Looking for a new home? Any buyer new to the process or any homeowner selling after a few years out of the market and buying a new home will likely to be in for a few surprises.  Gone are the days of sifting through thousands of classified ads, studying hundreds of pages of real estate advertising book listings, cruising real estate agency windows and Sunday open-houses, and trudging to endless showings. Finding the picture-perfect place to call home has never been easier thanks to an arsenal of location-based, user-friendly apps that put the entire nation’s property listings, quite literally, in the palm of a hand.

Many industries have seen a shift in the habits of consumers thanks to the innovative software and mobile apps available. This is especially true in the real estate industry where real estate apps have made the searching and purchasing experience of buying a home faster and more convenient than ever.

Efficiency is the primary benefit offered by these apps, helping to bring buyers and sellers together and finding and addressing each other’s needs.

Today, buyers can get real-time information on property listings, complete with location, price, high-resolution photos, and other pertinent details, all from their smartphone screens.

Thanks to the proliferation of these high-tech platforms, properties can be “viewed” from nearly anywhere on earth. Whether looking to buy or rent, there is a range of apps ready to guide the search. Platforms gather real-time listings from across the web, covering everything from major mansions for sale to budget studios. Mobile apps offer a way to search through, eliminate, and narrow down hundreds of listings of potential choices before standing on their doorstep.

It is possible to filter through everything from laundry facilities to pet-friendliness to schools in the area. By storing preferences and setting alerts, a buyer will never miss a listing. The apps streamline the process and keeps the user up to date with new-to-the-market properties meeting their criteria.

Once the right place is located, handy calculators can help you determine whether or not the home is actually affordable. Some platforms have gone so far as to fully digitize the mortgage financing application, or oversee the entire process on behalf of owners, from initial listing to closing.

Here’s a list of industry leaders that The Trembley Group Real Estate Sales Executives find most useful and recommend to their clients.

A list of real estate apps that buyers, sellers, homeowners, and investors will find beneficial:

Realtor.com boasts of having a wide reach, available in more than 80 major markets in the U.S. The app updates property listings every 15 minutes and gives users a variety of filters to narrow down their search by city, ZIP code, neighborhood, or school zone. And buyers will need these features if they intend to browse through the app’s database of more than 70 million properties.

While Realtor.com can’t replace a broker or brokerage firm, it’s a helpful little tool for finding comparables and allows a buyer to create a search for homes based on sale price, number of baths and bedrooms, age and design of the home, lot size, views, condition, and a variety of other market factors. Since the data is supplied by licensed Realtors, it will be correct at all times!

Zillow is an online real estate database that claims to be the leading property marketplace on the Internet. Built to help buyers and sellers find and list their homes with a mouse click or screen tap, Zillow’s real claim to fame is its seamless interface, allowing buyers to look for available homes for sale. Zillow also gives you access to homes not on Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

Many buyers find Zillow to be most helpful in finding a Realtor with its Realtor reviews. The Trembley Group Real Estate sales executives are some of the most highly reviewed Realtors nationally and buyers are encouraged to read what their clients are saying about them. Buying real estate is a big deal- probably the biggest single transaction that most people make in their lifetime – so it behooves a buyer or seller to find a realtor that can make the process as seamless and stress-free as possible.

Mortgage Calculator. One of the most challenging aspects of buying a home is calculating mortgage loans, interest rates, and monthly payments. It used to be that first-time buyers had no choice but to rely on their broker, but with apps like the Anderson Brother’s Bank mortgage calculator, the mortgage payment calculation process has never been easier.

The mortgage calculator gives a simple explanation of mortgage repayment requirements, allowing a mortgage borrower to understand what goes on when they take a loan for a home. The Anderson Brother’s Bank mortgage calculator shows an accurate estimate of monthly or bi-monthly payments. Getting a pre-approval letter from a lender is paramount to finding the perfect house. A buyer need to know what’s an affordable mortgage payment before they start the buying process. A Trembley Group Real Estate sales executive will be glad help with the prequalification and mortgage process.

The Trembley Group Real Estate doesn’t have an app, per se, however The Trembley Group does have a very user-friendly, up-to-date web site. The site is easy to use from a smart phone or an iPhone. The results are local and house hunters may find properties not on national services like Zillow or Realtor.com. The Trembley Group website focuses on the Grand Strand, where a house-hunter actually lives (or want to live). A Trembley Group sales executive can help navigate the site and answer any questions.

There was a time not too long ago when access to MLS services was limited to real estate companies. The Trembley Group website is like having access to the Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand MLS. On the homepage’s top left is a search tab that allows the user to search by price, the number of bedroom, the number of bathrooms and all the other usual criteria. The database currently contains more than 12,800 homes. The search tab will even let a house-hunter search by map – by area, subdivision, or school system.

Along with a relationship with an honest and experienced sales executive, efficiency is a key ingredient in achieving a success home search. Mobile apps give the serious house-hunter as well as professionals in the real estate industry the technological tools to streamline real estate transactions, get real-time information, and ensure efficiency is maximized along the way.

Google Maps might not be exactly a real estate app, but it’s still an indispensable tool when looking for addresses of potential homes. When it comes time to finally visit a property, Google Maps will give turn by turn directions to the property. Google Maps is especially useful if a buyer isn’t familiar with a home’s city.

Given the competition in the real estate industry is today, apps give homebuyers a chance of staying ahead of the curve, allowing them to spot homes within their purchase requirements. If a buyer needs assistance and advice finding homes in a specific city or county, The Trembley Group Real Estate team can help! Contact us today to learn more about our real estate services.

Buying a house is a big deal – for most people it’s probably the biggest single transaction they’ll make in their lifetime. To find the find the house they want, they must find a realtor, obtain approval for a loan, and lots of other things. It can be a complicated and stressful process. The sales executives at The Trembley Group Real Estate can help with every step of the process and make finding and buying the perfect home as seamless and stress-free as possible.

Need help? Call The Trembley Group at 843.945.1880 ext. 100 and we’ll help you look for the perfect listing or buyers agent!

At The Trembley Group, we pride ourselves on being the experts at more than just selling real estate. We are local residents, some of us have been here for a lifetime. The rest of us will be here until the end of time. We love living, working, and playing in the diverse backyard of Coastal Carolina, and look forward to helping you live and love your dreams soon too. Please reach out to us by phone or email for personalized service and one-on-one advice. 

About our blog

Our agents write often to give you the latest insights on owning a home or property in the Myrtle Beach, SC area.