Online property tools

Online property tools

Article_4_image_(2)Web sites and apps give us a great shortcut to buying, selling and investing in property. Check out some of these online ideas; combine them with advice from your mortgage broker and you’ll save yourself time and money.

Search alerts

Set up a daily or weekly alert with real estate agency websites to let you know when a property is listed that meets your criteria. Choose from options like air-conditioning, built-in wardrobes, number of bedrooms and proximity to public transport.

Cost estimates

There’s no end of property costs to calculate, such as stamp duty, amortization and investment returns, but thankfully there are a number of mortgage and investment property calculators that will sort out these complicated math sums for you. Make sure the calculator you choose takes into account all the necessary information and includes fees and costs you are likely to need to know about.

Home tracker

It’s important to look at many different properties before you make the decision to buy, but the problem is that it’s hard to remember them all. There are now a number of great apps and websites to help you keep track of the ones you visit – enabling you to document each with notes, maps, photos and video.

Makeover ideas

Stuck for ideas on how to renovate/remodel your home? Interior design magazines need not be your only source when there are apps and websites full of design inspiration and from which you can often search by keywords and categories. Type in ‘bedroom’ or ‘storage’ to any of these sites to find thousands of photos and product leads.

Becoming a landlord

If you choose to manage your properties without the assistance of an agent, you might need some help along the way. Use online resources to help you with issues like taking inventories, creating rental agreements, keeping check on rent payments and finding new tenants.

Suburb profiles

Wondering whether a particular suburb is a good place to invest? Look up the suburb on a property data website to find out all manner of information like demographics, median sale prices, rents and time on market.

Tags: