If you’re having trouble selling your house, the solution to your problem might literally be in the palm of your hand. Anyone with a smartphone has unlimited access to a treasure trove of apps and some of them can help you attract homebuyers in a variety of ways. Here are six apps that you can download if you want to get rid of your house as quickly as possible. When you’re preparing to buy or sell a home, you may want to work with a financial advisor to see how your finances will be impacted both for long and short-term goals.
1. Redfin
The Redfin app can be a home seller’s best friend. It’s free for iPhone and Android users and it’s plugged into a database of more than 70 million properties. The app refreshes listing data every 15 minutes so if you decide to reduce your price or update your property photos, buyers will stay in the loop.
This can also be a good tool to help you see what you should be listing your home for because you can see historical data and homes that are currently available in your area to get you an estimated value. Having that data can provide you with all the tools you need to list your home to sell and earn a nice return on the process.
2. Zillow
The Zillow app, which is also free to download on iPhones and Androids, lets buyers browse homes across the country. Users even get access to more than a million listings that aren’t featured in the Multiple Listing Service databases that are widely used by real estate professionals. That’s a plus if you’d rather not pay the fee that’s required to be included in the MLS.
There’s another perk that the Zillow app offers. You can easily create and upload a video walkthrough so that prospective buyers can see what your home looks like inside and out, without setting foot in the front door.
3. 360 Panorama
This app isn’t specifically geared toward people who are selling their homes but it can certainly come in handy if you want to jazz up your online listing with panoramic photos. The app will cost you a couple of bucks to download on iTunes. But the minimum investment could be worth it, especially if you want some compelling photos of your home for potential buyers.
This is especially helpful if you’ve decided to list your home as for sale by owner. Real estate agents these days are using all the tricks and advanced technology they can to maximize interest in the homes they are selling and if you dont’ do the same then you might not garner the same amount of attention.
4. SQFT
One annoying thing that goes along with selling a house is having to figure out how much you’ll need to pay your agent and the buyer’s agent. The SQFT app, which is free for iPhone and Android users, lets you list and sell your home while cutting out the middleman.
It costs nothing to create your listing and once you sell your house, you’ll pay a listing fee (that could be as low as 1%), plus a $500 transaction fee. Since a real estate agent’s commission is often 6% of the home sale price, you could potentially save a lot of money by using the SQFT app.
5. Homesnap
While the Homesnap app was designed for homebuyers, it can be a valuable tool for home sellers too. iPhone and Android users can download this free app and use it to get the lowdown on just about any property by taking a picture of it. If you’re trying to figure out how to price your home, you can use this app to find the estimated home values of the houses in your neighborhood and other helpful information.
This could be a game-changer if you’re selling your house on your own or give you a good idea of how much a potential real estate agent is going to work for you. They may give you comps, or recently sold home prices, but they may not look up the data from several months or even a year before. The more information you have to sell your home, the better off you’ll be.
6. Houzz
Making upgrades or renovations can add value to your home but sometimes it can be tough to gauge where you should invest your time and money. The Houzz app lets you remodel your home virtually. The free app has over 10 million high-resolution photos that you can skim through to see what your kitchen would look like after a facelift or what a new coat of paint would do to your living room.
This can give you an advantage, especially in a competitive market. When you’re trying to attract top dollar for your home you’ll want to have as much finished inside and outside your home as possible. Obviously, you don’t want to spend a lot of money on something if it isn’t going to provide a nice return when you sell, but finishing off a room that has been started or a basement could be huge to getting what you want.
The Bottom Line
The apps that we’ve mentioned can potentially help you find more homebuyers who might be interested in your property. Knowing what other homes nearby are selling for and knowing which home improvement projects to focus on can be valuable, especially when you’re trying to sell your house in a short period of time.
Tips for Selling Your Home
- Both selling and buying a home are big financial decisions that can have a huge impact on your long-term financial goals. It’s important to understand what it’s going to do for the financial goals you have. You may want to work with a financial advisor to help you figure out how it applies to your situation. Finding the right financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
- If you’re not sure how to go through the process of selling your house in order to maximize your return, consider our guide to selling your home.
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