2023
Most real estate apps have similar features, like market listings, agent referrals and educational content on everything from mortgages to market updates. However, for this article, we chose apps that stand out for their unique features and positive reviews.
Here’s a quick peek at our top picks:
- Rocket HomesSM
- Zillow
- Xome
- Homesnap
- Trulia
- Realtor.com
- Loopnet
Best for Neighborhood Trends: Rocket Homes
With the Rocket Homes Real Estate app, you can search continuously updated home listings, and get connected with highly rated and verified partner real estate agents who specialize in your local market. Additionally, you can access your TransUnion® credit report for free, with updates each week.
Why we like it
The Rocket Homes Neighborhood Trend Report gives you key location insights – like how many homes are for sale, how many have sold in the past month and what the median home sale price is – so you can make smart decisions about your investment.
What people are saying about it on the App Store
Here are a couple of real-life reviews for this app:
- “I absolutely love the idea of keeping an eye on my credit score without being bombarded with credit card offers.”
- “Have used many different home searching apps but I think this is the best one!”
Best for House Hunting: Zillow
Zillow has a massive database of listings with constant updates and push notifications for the newest listings. It also features a robust home-value estimating tool called Zestimate®, a sophisticated search filter, 3D virtual tours and access to premier agents.
Why we like it
Zillow lets you see homes for sale by a real estate agent, homes for sale by owner and homes in pre-foreclosure. It’s also an easy way to see homes that have sold.
What people are saying about it on the App Store
Here are some reviews of Zillow:
- “It is the one app I go to on almost a daily basis for second home and vacation condo shopping, or just to look at my dream homes in new areas.”
- “I really love Zillow and have turned to them for nearly a decade now. They make it beyond easy to search for a home or vacation rental.”
- “I love using the Zillow app and find it to be very helpful and intuitive in most cases.”
Best for Auctions: Xome
Xome offers a seamless experience from search and discovery through title and closing with over 100 million property listings refreshed every 15 minutes. The app also utilizes robust search filtering, new listing alerts and rich location data to help you find short sales, foreclosures and more. Plus, with Xome Concierge, you have support every step of the way.
Why we like it
Not only do you get access to listings, but Xome gives you access to real estate auctions, so you can get a great deal on bank-owned or foreclosed properties you might otherwise have missed out on.
What people are saying about it on the App Store
Here are a few reviews of this app:
- “This is my favorite app for looking at what’s available in any area. The photos are clear and up-to-date!”
- “Love the zoom feature in this app.”
- “The app is very user-friendly and made the home shopping process very convenient and simple. Convenient, because it has an overwhelming amount of resources and information all in one spot. Simple, because you don’t have to be an experienced home buyer or seller to understand the ins and outs of purchasing a home or selling one.”
Best for Ease of Use and Convenience: Homesnap
House Finder by Homesnap allows you to snap a picture of any home and get instant home value estimates, photos, school ratings and more. Plus, the app has sophisticated search functionality, robust map layers with everything from school zones to your commute and a built-in private messaging feature.
Why we like it
Homesnap is optimized for iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV, so you can access home listings wherever you are – and even share them on the big screen.
What people are saying about it on the App Store
The reviews are in:
- “My favorite part of this app is it’s very accurate and it gives you a map of the [surrounding houses] that you are looking for and actually gives you all the houses that are for sale, sold, contingent and under contract.”
- “This app has so many great features you will not find on any other home search app.”
- “Homesnap is kept up to date constantly so that you don’t miss any opportunities when buying or selling your home.”
Best for Apartment or House Rentals: Trulia
Trulia Apartments and Homes For Rent offers easy access to rental properties with a simple-to-navigate search feature and map views. The app also provides extensive neighborhood information that includes real resident reviews and a collections feature that allows you to browse a variety of properties in a new way.
Why we like it
With their 1-Click Request, you can contact landlords and property managers with just a single click. It’s a fast and simple way to start the ball rolling on the rental process.
What people are saying about it on the App Store
Here are some reviews of Trulia:
- “I’ve been using this app for about 2 years for three different moves! I love using the Trulia app because it’s so easy to use and extremely helpful when finding a place.”
- “This is a very well-designed app!”
- “I definitely love using this app. Having access to the assigned schools is my favorite feature and this app gives you a general idea of the neighborhood … little aspects that you may not have even considered like if you would feel safe at night to walk about.”
Best for Real Estate Agents: Realtor.com
As its name suggests, Realtor.com is associated with the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Because of this affiliation, the site uses the MLS – or multiple listing service – to provide a wealth of data not just to real estate agents, but also to potential home buyers who use the app.
Why we like it
Let’s say you’re driving around your local real estate market and see a “For Sale” sign in front of a promising home. You can use the Realtor.com app’s Sign Snap feature to photograph the real estate sign and get details on the property.
And if you’re not completely familiar with the area or would just like a little more information about the neighborhood, the comprehensive nature of the app can tell you, for example, whether the neighborhood is safe and in a good school district.
What people are saying about it on the App Store
Here are a couple of reviews:
- “I’m impressed with the app. I find it easy to use – great data and descriptions of property. I’m one to view maps to identify locations of interest, and it helps determine my decision.”
- “I am glad they added the ability to remove 55 plus communities. Helps me sort through local listings a lot faster.”
Best for Commercial Property: Loopnet
Loopnet helps investors find the ideal commercial property for their next venture with hundreds of thousands of property listings and detailed property reports that utilize video, satellite images, street views and advanced filters for an exacting search.
Why we like it
You can stay up-to-the-minute and ahead of the game with listing alerts for new properties as well as alerts for any changes to a property you have in your saved searches or favorites feature.
What people are saying about it on the App Store
People love Loopnet:
- “I love how comprehensive this app is and how much information each listing has.”
- “I use this app to search for unique investment opportunities. It presents a convenient interface to see what is available around the U.S.”
- “I check it every day, and it is a tool everyone should have in their belt.”
Real Estate Apps Are a Great Place To Begin Your House Hunt
Home buying apps have revolutionized the way people research property. Whether you’re looking to buy a new home, invest in some commercial real estate or even find an apartment, apps bring the entire real estate market into the palm of your hands. And by making it convenient and simple to streamline your search, you can quickly find only those properties that meet your exact criteria.
A wise step to take as you begin your house hunt is to get preapproved. Having a preapproval letter from your lender stating the mortgage loan amount you qualify for will show sellers that you’re serious about purchasing a home.
The Short Version
- Real estate apps have completely streamlined the house hunting process
- Listings are typically loaded pretty quickly, so you’re able to see homes right when they hit the market
- You can download and use most real estate apps for free on your smartphone or tablet
