Apps, apps and more apps. There is no doubt that digital tools are reshaping the real estate industry landscape like never before, giving buyers access to a wealth of information at their fingertips. Mobile versions of popular websites like realestate.com.au are the logical first step for people who want to compare prices.

But the potential for smartphones and tablets to provide property insight doesn’t stop there. A multitude of applications to calculate mortgage payments, check out neighbourhoods and get interior design inspiration puts new resources in buyers’ pockets.

Buyers and sellers are more educated and more aware than ever before. Everything is in real time and instantly accessible. The realestate.com.au app is on everybody’s phone or iPad now, and people have quite a spread of other apps too. There is an amazing variety of what people can do. From virtual walkthroughs, painting a house in different colours, working out floor plans – you are only limited by your imagination in this ever increasing world of apps!

So, what does this mean for those of us selling our homes? Well, for one thing, we are dealing with the most educated and well-researched buyer group that we have ever had. Everyone is an expert in this world of 100% transparency. There are no smoke and mirrors and no hiding things. Buyers are aware of every sale price, how long current owners have lived there and even have access to what the house looked like before you renovated it.

This access to information had shifted buyers into a more proactive role. Buyers have done more homework than ever before this corresponding means the agent has to lift their game to an even higher level. Buyers want to be able to jump online and get the answer they need straight away. This means that the agents level of communication and ability to respond quickly to these inquiries is imperative.

TOP 10 PROPERTY APPS

Realestate.com.au

The popularity of the app version of this real estate search engine speaks for itself, with 2.8 million downloads recorded. Users have access to the site’s vast database of listings and can create an account to save favourite properties.

domain.com.au

The app is easy to use and has stacks of information about properties for sale. Not only can you search for properties and add the ones you like to a shortlist, but you can also add your own notes and photos of a property and Houzz. This vast library of stylish photos is a great starting point for design inspiration. The search can be filtered for specific trends, rooms or locations and users can create ideabooks to store their favourite pictures.

Magic Plan

Create and store floorplans easily with this innovative app. Users can either draw the shapes on their phone’s screen or use the camera to capture the room’s layout. Completed plans can be exported or copied to share with other people.

Homestyler Interior Design

If home decoration is your thing, this app will set your world on fire. It allows you to snap a pic of your space and then freestyle with paint colours, light-fittings and furniture from real brands. There’s also lots to look at with a design stream full of photos, articles and how-tos.

MoneySmart

Simplify budgeting with this set of financial calculators. Users can change the terms to see what impact a change in interest rates or repayment time frame would have on the balance of the loan. The savings calculator could also be used as a guide for saving a deposit.

AroundMe

People new to an area, or who wouldn’t consider living more than a few blocks from good coffee, will appreciate this handy neighbourhood guide. Everyday essentials like ATMs, petrol stations and restaurants are ranked by distance from the user.

Commbank Property Guide

Compare recent sales data and stay up to date with market trends with this app from Commonwealth Bank (CBA) and RP Data. Auction results, suburb insights, and the CBA mortgage repayment calculator are handy features.

SRO Mobile

Navigate the world of government grants and concessions for first-home buyers with the State Revenue Office’s mobile app. Users answer questions to get an assessment of which grant they are eligible for and how much they could receive.

Paint My Place

This app allows users to trial paint colours from well-known brands digitally, saving renovators from collecting reams of physical colour swatches. Take a photo of the area to be repainted and either uses the auto-fill function or colour in the area manually to get a preview of how it will look.