Buying a home is an exciting yet overwhelming process for all parties involved. Real estate agents, sellers and buyers are all trying to have a positive experience while trying to serve their own interests and meet others needs.

The modern real estate market is changing and evolving. Technology is now a powerful tool that buyers, sellers and realtors can use to their advantage. There are apps you can use to search for homes, calculate costs and gather information on specific housing markets.

Best Apps

Zillow: Available for both Andriod and iOS, this clever app will give you a good idea of the homes available in your market and the average cost. You can also use extra features like mortgage calculator and property estimate.

Sitegeist: This app is a data collecting tool that is helpful to home buyers and realtors. Simply plug in a zip code to find out the demographics, political distribution, popular local sites and other stats that could help you decide whether or not you want to live in that area. This app is available for Android and Apple devices.

Trulia: An app only accessible via iPhone and iOS systems, is a real estate app that will help you find properties for sale. You can also connect with a real estate agent, calculate mortgage rates and locate rentals.

Lovely: Available only for iOS, this app allows you to favorite your local spots and search for places in proximity to the places you work, socialize and frequent. It helps you limit your search by requirements, like being pet-friendly.

Homesnap: This app, available for iOS and Android, is a creative tool that puts a twist on the traditional home search. You can take pictures of homes you like and get feedback on it, such as cost, investment potential and recent sale information. This is a good way to gauge home prices in neighborhoods and to see what you can potentially flip and turn into a good investment.

Best Tech Tools

Save yourself time and energy by weeding out the homes that won’t fit in your budget, desired neighborhood or style. If you are a busy agent or a buyer on the go, there are other ways to use technology to help make the process easier.

Use your Apple device, like the Apple iPad Mini, to efficiently FaceTime directly from properties and give a virtual tour to family members or prospective clients.

Realtors are always snapping photos and capturing videos. Upgrade to a new camera, like the Cannon PowerShot. This camera shoots stunning HD video in 1080p and the lens stabilizer ensures clear photos. Upload the videos to your YouTube channel and post the property listing photos on your website for all to see.

Technology makes life easier. We can use the devices we have to make the home buying and home searching process a peaceful experience. Using technology can enable us to make informed financial decisions. Buying a home is a big step and investment. Make sure you are doing what you can to make the process as smooth and enjoyable as possible.