Homesnap Review: A Feature-Packed Home Search Tool for Buyers

Bottom line: Homesnap is a real estate app that makes it simple to find your next home. The intuitive features include listings with real-time data to show you accurate, detailed information about properties.

At a glance

What is Homesnap and how does it work?

Homesnap is a free real estate app. It has many features that can help you easily find your next home. This app includes multiple listing services (MLS) properties all over the United States and provides access to the same data as real estate professionals. This includes:

• Home value estimates
• Exterior and interior photos
• Tax information
• Property line information
• Property history
• Area school ratings

Interested home buyers can easily snap a picture of a home that they're interested in and then use the app to learn more about it. The standout feature of this app is that it uses real-time data to give you accurate information.

You can choose to receive alerts about price changes, new home listings, and other market changes within a particular zip code. This house-hunting app has powerful filters, making it easier for you to narrow down your search based on the most important factors to you.

Homesnap also has a messaging system, making it easy for you to share a listing with a friend, family member, or your real estate agent. They don't even need to use Homesnap to get your messages. And if you don't already have a real estate agent, the app will connect you with a local professional.

Much of the app is focused on helping home buyers, but the app also has a section for rental properties. Whether you're looking to move into a new home or are thinking of selling your current home, this may be the app for you. Check out our detailed Homesnap review to see if this is the right home search app for your needs.

Top perks

It's free and intuitive

The home-buying process is challenging enough. You want to take advantage of all of the resources that are available to you. Since Homesnap is a free and easy-to-use tool, it's worth taking some time to explore this app. It has a modern design and is well organized, making it very intuitive to use. No matter your tech level, you'll be able to easily perform property searches, look at the details of each listing, and send messages within the app.

Enhanced features

Homesnap provides plenty of enhanced features to make it easy for you to search for the home that's right for you. With its many filters, you can quickly narrow down your search and find the properties that meet all of your requirements. If you're out and about and find a for-sale home that you're interested in, you can snap a photo and find out more about the property within the Homesnap app. This is a quick and easy way to get information on the spot. This app will also give you access to quality photos, which can give you a better look at a particular property before you even do an in-person showing.

Shows homes for sale and rent

Homesnap has a strong focus on providing resources to home buyers. But it also shows both homes for sale and houses for rent. Even if you're not quite ready to buy, you may want to take a look at the properties listed on this app. Not all home search apps show rental properties -- for example, Redfin is lacking this feature.

Provides real-time data

You don't have to worry about finding a home on the app and then realizing that it's already sold. That's because all data is shown in real-time. This data comes from local MLS listings. This helps to ensure that the information that you see on Homesnap is accurate and current. Other real estate apps may have outdated information, which can make the home search more frustrating.

Built-in messaging tools make sharing homes easy

As you go through the home-buying process, you'll want to share homes that interest you with your family, friends, and agent. You can do that in seconds with the app's built-in messaging tool. Even better, the person you send a message to doesn't have to use Homesnap. This messaging tool offers an effective and simple way to share homes that you love with others and makes it easy to communicate with your agent.

What could be improved

Lack of coverage in some areas

This app partners with local multiple listing services (MLS) to give you the data you need. If Homesnap hasn't partnered with the local MLS in your area, you won't be able to use all of the app's features or get as much information about available homes.

Walk property lines feature is limited to iPhone and iPad

While this app does have a unique feature that allows users to walk the property lines of a particular home that they like, this isn't available on all devices. Instead, this feature is limited to only iPhone and iPad users. This is something that Android users will want to keep in mind.

Doesn't offer mortgage tools

When it comes time to buy your next home, you'll likely need a mortgage. Unfortunately, Homesnap lacks mortgage tools to help you estimate monthly mortgage costs, down payment costs, and the latest mortgage rates. Other competitor apps like Zillow and Trulia offer mortgage tools to help prepare you.

FSBO homes and foreclosure properties aren't listed

If you're considering buying a for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) home or a foreclosure property, Homesnap won't show you those homes. You'll need to use other real estate apps or resources to find these types of properties.

If you want an app that offers mortgage tools: Zillow is an alternative real estate app to consider. It shows both for sale and for rent properties, has a variety of search filter tools, and also has tools that allow you to sell your home. Homesnap is lacking mortgage tools, but Zillow has plenty of tools that will help you estimate monthly mortgage costs, down payment costs, and get an idea of current mortgage rates. But you may want to stick with Homesnap if you want to be able to snap a photo of a home and instantly get information about it.

If you want an app that provides community data: Trulia is an alternative real estate app that is feature-packed. You can search for a home to buy or rent, use a mix of filters to narrow down your search results, and take advantage of mortgage resources. One thing that Trulia does really well is providing more information on a home's neighborhood and community. This includes crime stats, public transit options, and the walkability score. But you may want to stick with Homesnap if real-time property data is important to you, as listings can sometimes be outdated on Trulia.

This app is free to use for buyers and sellers.

Homesnap is an app that gives users the ability to browse available homes and view current, up-to-date details about each property. While it's an excellent home search tool, it doesn't have the lending tools that other real estate apps include. You can estimate what your mortgage payments might be with the included mortgage calculator. This tool requires you to manually fill in the details about a loan to estimate payment amounts. But you won't be able to research current mortgage rates or shop around for lenders with this app.

If you wish to get information on current mortgage rates or if you're ready to get prequalified for a home loan, you'll need to consider other real estate apps.

This free app is a good choice for buyers who want access to accurate, real-time property information to make their home search easier. The intuitive features and extensive MLS listings make this a solid choice for anyone looking for their next home.