Top 5 Real Estate Websites and Apps

The internet has made finding your dream home so much easier. You can enter your search criteria (such as cost, number of bedrooms, even area of town) and the website will serve up selections in seconds. You can look at homes whenever you have a minute and an internet connection. Home viewing couldn’t be easier.

If you’re looking for a home (or looking to sell one) check out these top real estate websites and apps (NOTE: the user numbers are as of 4/1/15):

Zillow: 36,000,000 unique monthly visitors

Zillow’s quickly becoming known as the place to go for all things real estate. From sales history to realtor reviews, homes for sale to mortgages and home design, if you’re looking to buy or rent a home, Zillow is a one-stop shop. Zillow has an app and several helpful calculators that can aid the home buyer in staying within a budget or figuring one out.

The site also provides a helpful Zestimate section that allows buyers to see whether the house is well priced based on the history and sales in the area. However, some homeowners have questioned the site’s realistic numbers.

Trulia: 23,000,000 unique monthly visitors

You can search for homes to buy, rent, or properties that were recently sold to get an idea of the area. One of the nice features of Trulia’s search is their map layout where you can see all of the properties pinpointed on a map of your choosing (such as zip code or town).

Trulia has a large selection of homes for sale and rent but many buyer reviews complain that their availability is not updated often, meaning many homes are already sold or in contract yet remain on the site. It also has an app.

Yahoo! Homes: 20,000,000 unique monthly visitors

This site is not as appealing visually but still offers very easy searches for homes for sale, rent, and new homes. Like Trulia, they have a map feature that you can zoom-in and out of to find homes in the exact neighborhood of your choosing. It offers a variety of search parameters including date range of when the property was listed, to help isolate those desperate sellers.

Realtor.com: 18,000,000 unique monthly visitors

Like Zillow, Realtor.com wants to be a one-stop shop for home buying needs. You can search for homes to buy or rent, as well as assess your mortgage needs, find a realtor, and research local areas to locate the neighborhood to suit your needs. The site boasts that it updates every 15 minutes for the most up-to-date information on the market. It also has an app so you can search on the go.

RedFin: 6,000,000 unique monthly visitors

Redfin is a real estate brokerage site, whereas the others are third-party data aggregators. This gives this site access to the most up-to-date, and correct, information. Redfin is a member of the MLS, whereas the other sites have to form agreements with large real estate firms and companies like Listhub (which pulls info from the MLS, cleans it, and leases it to other companies) to get access to their MLS’. Not every area is willing to provide them. The way the third-party aggregators get their data is the reason you will see complaints against them about incorrect or out-of-date information.

As a real estate brokerage site they can help you buy or sell your home.

These sites are all extremely helpful and convenient. Their user-friendly search features will help you find your ideal home quickly.

When you’re ready to close, Bay National Title Company is there for you. Contact us today and we’ll help you get into the home of your dreams.