House Hunting
Most house hunting and real estate searching happens from your couch or wherever you happen to be when you see that notification you set up for the neighborhood you like. Heck some of the apps even figure out homes you might like and just e-mail them to you in the middle of the night, perfectly timed with a break in your rem sleep. Next thing you know, you have submitted your information on the contact form for a fixer upper that doesn't quite meet your needs at 3:32am. We've all been there!
First About the Contact Button on Real Estate Apps.
ALL Real Estate apps make money on your data. ALL of them. The primary way they get it is when you hit submit on a contact form on the app with a question about a property. When you click that submit button the app then redistributes your contact information to one or more agents that either pay a monthly fee to get these contacts, or a percentrage of their commission. You very very rarely will reach the listing agent for the property. I myself, am a 'partner with Redfin and a subscriber to contacts from Realtor.com. I participate in these programs because my mission is to help as many people as possible. Do these apps always connect you with quality agents? Nope, they sure don't. Do they at least have knowledge of the areas where you are interested in real estate? Also No. Always make sure you search up the agent who has been connected with you to make sure they have the skills, experience and willingness to help you. That is evident in client reviews.
So Instead of clicking the 'Contact Agent" Button, simply reach out to the real estate agent you know and trust. If you don't know a realtor, think of someone who has recently bought or sold a home and see if they would recommend the realtor they used. Or just message me an no matter where you are in the USA I will find you an agent. You are welcome.
Which apps are best
The two best apps in terms of interface and speed of data updates are Redfin and Realtor.com. I do not recommend relying on Zillow for your home search or determing value of properties because of issues they have had with data reliability. (Zillow Home Flipping Fiasco) Trulia is dead and also owned by Zillow, no one really uses it. Finally, Homesnap is pushed by most real estate assosications but I only find it useful for the property boundary feature. Whichever app you use, also have the real estate professional you work with set up a search on the local MLS directly. Save the listings you like and forwad the ones you want to see straight from the app to their mobile number in text form.
What if I am the one who finds the house?
Some believe that it is up to the realtor soley to find homes that have gone on sale that meet your requirements. I always recommend folks to be directly involved searching at the same time their agent is. This way nothing slips through the cracks. Most agents, including myself, set up searches for you that automatically send listings to your email. We don't look at them before they hit your inbox because this is an automated process. If you are a partner on the search with your agent, you will be much more likely to find the home that fits your needs together as a team with them.
Ohio Home Buying Guide Index:
Ohio Home Buying Guide: Page 1 (Intro)>>
Ohio Home Buying Guide: Page things to Consider: Your Timeline 2>>
Ohio Home Buying Guide: Real Estate Apps (Current Page)
Next>> Ohio Home Buying Guide: Financing>>
ALL Real Estate apps make money on your data. ALL of them. The primary way they get it is when you hit submit on a contact form on the app with a question about a property. When you click that submit button the app then redistributes your contact information to one or more agents that either pay a monthly fee to get these contacts, or a percentrage of their commission. You very very rarely will reach the listing agent for the property. I myself, am a 'partner with Redfin and a subscriber to contacts from Realtor.com. I participate in these programs because my mission is to help as many people as possible. Do these apps always connect you with quality agents? Nope, they sure don't. Do they at least have knowledge of the areas where you are interested in real estate? Also No. Always make sure you search up the agent who has been connected with you to make sure they have the skills, experience and willingness to help you. That is evident in client reviews.
So Instead of clicking the 'Contact Agent" Button, simply reach out to the real estate agent you know and trust. If you don't know a realtor, think of someone who has recently bought or sold a home and see if they would recommend the realtor they used. Or just message me an no matter where you are in the USA I will find you an agent. You are welcome.
Which apps are best
The two best apps in terms of interface and speed of data updates are Redfin and Realtor.com. I do not recommend relying on Zillow for your home search or determing value of properties because of issues they have had with data reliability. (Zillow Home Flipping Fiasco) Trulia is dead and also owned by Zillow, no one really uses it. Finally, Homesnap is pushed by most real estate assosications but I only find it useful for the property boundary feature. Whichever app you use, also have the real estate professional you work with set up a search on the local MLS directly. Save the listings you like and forwad the ones you want to see straight from the app to their mobile number in text form.
What if I am the one who finds the house?
Some believe that it is up to the realtor soley to find homes that have gone on sale that meet your requirements. I always recommend folks to be directly involved searching at the same time their agent is. This way nothing slips through the cracks. Most agents, including myself, set up searches for you that automatically send listings to your email. We don't look at them before they hit your inbox because this is an automated process. If you are a partner on the search with your agent, you will be much more likely to find the home that fits your needs together as a team with them.
Ohio Home Buying Guide Index:
Ohio Home Buying Guide: Page 1 (Intro)>>
Ohio Home Buying Guide: Page things to Consider: Your Timeline 2>>
Ohio Home Buying Guide: Real Estate Apps (Current Page)
Next>> Ohio Home Buying Guide: Financing>>