Almost every one of my buyer clients ask me at some point during our transaction about nearby grocery stores, shopping, parks, or wonders how they can arrange their furniture around the home, etc. While I’m always happy to assist on locating a nearby Starbucks and give suggestions about arranging furniture, it helps to have resources that they can utilize that focus on their specific questions. I’ve come across some amazing apps that are incredibly helpful, easy to use, and best of all, free!
Check them out:
AROUND ME
This app is an absolute must have when it comes to buying a home. Not only are you able to check out any type of location (coffee shop, grocery store, bank, gas, etc) but the app will give you ALL the information about the locations including website, phone number, hours, directions, as well as reviews about the location, and photos.
HOUZZ
This is another one of my favorite apps. Houzz has so many incredible features, it can honestly become addicting if you love anything home! Houzz has thousands of professional photos offering inspiration for your dream home, along with the ability to shop the items in the photos! Should you have interest in an item in a photo or a layout inspiration, you can draw on the photo, and even add additional furniture pieces to the photo to see how they would look in that room. You can also find professionals in your area for everything home related, including Realtors, Contractors, Interior Designers, Painters, Landscapers, and much more. You can also publish “projects” on your personal profile, including renovations you did on your home, or if you are a professional yourself you can publish projects you worked on specifically.
IKEA PLACE
I recently discovered this app and haven’t stopped telling my buyer clients about it! The app allows you to take a photo of a room, and place true to scale furniture around the room as desired. This is especially great for vacant homes that aren’t staged, so you can get a feel for having furniture around the home, and share how good design can transform any space.
Pinterest is definitely a classic. Pinterest allows you to create “boards” where you can save photos for inspiration, and most of them are linked to the websites they were taken from so you can get further details on the photo. They are great for saving home decor ideas, DIY projects, and so much more.
NEXTDOOR
Nextdoor is a fantastic app for getting to know your neighborhood once you get settled into your new home. Once you enter your street address & create your profile, you can keep up on the latest news in your neighborhood, including crime reports shared by neighbors, as well as find local babysitters in the area or finding out when the latest block party will be taking place. It’s basically like a Facebook for your neighborhood. A great addition to your app collection.
COLORSNAP
Colorsnap is great if you are contemplating different paint colors for your new home. You can snap a photo of any room, and the app will pull different colors from the room and give Sherwin Williams paint colors that match those from the photo. You can play with the colors to see how they would look in your space, as well as find the nearest store location. One of the best features of the app is you can put in the dimensions of the room you wish to paint, as well as the number of doors & windows in the room to give you an idea of how many gallons you need to purchase. How cool is that?!
These are just some of my favorite apps that have really helped my buyer clients get situated into their new homes, however there are tons of other apps available that would be just as helpful, so if you come across any of them please feel free to share!