The best real estate apps for house hunters

Hunt for a home sans an agent with Redfin's multiple-listing-service-powered real estate app. This free app gives you the same information used by real estate agents - on-the-go, like photos, full details, property history and agent notes.

Realtor.com

"I find the data on Realtor.com to be much more accurate and up to date compared to other real estate websites," says realtor Michael Cohen of Prudential Advantage Real Estate. "[It] has some useful features. I can tap a button on the app and instantly see all the homes for sale around me." The app also uses your phone's GPS chip to pinpoint your location. The app also makes it easy to contact the listing agent of the property, Cohen adds.

Coldwell Banker

Not only can you search for homes in the U.S. using Coldwell Banker Real Estate Search, the free app can also provide you with international listings should you plan to move abroad or buy a vacation house. We think the coolest thing about this app is the property notification option. You can be notified the minute new properties or open houses are announced that meet your specific criteria.

CalcsFree

"Aside from the usual - Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow - I've really found CalcsFree to be helpful," says Dan Vollmer, a full-time real estate agent. "If I'm showing homes to prospective buyers and they want to know how much their mortgage will be, I can plug in an offer amount, the taxes and insurance payments, even HOA fees and mortgage insurance." Vollmer says the free mortgage calculator app is easy to use and provides more than just a standard principal-and-interest payment calculation.

Century 21

Century 21's mobile app provides consumers with instant access to more than 3,000 listings of homes for sale. Loaded with neighborhood information, pictures, even demographic data, this free app will help any house hunter looking to buy in the U.S. You can also view results in list, map or photo view.

Trulia

The Trulia app tells homebuyers, sellers and renters everything from local market info on median sale prices, details on area schools and crime rates on color-coded heat maps. Our favorite feature on this free app is the price reduction histories of different properties.

PictNote

As house hunters, you might see dozens of properties a week. It's hard to keep 'em straight, so real estate agent Brian Sparr suggests to use PictNote, an app that combines pictures with notes. And the best part is, the app (which is free with limited functionality) automatically geocodes the location, so it'll be easy to remember the corresponding property.

A full version of the app is available for $1.99. "[It's] a small price to pay for the added benefit it brings to the house hunting process - in fact, I've started buying it as a gift for all of my iPhone toting clients," Sparr says.

Buyfolio

They say house-hunting in New York City is a very unique situation. For those looking to buy in the Big Apple, use Buyfolio, a free app that promises to streamline the process for you. Use it to search listings, save and organize properties of interest, and collaborate and share with others.

Zillow

With Zillow, hunters can search for houses for sale, for rent and more. The free app's database finds properties in the U.S. by address, map or voice search (speak the address), and features Zestimate values for homes. You can also share property finds with friends and be notified when a new property becomes available. Don't forget to "favorite" your top picks to make the decision making even easier.