If you are in the market to find a new house in the St. Louis area or you are just interested in what the homes in your neighborhood are going for, you have probably searched a few real estate websites. Today there are many real estate websites, all having the same houses for sale, and it can be challenging to know where to look.
You will still likely need to meet with a real estate professional, but many of the best real estate websites claim that they can assist you in discovering the home of your dreams without even leaving the comfort of your sofa!
So, here are the benefits and drawbacks of each of the best real estate websites and apps available today.
1) Redfin.
Redfin is actually a broker, so they promote their own residential real estate agents. While it has some of the very same services as Trulia, Zillow, or Realtor.com, what its real purpose is, is to find you the very best Redfin real estate agent.
Redfin does not provide as many home listings as other real estate search sites, but it does claim to update their site every 10 minutes. The site does offers 3D tours of their listings, which helps you truly get a feel for a house before you decide to arrange a tour.
If you are ready to buy versus just browsing, Redfin is a pretty good house search tool.
2) Trulia.
The top two companies that people use the most for real estate searches are Trulia and Zillow. While Zillow has a couple more features than Trulia, the two are fairly comparable (most likely due to the fact that Zillow purchased Trulia back in 2015).
One of the greatest benefits to Trulia, is its app. It’s simple to browse and can be fun to use.
This feature has actually made Trulia an up-and-comer in the renting market. Many property managers are using Trulia, to market their condos and apartments and to be a lot more reliable and trustworthy compared to Craigslist.
3) Realtor.com.
Realtor.com has a huge selection of residential property listings, local mortgage rates, it offers statics about communities, and even has apartments that are for rent or lease. Searches can be customized based upon what you are looking for.
Realtor.com has a professionalism that a number of the other websites lack. This website is for both those who are casually browsing the internet and for the serious buyers.
4) Zillow.
Zillow is the “gold standard” for all of the other realty websites. Which is why most of them are set up very much like Zillow.
Zillow allows you to get very specific with your search. If you’re looking for a home with a mountain view, with a pool, has a basement, with a 3-car garage, and four bedrooms, that is located on some land, you can put in all of these search terms and it is quite possible that Zillow will discover that exact house.
The Zillow app is easy to use, similar to Trulia, and has as much information on its app as you would get on their website.
There is a downside to Zillow. Using exclusive algorithms, Zillow can inform you of the going rate of your home (if you’re thinking of selling), or the rate in a particular community if you’re looking to move. Zillow calls them “zestimates.” But often, St. Louis real estate agents contest these zestimates and say they are not accurate.
5) Homefinder.
Homefinder is a simple shopping platform and the newest of all the real estate search websites. It can be an excellent start for somebody who’s browsing in a specific area. One drawback is that they don’t have as many listings as Zillow or Realtor.com have on their sites.