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House hunting? There is an app for that!


Blog by Kim Twohey | August 14th, 2015


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If you are looking for a home in Calgary, you are probably using the free Realtor.ca app to check out properties for sale in your favourite neighbourhoods.  This incredibly useful app was developed by the Canadian Real Estate Association and is accessed thousands of times a day by Buyers and Realtors.  Most Buyers use the app to look at property information and pictures.  This app can do so much more than that.  Here are some tips to help you harness the power and functionality of the Realtor.ca app.

From the home screen menu, tap REALTORS® Search.  Enter your Realtor’s name and hit the search button.  From the results, select your Realtor.  This makes it easy for you to access your Realtor’s contact information and put it right into your phone contacts.  No more searching around at the bottom of your purse or jacket pocket for a business card!

Take advantage of customizable Settings options.  Personalize your settings for language, units of measure, property display settings, search filters, and more!  The more you make it your own, the more you will get out of using the app.

Add upcoming open houses right to your personal calendar.  From the drop down menu on the home screen of the app, select Open Houses Nearby.  Once the list has populated, tap List View and select the property you want to visit.  Tap Add to Calendar and you are done. 

Keep track of the houses that you are really interested in.  When you see a property that you like, tap the little heart that appears right under the picture of the home.  This will automatically populate a list of Favourites that you can refer back to any time.  Your favourites will be saved until you remove them or the property sells.  To access your Favourites list, tap the person icon at the top of the home screen and select Favourites.  This is a great way to save properties you are interested in showing to your spouse, family, or Realtor.

Do you want a bird’s eye view of a property and the area that surrounds it?  Click on Ariel View and see exactly where the home is in reference to the rest of the neighbourhood, major roads, and amenities.  You can even zoom in for a closer look.      

Regularly use the New Listing feature to see what has hit the market in your preferred areas This is a great way to get a jump on fresh listings and can really come in handy when searching in an area where inventory moves quickly.  Tap on the menu located on the home screen and then select New Listings Nearby.  You can easily manipulate the map to check out what has come onto the market in different areas.

If you are unfamiliar with some of the Calgary areas where you are looking for a home, you will definitely want to use the Property Tour feature.  When looking at a listing, click the red button labelled Add to Property Tour.  Do this for all the homes you are interested in seeing.  From the menu accessible via the home screen, scroll down to Property Tour.  Click Start to Begin Your Tour Now and then you can access driving directions.  This is a great way to map out your route on a day when you plan to visit several different homes.  

Realtor.ca is a powerful tool that you can hold right in the palm of your hand!