Sarah’s Top 5 Ranking of Mobile Real Estate Apps

Not all real estate mobile applications are created equal. I have ranked the top real estate search applications. I use an Apple iPhone 3GS.

1. Trulia (Winner!)
   1. Positives: Easy home page menu. Very attractive, modern green aesthetic. Thorough listing details includes listing agent’s contact information. Easy Google Map searching using GPS location with extra options to refine your search. Photos display easily with a simple swipe of your screen.
   2. Negatives: Properties only sharable through email. No text, twitter or facebook sharing options. Can’t search by specific home street address.
2. Realtor.com
   1. Positives: Easy Google Map searching using GPS location with extra options to refine your search. Easy to navigate home menu page. Photos display well for easy scrolling. Also displays open houses and rentals. Best sharing options of this survey – can share with text, twitter, facebook, or email properties.
   2. Negatives: Did not display all photos on a couple properties that I sampled. This is a big negative. Only supplies the listing office, not the agent’s contact information.
3. Coldwell Banker
   1. Positives: Easy Google Map searching using GPS location with extra options to refine your search. I especially liked the refresh button which allowed me to easily explore other points on the map – not just my current location. Great extra search options. Also displays open houses and sold properties.
   2. Negatives: Listing information is not complete. Awkward design. Tries to set you up with a Coldwell Banker agent, not the property’s listing agent which can be misleading. No sharing options available.
4. Zillow
   1. Positives: Easy Google Map searching using GPS location. Also shows sold properties and rentals. Excellent photo display and scrolling. Can share on facebook, twitter, or email (no text sharing).
   2. Negatives: Difficult to know what properties are actually for sale and not just in the Zillow database (user created, unreliable information). Property listing details are incomplete. Tries to set you up with a Realtor who is advertising on Zillow, not the listing agent, which can be misleading.
5. Homes.com
   1. Positives: Easy photo scrolling and display. Also shows rentals.
   2. Negatives: Defaults to list view, not map view. Difficult to use. Doesn’t use Google Maps. Worst design of the apps. Did not display complete listings in my sample area. Doesn’t reload areas when scrolling. Crashed multiple times. No sharing options available.