Have property apps made things easier for buyers and sellers?
News at Eden Harper | 06/06/2018
A nationwide property survey commissioned by Vivo revealed that people consider selling a house to be the most stressful life event. You might be able to guess what people think the second most stressful life event is...
You got it. Buying a house.
Those two things are apparently more stressful than having a baby or planning a wedding. So, surely, we'd all welcome anything that would make the process of buying or selling a property easier?
Enter the apps.
What apps are currently available? And do they indeed make life easier for buyers and sellers?
This app is a bit like Tinder, but for property. It offers up property listings, powered by Zoopla, based on your current location or your choice of area. Basically, you swipe through properties until you find one that you like the look of. You can also save a list of your favourites.
It's labelled as 'fun and addictive', which isn't necessary for a property app. The app is more suitable for somebody who wants to browse casually. But if you're looking to do serious, in-depth research, this might not be the solution for you.
Search through thousands of websites to find properties for rent or sale with this app. There are a number of filters you can use to find your perfect home. Filter by city, neighbourhood, price, square footage, number of rooms, bathrooms and more.
The fact that you can search so many websites within the app is sure to make things a lot easier. However, it hasn't got the best reviews, with one user citing a 'messy and confusing' interface. So, the jury's out on this one.
This app acts as a guide to the local area. It quickly shows you what amenities are in the vicinity, including places such as bars, ATMs, coffee shops, restaurants, and so on. You can use it when visiting properties to check out your potential new neighbourhood.
AroundMe could certainly prove useful to prospective tenants, buyers and property investors. Having to manually search the local area on your phone or by physically pacing around the streets would take a lot longer. The app makes things easier as it could save you a lot of time and energy.
You can search the UK market for a mortgage using this app. The range of features and wealth of information, also make this app worthwhile. UKMortgages has a mortgage calculator to help you work out what you need to borrow. Plus, it allows you to contact a qualified broker from within the app. Since getting a mortgage is, for many people, such an important part of buying a house, this app is supremely useful. It offers an easy way to get a quick price comparison.
Zoopla and Rightmove
In our opinion, the best apps available to property buyers and sellers (and landlords and tenants) are the apps provided by the two major portals: Zoopla and Rightmove. The Rightmove and Zoopla apps are optimised for use across multiple platforms, and work seamlessly. The Rightmove app boasts a huge database and customisable search options for users, while Zoopla's app is highly-personalised and intuitive, and allows users to manage the search process while on the move.
All in all, it seems that apps could make the process of buying or selling a house quicker and easier, but they are an aid, not a solution. Property search apps seem to be a bit lacking, but apps which provide assistance in other areas may prove useful.
And there's certainly no substitute for asking a local estate or letting agent about a neighbourhood or to provide you with access to the most relevant properties available on the market.
If you're looking for a property in Brixton or Battersea, check out our property for sale in Brixton and Battersea page.