From the nail-biting stress of putting in a mortgage application to complications associated with waiting in a property chain, some things are unlikely to change when it comes to property buying. But with an array of new smartphone apps now available for home-buyers, aspects of the process have been well and truly brought into the 21st century.
Here are 9 great apps for homebuyers that could help you make purchasing a home less stressful and more enjoyable.
Best apps for getting to know the area
1. Crime Map England and Wales
Choosing your home presents a wealth of options, the first and biggest question is: where to buy?
Your geographical choice will be made based on several criteria, including work and family, but this little app also allows you to view crime rates in your prospective area so you can choose the safest place to live.
Using a map of your chosen area, you can view exactly where crime and antisocial behaviour is occurring, including details of the specific crimes. Then you can compare it to the national average. This is a great tool for anyone planning to move into an area they are not yet well acquainted with — helping you to make a judgement call on where you will have a better quality of life.
2. Around Me Places Tracker
Around Me is another great app for anyone new to an area. Using your current position, the app allows you to learn about what’s on offer in the area – from restaurants and coffee shops to hospitals and cinemas.
Use it while you’re viewing prospective property purchases to find out how far you would have to go to get your morning cuppa or fill your tank with petrol.
3. Air Quality Breezometer
View the air quality index in your local area on this handy app. Ideal for those who live in inner-city areas, you can buy with confidence knowing that your new home will not negatively affect your health: simply input your postcode to view pollution levels, pollen count and humidity levels.
This app tells the air quality index in real-time, so try using it at different times of the day — as well as weekdays versus weekends — to get a true representation of what the area is like.
4. Citymapper
Whether you’re planning your route to your viewing, or want to work out how long the commute to work would take from your new pad, Citymapper is a great way to measure the length of time you’ll spend travelling.
Not only that, but you can track your journey and be told exactly when to get off the bus or metro — meaning you no longer have to awkwardly ask another passenger when’s best to get off.
Citymapper is currently available to use in these UK cities:
- – London
- – Manchester
- – Liverpool
- – Birmingham
- – Nottingham
- – Edinburgh
- – Glasgow
- – Cardiff
- – Bristol
- – Newcastle
- – Dublin
Best house-hunting apps
5. Rightmove
Found the area of your dreams and want to find out how much that house on the corner weighs in at? Rightmove’s app enables you to use your current location to find properties for sale and to let, then learn how much it would cost to live there.
You get all the property details listed on the Rightmove website direct to your mobile phone with the app. This is a great app for property buyers and nosey neighbours alike.
6. Zoopla
Zoopla is a home-buying and selling app that is a reliable way to search for properties and stay on top of your home search. You’ll be able to view property prices, running costs and market trends, as well as use their automatic mortgage calculator to work out how much you’ll need to borrow and pay back each month — it’s a great starting point before speaking with a mortgage advisor.
Remember to set up custom alerts to be told when new properties come up in your search criteria. From there, you can contact estate agents or view virtual tours. The whole property market is now at your fingertips!
7. Hoffr
Access private property sales from across the UK on the Hoffr app. These homes aren’t listed with estate agents, and can be a great way for you to find a good deal — private sellers don’t have to pay fees, and often the vendor is happy to pass those savings on to the buyer.
Use the app’s ‘Open Home’ feature to request viewings and contact sellers. With no application fees, it’s the perfect app to add to your home-buying arsenal.
Best apps for after move-in
8. Pinterest
Realise your interior dreams with Pinterest. Use it as a search engine to find decorating or DIY ideas to turn your property into a home. Create boards for each room of the house to collate your ideas — this is the perfect online scrapbook. What’s more, you can even make joint boards so if you’ve bought your property with a partner or housemate, you can easily share ideas.
It’s super easy to get started. All you have to do is sign up with your email address and choose your interests. Then, you can ‘Pin’ all the images or videos that you want. The opportunities are endless!
9. My Council Services
Whether you want to report blocked drains, uncollected bins or broken street lighting, My Council Services is a really useful app to connect you with your local authority. Submit reports to your council from your smartphone.
The app works with every council within the UK, either alerting council staff by email or loading your issue directly to their management system.
Best smartphone apps for homebuyers
Some things will always be the same for property buyers, but these apps can help streamline many processes to make purchasing and settling into your new home easier than ever before. Which one will you try first?
