Image: Inman News
Having a real estate “app” on your Smartphone has become a great tool for house hunters. The mobile web has arrived like a storm for Northern Virginia real estate and properties need to be easily found… and mobile ready (that especially means photos, darn it).
Here is an example: Using myself as the guinea pig… a current listing is a condo in a gated community in Fairfax, VA. 
At the gate I placed a Realtor lockbox containing a access “fob” for the gate, plus I added a tag with an easily scan-able QR Code. Get your Smartphone right now and scan the code to the right using one of the free QR reader apps (iPhone , Google Droid, Windows 7 Mobile).
Presto! There is more information, plenty of photos, and a way to contact me if you like what you see. Maybe it is just me, but I think this is what the current crop of Northern Virginia house hunters really wants.
Getting instant real estate info on your Smartphone is perfect
Last summer while looking at some Vienna, VA Real Estate, my clients showed me their favorite real estate apps which were fast, free and really cool. They all seem to show 95% of the same information but it comes down to ease of use and how current the information is… meaning they all don’t update at the same time.
The Apple iPhone winner for them in mobile-web real estate apps was Redfin which is a Seattle, Washington based real estate sales upstart. They felt it was excellent beating out zillow, sawbuck and franklymls. These apps were useful tools that helped them stay on top of the market.
Last week I explored the Realtor.com app for Google Droid-based phones which are quickly gaining market share. Like most apps it uses GPS to locate you, and then displays Nearby Homes for Sale, but now select the Map tab and then select Draw Mode. Using your finger, draw a circle on the map and it will show you homes in that area.
Now that real estate app feature is totally cool
Using Google satellite or bird’s-eye views can also give good insight. Another app that I like is the compass app that let’s you know exactly which direction a home faces.
Let me know your favorite or most useful mobile web / smart phone apps.
