When you’re searching for a home, there’s so much work that needs to get done. It is a big financial investment that can affect your future and your family’s future. Making sure that you purchase the right home is of high importance.
In addition to that, searching for a home is time-consuming. If you are in an urban area, you might need to pour most of your time for weeks or months looking into different websites and doing property visits. To speed up your search, make sure that you’re looking at the top real estate listings online.
From 2018 to 2019, Phixer still recommends to check out these top sites when looking for a house.
1. Zillow. The great thing about Zillow is that it has millions of property listings that often come with Google Earth views. This can be useful especially if you want an accurate image of how the property looks and not just an edited photo. The site has Zestimates, which is an estimated market value of a property that uses public data. There is also a forum for potential home buyers to interact with other people and get helpful advice. Zillow is a great tool if you’re a homeowner who wants to know the value of your home.
2. Redfin. This site has a coverage on 75 different metropolitan areas in the US and is updated every 30 mins or less. It has a pretty robust search tool that has interesting features like marking a home that is not for sale yet as a favorite where you can get an alert once it gets listed. You can also specify the fixer-uppers and homes with views that you want when you search. It has a “Last Call” option that updates you when a competing buyer gives a bid so you can counter. As a home buyer, you can view a home in person with a Redfin agent and they also have free home-buying classes if you are in their area of service.
3. Realtor. This listing is available on every state in the US. Realtor is sponsored by the National Association of Realtors which gives you access to hundreds of multiple listings services. You are sure that with this site, you are looking at a credible real estate resource that is frequently updated throughout the day. Their listings provide adequate marketing summaries to your chosen neighborhood, as well. The site is a good information resource and has useful services such as finding a realtor and search assist wherein you are matched to a real estate professional in a specific area.
4. Trulia. It is a user-friendly real estate listing site that allows you to view listings in map formats or in photos. You can get information on the neighborhood of your choice, like its price trends, school reviews, crime reports and others. Trulia also has interesting features, such as find an agent, compare it, and price reductions. It has an online community where potential buyers and home sellers can interact and discuss the buying and selling processes. Users can also blog about their experiences.
5. Homes. If you just want the basics, then Homes.com is where you should look. It has an easy way to look for properties for rent, homes for sale, the home values of recently sold properties, and a directory of real estate professionals in different areas. The site also has demographic information about different neighborhoods. The great thing about Homes.com is that it has different mobile search options no matter what your device is. Its mobile site is also robust so you can easily drive around the neighborhood and search for available homes.