Cellular applications

For many of us, our cellular phone never leaves our sight. Why not use it to help with your next real estate purchase? Years ago, a Sunday consisted of driving around wasting gas in an area in which you were looking for a home in. You would look for the “Open House” signs and tour the property. Many were not what you were looking for, though, and many Sundays were wasted.

Nowadays, all you need is a smart phone! There are many applications for real estate that feature basic settings like alerts when a property becomes available, whether that property meets your criteria and whether the price has changed. That sort of resource can give potential homebuyers tremendous peace of mind.

I always recommend that my sellers download these applications. Why not have them handy to keep stay abreast what is going on in your area. You can keep track of what has sold along with what homes have been placed on the market while yours is for sale. You can also track your property along with making sure all information being giving to potential buyers is accurate. I can’t tell you how many times a buyer has helped me with this! Many outside websites not provided directly by a local Realtor can have many inaccuracies.

Now those of you driving around looking for the “For Sale” signs in your target neighborhoods, did you know that many properties do not have signs for one reason or another? Many apps will allow you to search for homes for sale in a given area, regardless of whether they have signs out front. After that, you can view images of the property along with pertinent information. Many apps will also show you properties that have sold within the area as well as neighborhood and school information.

A real estate brokerage is always the best tool in searching for your next property, but these tools can help you with your search. When a property is freshly listed, you are going to want to view is immediately. A brokerage can set up showings for the properties you select, and can also point you in the direction of properties that do not show up when you search online. Yes — these applications often have a “contact the agent” button, but then you will be setting your showings with many different agents or companies who represent the sellers’ best interests, not yours.

For more, call 847-292-4700, e-mail gz@zerillorealty.com or visit www.zerillorealty.com.