Finding the best real estate websites demands experience and a lot of patience. But all the efforts are worth the result. In recent years, the number of real estate transactions carried out via the Internet has grown several times. More than half of homeowners found their new home on real estate web sites. Almost half as many buyers found their dream home with the help of a real estate agent.
Before deciding the top real estate websites, you must have a clear plan of action. If your goal is a resale home, you need specialized portals. If you are ready to wait with the move, but get a new home, then you need to look for other sites. The good thing about new buildings is that the design will fully match your taste. If you choose an area that is just getting started, such as Park Vista Frisco, you will have time to buy the best plot or apartment at a low price. Now let’s move on to the best home buying sites.
Ranked first on multiple criteria
Zillow usually gains the most points in the ratings. They have been operating in the real estate market since 2006. The site offers many features for sellers, buyers, investors, renters and landlords. A convenient filter for finding the desired options was introduced on the portal. In addition to information about houses and apartments, the site offers links to mortgage calculators and lending companies.
The downside of the platform is the huge number of real estate agents. At the same time, it is not uncommon for the chosen agent to know nothing about the house you like. Another disadvantage is the small base of new buildings. If you are interested in this promising direction, it is better to give preference to the inew-homes.com service. Here are some of the most impressive US projects under construction. For example, if you’re willing to wait about a year to move in, check out Vineyards Blue Point townhouses. On the inew-homes website, you will find many more similar projects in development. Also, the portal refused to obtrusive advertising agencies, which is a lot on Zillow.
Best algorithm
Realtor.com has the most accurate algorithms. They analyze over 800 regional sources. The resource administration updates lists and ratings daily. You can find in the database even those houses and apartments that are not for sale now. The site also has links to services for determining the credit rating of customers. The big disadvantage is the ability to cooperate only through intermediaries. You cannot contact the seller directly through this site.
Best Mobile App
Trulia has been operating since 2005. It has a website and a mobile application. The site does not stand out from the competition, but the smartphone app has earned the most flattering reviews. It is very fast and has a wide range of features:
- Detailed information about houses and apartments;
- Ability to set up notifications about price changes or conditions of sale and lease;
- Links to check the financial condition of the user;
- Built-in map.
In the application, you must register by providing personal data. Users don’t like this. Also, the disadvantage is working only with real estate agencies. An ordinary user cannot put his house up for sale. The resource does not contain educational articles or information about the current state of the real estate market.
Where there is the most trustable information?
Different sites use their own algorithms to pull together data from different sources. The more often the portal administration updates the data, the more chances it will find relevant information. It is also important that the site reflects MLS listings, government tax reports, and other data from official sources in each state.
How to pick websites?
Making our choice of the best portals, in addition to the reliability of the information, we evaluated the following criteria:
- Number of sources from which data is collected;
- Speed of information update;
- Ease of use of the site;
- Availability of a convenient mobile application;
- The number of categories of real estate offered for purchase or sale;
- Possibility of rental housing.
The wider the range of site services, the more useful it is for users.
