Buying a house is a big deal. 

Whether you’ve done it several times or are embarking on your first foray into homeownership, finding the perfect neighborhood and getting ready to make the biggest purchase of your life is time-consuming. Fortunately, you can make shopping for a home less frustrating and more fun with a few simple tools on your smart phone. 

When it comes to buying a house, it turns out there’s an app for that. Here are the ones you definitely want to download to your smartphone before you begin your journey. 

1. QR and Barcode Scanner 

Real estate agents are getting tech savvy, so many of them are including QR codes on listings and other handouts so you can get instant facts and figures about a property you love. There are lots of QR and Barcode scanners out there that work with your phone’s camera; Gamma Play has one that works for both Androids and iPhones. 

2. Zolo 

Want notifications about new listings? Need a way to search for information about that “For Sale” sign you just drove by? Zolo is available for Android and for iPhone, and it’s a great way to browse for Canadian properties while filtering for your favorite features — perfect for pre-shopping research or for on-the-go info. 

3. Mortgage Calculator 

So you’ve just walked through a tour of your dream house and you want make an offer. Can you afford it? The RateSupermarket.ca mortgage calculator helps you calculate payments based on the home price and interest rates so you know exactly what your monthly payment would look like. 

4. ColorSnap Visualizer 

Not sure if that fixer-upper is right for you? Snap some photos and see what new paint will do. Sherwin Williams’ ColorSnap Visualizer app lets you virtually paint the walls of a room to try on new colors. You can also calculate the amount of paint you’ll need and snap a photo of a favorite color to get a custom match at the store for DIY bliss. 

5. Homestyler 

In addition to color, you’ll also need to move your furniture into a new home. Will it fit? Homestyler makes it easy to find out. Snap photos of the house as you tour and add room measurements to create a virtual room. Then place furniture where you want it to get a sense of exactly what it would be like to live there. 

6. PRO Landscape Home 

Not sure about the curb appeal of a place and wondering if it can be improved before you make an offer? PRO Landscape Home does for home exteriors what the ColorSnap Visualizer does for interiors. Snap a photo and start adding some landscaping to help you see a property’s full potential. 

7. Best Decision 

If all of these apps still haven’t helped you decide which house to buy, don’t worry. Best Decision is an app designed to help you zero in on all the pros and cons involved in any type of choice — including whether or not to buy a particular property. In a few steps, you can add criteria and assign weights indicating their importance, then run the algorithm to see which choice is objectively the best. 

Once you’ve loaded your phone up with these useful apps, it’s time to call your real estate agent and start looking at homes! When you see something you like, you’ll have a handy tool kit in your pocket to help you decide whether to buy or keep looking. 

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