THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD APP
Winner: Sitegeist
Sitegeist
Sitegeist uses data from the official United States Census to provide demographics on any given area, including median income, family size, gender makeup and information on local housing. It can also give information on the local weather and popular sports. It’s available on iOS and Android, and is completely free. Our panel calls it an “amazing little app that is easy to use and graphically beautiful.”
Because the data is taken from the U.S. Census, this means some of the information may be out-of-date, depending on when you look at it, and results will be limited to the United States.
Price: Free.
Where to buy: http://sitegeist.sunlightfoundation.com
Runners Up: WalkScore, Nextdoor
WalkScore
WalkScore, according to our panel, is an excellent tool to see what’s walkable within your neighborhood, easy to use and is integrated into Zillow and many other portals. It’s also easy to integrate into an agent’s website.
Price: Free.
Where to buy: http://www.walkscore.com/
Nextdoor
Nextdoor is more of a neighborhood social media community – a great place for Realtors to answer questions from consumers and buyers and be helpful in their local neighborhoods. Wacksman says because this app is very hyper-local, users within each network are incredibly well-versed in the area. Using this app is a good way to connect with a community (you must live in a neighborhood to be connected) as well as become a resource. “You can tap into experts for your clients,” he says. “For example, if you don’t have kids but you are selling to families, Nextdoor can be incredibility valuable in learning about upcoming events, schools, etc. Helps agents become even more valuable to their clients.”
Price: Free.
Where to buy: https://nextdoor.com/
THE BEST MISCELLANEOUS APPS
Evernote
Highly recommended by our panel, Evernote is their go-to-for-everything app. You can create folders for each one of your listings; keep notes and pictures of the listings clients want to see; send important emails to a folder for future reference; and store useful articles and market statistics. It is easy to set up and available for download on just about any device.
There is a free version of Evernote, but it only has a 60MB download limit per month, so you will most likely end up with the premium version. And shared documents cannot be edited unless both parties have a premium account, which can make it very difficult to collaborate.
Price: Evernote has a free version, and it also has a premium version for businesses that costs $10 per user per month.
Where to buy: https://evernote.com
Doorsteps Swipe
It’s the “Tinder” of real estate apps, according to Nobu Hata, that educates you on what types of housing you’re really interested in with an easy like/dislike swipeable interface.
Price: Free.
Where to buy: Available at iTunes.
Drive Safe.ly
This mobile app reads text messages and emails aloud in real time, and automatically responds without drivers having to touch the mobile phone – a great solution to texting while driving.
Price: Free.
Where to buy: http://www.drivesafe.ly/download/