Published on September 21st, 2018 | by Guest

Best Apps To Make Home Buying Easy

Buying a home isn’t an easy process. There’s preliminary research, determining what you can afford, getting prequalified and preapproved for credit for your mortgage, finding the right real estate agent (unless you decide to enroll directly through a broker), getting a home inspection, and more. While an app won’t erase all the work you have to do, it’ll certainly make things much easier for you—which is always a great thing! Here are some apps we think should be in your arsenal come house shopping time.

HomeSnap

HomeSnap, the largest nationwide home portal, gives real estate agents and buyers access to real time MLS information, so that they have accurate information on properties of interest. HomeSnap also provides some pretty neat features:

Nationwide search. In New York but looking to access the MLS in San Francisco? No problem! HomeSnap makes it possible to do so.
Agent Matching. Get matched to a knowledgeable agent who knows all the details on the property you’re looking to purchase. Similarly, home sellers can benefit from this service as well.
Real-time data. Get instant access to HD photos, school attendance zones, property history, and more!
Instant Alerts. New listing? A price change? HomeSnap keeps you up-to-date on any other market updates.
Messaging Center. Facilitates communication between friends, family, and agents—even if they’re not on HomeSnap. This makes it easy to ask for mom’s opinion on the house you’ve been eying (because mom knows best, right?) or get some feedback from your agent on even better deals in the area.

Mortgage Calculator by Quicken Loans

When shopping for a home, having an idea of how much money you’ll have to actually pay each month in mortgages is invaluable. This can help determine the affordability of a house, thus cutting down your search to only feasible options. Quicken Loans offers four calculator modes:

Purchase Calculator. Determine your monthly payment while house hunting.
Home Affordability Calculator. See what types of homes you can afford.
Refinance Calculator: Refinancing is the act of paying off a loan with a new loan, in hopes that the new loan rates are more affordable than the previous. With this calculator, determine if refinancing makes sense for you.
Amortization Calculator. Amortization is a technique used to lower the cost value of a finite life or intangible asset through incremental, scheduled charges. With this calculator, see the total cost of your loan and see how much you can save by making extra payments.

Rocket Mortgage

Also operated by Quicken Loans, this app works hand-in-hand with the Mortgage Calculator by giving you an official pre approval regarding how much you can borrow for a home. Rocket Mortgage makes it possible to:

Share information automatically. Quickly share information about your income and assets to trusted partners.
Customize your loan. You can adjust your loan to your specific financial situation, with the ability to even adjust the costs you have to pay and the terms to fit your budget the best.
Manage your mortgage after closing. Want to keep everything in one place? Keep using this app to make payments, get in touch with the Quickens financial team, see your tax and insurance information, and even start a new loan if the need arises.

Tags: apps, home buying, homeowner