I’m excited to announce a wonderful new tool for homebuyers. This is a new mobile real estate app that Intracoastal Realty is offering that allows users to find any house for sale, listed by any company, anywhere in our region.

It’s free to download, and works on any Android or Apple mobile device, including both iPhone and iPad.

This Home Search App gives you access to data about houses represented by every local real estate firm. One easy way to sign up is to go to this website: app.intracoastalrealty.com/mclark.
 
Or, if you prefer, you can download it from the App Store for your mobile device’s operating system.
 
For Android devices, go to the Google App Store: play.google.com.
 
For iPhone or iPad, go to the Apple store: store.apple.com/us.
 
On either site, just search for “Intracoastal Realty” to find the download. Once you’ve installed the app, please be sure to select me as your “preferred agent.” Of course, if you are already working with someone else, then select that Intracoastal Realty agent.
 
If you have ever spent a day driving around, juggling a real estate publication in one hand and trying to navigate with the other, all while looking for homes for sale in unfamiliar neighborhoods, you’ll appreciate all the features this app puts at your fingertips.
 
Its heart, of course, is the listings, with all the detail you would find on our website using your home computer or laptop. But to make those listings easy to find, they are integrated with an interactive map, which gives you the option of either simple road views or a high-resolution satellite image. When you’re browsing a selection of listings, you can choose a gallery view, or display them all on a map, to help you pinpoint each one, and navigate there. A built-in GPS feature makes it a snap for the app to give you driving directions, from wherever you are, to each property.
 
To visualize each listing, one tap on the screen will bring up all the details about any property, including large photos. Zoom in for a closer look, if you like.
 
Another nice GPS-based feature is so-called HomeSpotter technology, which makes it easy to find nearby properties.
 
If you want to define a specific search area, just draw a quick outline on your screen, and a freehand polygon mapping feature will identify all the listings within the area you sketched.
 
That’s not the only way to search, though. You can filter your queries by location, price range and a host of other criteria. Because the app draws on detailed data from the Multiple Listing Service, you can narrow your field according to “for sale” or “under contract” criteria, or enter an MLS property number, to instantly zero in on the home you’re interested in.
 
It’s easy to save your favorites, so you can go back to any one of them with just a tap on the screen, any time. And the app has built-in sharing tools. Want to show your spouse a great find you just discovered? Or compare notes with a friend? Do it on the spot while you’re out looking – or back home while you’re just starting your search.
 
The beauty of this app is that it puts together so many useful technologies in one easy-to-use tool. The depth of information from the MLS database, combined with interactive navigation and communication tools, make this the best way yet to browse and window-shop for a new home.
 
Of course, once you have identified properties you’re interested in, there’s still no substitute for the insight and experience that a full-time real estate professional can bring you.
 
Michelle Clark is a broker with Intracoastal Realty, based at the Wrightsville Beach office. She is an Accredited Luxury Home Specialist, ALHS and also a Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource. Whether you are buying, selling, or investing, know that Michelle and her team will go the extra mile for you. To learn more about Michelle and Intracoastal, go to www.intracoastalrealty.com. You may contact Michelle at [email protected] or 910-367-9767. Like Michelle’s team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MichelleClarkTeam.