The 5 Best Free Real Estate Apps to Find Your Dream Home

If you're looking to rent or buy an apartment, you know that the struggle is real. Between a competitive market, pushy realtors and slim choices, finding a house or apartment can feel like an uphill task. Thankfully, technology is here to rescue the day yet again. There are a ton of real estate apps that help you refine your search and get you one step closer to finding your dream home. All you need to do is hit download and get searching from the comfort of your couch. Here, five of our favorite free apps and websites.

Lovely offers all of the typical features of a real estate app such as current listings, filters, and photos. But it takes your apartment search one step further by allowing you to apply for apartments without actually leaving the app. The messaging flow system makes it easier to contact potential properties, helping you get that offer in time. Also, if your landlord supports it, you can use Lovely to pay rent once your application is accepted. How nifty is that?

PadMapper has a 4.7 rating from over 2,000 happy customers. The sole purpose of the app is to help you search and filter real estate listings from over 100 different sources, including Craigslist. The app makes it easy to view descriptions and photos and even contact the listing agent or source. The exhaustive database covers high-end properties, starter homes, and even budget-friendly apartments. Bonus points for the saving feature and user-experience design that make this apartment-hunting app a must-download. 

When apartment hunting, the hardest part can be finding a new neighborhood that you love. Walk Score makes it easy to access the walkability of your potential new home. It also lets you scope out nearby restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, schools, and even search commute time giving you a fair idea of what living in your new neighborhood can look like. The app also offers the utility of rating neighborhoods where you can drive less and live more, helping you narrow down your search process based on your priority list. 

The best part about RadPad is the usability factor. Given that it's a photo-based mobile app, it's all about providing high-quality images of homes filtered based on your preferences. In 2014, RadPad became the largest rental service in Los Angeles and the second-largest rental market in the country. It also allows users to list or lease their apartments or houses as well as pay rent through the app. We love that RadPad is a one-stop-shop for all things involved with your rental. 

One of the most popular real estate apps, Trulia not only offers apartment listings and impressive photos, but it also provides helpful information about top-rated schools, crime rates, and other local amenities in the neighborhood you're scouting. While you can use Trulia to find homes for sale, it's also a great app when looking for rentals.