Once upon a time, people who wanted to buy a house had to drive through many neighborhoods looking for “For Sale” signs or read classified ads to find out about homes. Even though these ways helped buyers, sellers and renters find properties, they could have been better than today’s online tools.
The best real estate websites help people find what they want and need quickly, so they save time looking at properties that are a good fit. This is true whether they are buying, selling, or renting.
No longer will you find a house and get ready to see it, only to find out when you get there that it has already been sold or rented. These websites update their listings often, which makes it easier to find the right home. Also, the tools on these sites give people much more information to help them avoid bad situations and get the best deal.
In the same way, the best realtors, real estate agents, and property management companies don’t waste time with prospects who aren’t serious about buying real estate. This book contains all the information you’ll need to know about prime real estate markets.
Choosing the Right Real Estate Website
There are several real estate websites, so picking one was difficult. Our picks offer many property listings and valuable tools to make property search and marketing easy for customers and providers. We chose this variety of websites because they contain something for renters, homebuyers, and investors. These sites also offer search parameters and filters to improve the user experience.
The Benefits of Using a Top-Rated Property-Research Website
Real estate websites are a great way to determine how the market is doing. It gives buyers more freedom than if they had to rely on agents to find possible homes. And since many of these sites give sellers and landlords extra tools, it’s also a one-stop shop for marketing properties and getting paid.
These sites are also helpful for real estate investors because they put together a lot of properties in one place, so investors don’t have to look through the classified ads. Real estate agents can reach a wide range of customers they wouldn’t be able to reach any other way through these sites. Ultimately, the best real estate site helps people on both sides of the business.
- It’s free to look through the sites.
- There are a lot of property listings that users can look at.
- People who want to buy or rent can look at many properties without having to talk to a real estate agent immediately.
- Built-in tools make it easier to buy and sell things.
Best Real Estate Websites
The following recommendations will provide excellent outcomes and helpful resources for individuals wishing to buy, sell, or lease residential or commercial property:
1) Zillow
If you’re a buyer, seller, or tenant, Zillow has a tool that will make your life easier.
Rich Barton, a former Microsoft executive, and a few of his colleagues started Zillow in 2006 after having a wrong time with real estate. Barton thought that putting technology into the real estate process would make a big difference, and he was right. Zillow has since risen to prominence as a leading platform for online property searches. It has a lot of visitors and the most extensive online database of sales and rental listings, with millions of sales and rental listings.
Zestimate’s median error rate for on-market homes is 1.9 percent, making it a reliable value tool. Zillow’s home value comparison tool allows users to compare two or three homes’ attributes and values. Zillow is a one-stop shop for real estate agents, inspectors, and builders. Zillow may not update listings as often as other sites, but with all of its listings and traffic, buyers, sellers, and renters must recognize it as a real estate leader. Also, read Best HVAC Services 2023.
Specs
- Type of site: a website for real estate listings
- Buying, renting or selling: Buying, selling, renting
- Search parameters: Price, beds, baths, square footage, home type, amenities, view
- Site tools: Calculators, Zestimate, property management, advertising
Pros
- There are a lot of people visiting the site and a lot of property listings.
- Users can look for and post both for-sale and for-rent ads.
- Compare the prices of homes
- Customers can look for agents, builders, and inspectors.
- The median error rate for on-market homes is only 1.9%, which is pretty decent.
Cons
- New listings and updates take different amounts of time to finish.
2) Redfin
Redfin is an online marketplace for real estate, but it is also an extension of brokerage services. Real estate agents are available for direct communication with home buyers and sellers.
Since it opened in 2004 in Seattle, this real estate brokerage has grown by leaps and bounds in the online real estate market. Redfin is proud of its technology, but most of its strength comes from putting buyers in touch with qualified agents who have already been checked out.
Redfin hires its real estate agents, who are paid salaries instead of commissions. Redfin agents might have more clients than independent agents, so they might need to give each one more focused attention.
Redfin agents may have more clients than independent agents, making them less focused. However, this method may assist customers who prefer a more hands-off experience. Redfin Refund lets buyers and sellers recover some of their agent’s commission. Redfin knows that every dollar counts when buying a property.
Redfin also updates its listings every 5 minutes, giving customers the latest information. Redfin’s search filters simplify property selection. It has an agent finder, mortgage preapproval, and house value estimate.
Specs
- Type of site: Low-cost brokerage
- Buying, renting, or selling: Buying, selling
- Search parameters: Price, beds, baths, square footage, home type, status, stories, home features, listing type, schools
- Site tools: Affordability calculator, home value estimator, mortgage preapproval, agent finder
Pros
- Buyers can find qualified agents who have been checked out.
- Redfin Refund is a way for buyers and sellers to get their money back.
- There is a wide range of search filters.
- Every 5 minutes, the listings are changed.
Cons
- Agents might need to give more individual help.
3) Apartments.com
Apartments.com has a strong research team and uses new tools to make it easy to find a suitable apartment.
Apartments.com was started in 1992 and bought by CoStar Group, Inc. in 2014. It gives renters access to an online database of more than 1 million apartments, townhouses, and single family homes for rent. Local area guides give detailed information about a town or neighborhood, an excellent feature for people moving to a new place.
Users can quickly sort through listings using the many filters and tags for amenities. This means that renters can save time looking at places that don’t have what they need.
Due to the many filters and amenities tags, tenants can save time looking at apartments that don’t meet their needs. Apartments.com’s affordability calculator helps renters determine their monthly rent. The app could be more user-friendly, but Apartments.com’s website is easy to use. Also, read Best Indoor Security Cameras.
Specs
- Type of site: a site that lists apartments
- Buying, renting or selling: Renting
- Search parameters: Price, beds, type, move-in date, lifestyle, amenities, affordability
- Site tools: Rental calculator, rental management tools
Pros
- A site focused on rentals
- Area Guides tell you about a listing’s location.
- A large number of search filters and tags for amenities
- Rental calculator that is easy to use
Cons
- The app is more challenging to use than the website.
4) Trulia
Trulia makes it easy for people to use its mobile site. It is owned by Zillow, which means that it has a lot of up-to-date real estate listings.
Since its start in 2005, Trulia is now a formidable competitor in the internet real estate sector. It became a part of Zillow in 2015, which gave the platform an extra boost. Even though you can’t list directly on Trulia, this app is great for renters and buyers because it has many listings from Zillow.
One thing that makes Trulia stand out is that users can search listings by keyword. This means that if they want a specific feature in a new home, they can enter that criterion instead of sifting through search filters to find the perfect home.
Trulia also shows properties popular in real estate markets or with people searching for homes. Trulia is the best choice for people searching for a home from the palm of their hand.
Specs
- Type of site: a website for real estate listings
- Buying, renting or selling: Buying, renting
- Search parameters: Price, beds, baths, home type, listing type, square footage, keywords
- Site tools: Calculators, mortgage prequalification
Pros
- User-friendly mobile app
- Listings that were shared with Zillow
- Users can use keywords to look for listings.
Cons
- No way to list Trulia directly
5) Auction.com
Auction.com has made an online marketplace that makes it easier to find foreclosed homes.
Since 2007, Auction.com has put together a considerable amount of information in its online database about foreclosed homes that real estate investors are interested in. Buyers can choose from over 30,000 bank-owned and foreclosed homes.
Once a potential investor or buyer sets up a profile, they can start saving properties, learn more about them using the site’s tools, and even get suggestions for other properties that may interest them. Users can bid on properties online or go to an auction in person.
Users can bid on properties online or go to an auction in person. The team at Auction.com helps auction winners close the deal with the seller smoothly. Even though it’s easy to find and buy properties on this site, most of them will need to be paid for in cash upfront. As long as buyers are ready to pay out of pocket, Auction.com is a great place to find that hidden gem and sell it for a profit. Also, read Best Memory Foam Mattresses.
Specs
- Type of site: a website for real estate listings
- Buying, renting or selling: Buying
- Search parameters: Asset type, buying type, condition
- Site tools: N/A
Pros
- A complete list of foreclosed and empty homes in the area
- You can choose to bid online or in person.
Cons
- Most properties must be paid for with cash upfront.
Conclusion
After looking at many real estate websites, we decided that Zillow was the best. It has a lot of valuable tools for buyers, sellers, and renters, and it is a one-stop shop for all three. Redfin is also one of our top picks because it can connect clients with agents and updates its database every 5 minutes.
