Apps

When we started house hunting, I installed the Realtor.com app.  While the website certainly had some issues, I really liked the app.  Even though I eventually also downloaded Redfin, I found myself preferring Realtor - it showed nearby open houses, nearby houses for sale, and recently sold houses using a tag with the price.  You could star ones that you liked and it also showed a checkmark next to ones you had already used.  The most recent update to the iPad app cluttered up the search with sold houses, and you can't undo it, so I do hope they fix it.   A number of my friends like the Zillow or Trulia apps, but they don't always have the most up to date info (the websites especially) so we skipped those.  It was easy to log in on the computer, although searching on the actual Realtor website was really annoying and time consuming - I found myself pulling out the app just to do a search. 

Because I'm crafty, I of course already had the Pinterest app on my phone, and originally that was my go-to for house design stuff.  This created a couple of problems, like some of my nosier friends getting excited and asking if we'd found a house when I started pinning some very specific features.  Mostly, the search interface wasn't great, the links weren't always good, and people on Pinterest seem to define small bathroom as "my whirlpool tub and shower don't each have their own room". 

When we first started looking a houses that had weird little quirks that we would need to change, I started googling things to see if they were possible or how they looked.  And over and over again, I would get links to Houzz.  I assumed that Houzz was like when you google a recipe for something delicious and then you get a link to Cooks.com or one of the other horrible sites that just gives you 400 recipes that are NOT what you were searching for.

So it wasn't until three or four of my twitter friends suggested I check out Houzz that I went ahead and downloaded the app.  And it's awesome.  It's like Pinterest for houses, but the search function is better, you don't get 400 pictures of the exact same thing, and when you repin, it doesn't make you write stupid captions. Plus, generally there is a link to the designer and you can write questions and ask, for example, where they got that vanity or those towels and they'll answer if they know.  There's also usually links to things like the tile or flooring used. 

Plus, they make it really easy to embed stuff in blog posts. 

Traditional Bathroom by Edina General Contractors REFINED LLC
 
I also downloaded and installed the Ikea App.  In Baltimore, we have two Ikeas in easy driving distance, and the Ikea App lets you make a list (the website does the same) and will tell you whether the items you've put on your list are in the store.  When you are in the store, you can add items to the app and then when you go downstairs, it tells you where to find them!  It saves stuff they didn't have for later. 

What are some good other apps? Are any of the home improvement store apps any good?