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January 14, 2011

Estately – Find a Home From Your Couch

The days when homebuyers relied on realtors to show them all the best properties in their desired neighborhoods are gone, thanks in large part to a web-app called Estately. Billed as a simpler way to shop for homes, Estately does more than just list all the properties in a certain price range. Rather, it actually lays those properties out on a searchable map that shows which homes are near important physical landmarks, like schools, train stations, and popular parks.

Whether you’re shopping for a new home or just browsing and having a look at what’s on the market, you can log on to Estately.com and type in your city to begin. One of the things that Estately does very well is pinpoint available properties close to desired landmarks, such as schools and parks. Just type in the name of the school your kids attend – or the school you’d like them to attend – and click “Search.” Immediately, you’ll see all the available MLS-listed properties on a map. Next to that map is a listing results box that can be sorted by price, days on the market, or square footage. To dig even deeper into the results, set parameters in regards to price, number of bedrooms, or walk score.

When you’ve narrowed down your search and arrived at a map of properties that meet your needs, use the “Link” feature to send that specific search to your spouse, partner, or real estate agent. You can save your favorite properties on Estately to check back in on later, or schedule a showing of a property right through the site. For tech-savvy home shoppers, Estately is a really fun web-app to play around with.

Practical Uses:

  • Find out when homes in your area have dropped in price
  • See what properties are available in a desirable school district
  • Search for newly updated short sale listings
  • Browse photos of homes for sale in your own neighborhood

Insider Tips:

  • Get email alerts to find out when changes have been made to your favorite listings
  • Estately pulls its listings directly from the MLS
  • Users can search for homes located in a specific school’s attendance area
  • Watch Estately’s classroom videos to find out even more about all the ways to utilize the site

What we liked:

  • Estately makes it easy to find homes in specific neighborhoods
  • Users can schedule home tours through the site, without picking up a phone
  • Estately pulls data from the MLS multiple times each day, ensuring you’ll never miss out on a new listing
  • Email alerts are a great way to find out when new homes in your price range have hit the market

What we didn’t like:

  • Estately is currently only available in select markets along the east and west coasts

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: 2006
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
  • Founded by: Galen Ward and Doug Cole
  • Web site: http://www.estately.com

Costs:

  • Free

Comments

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    • Florida suffered one of the most drstaic housing price declines in the nation. He bought in 2005, before the crash. No wonder he wants to move, I had to live in Florida for almost a year, it is horrible there, like living in a swamp with only refugees & tourists frequenting the place. I like Marco Rubio, and I’m hoping he does run for President, not because he has Hispanic heritage, but because he is young and has a different way of looking at the same old problems. Keep the real estate news coming, Mama, we all LOVE it. Oh, btw, I guess some of you missed the fact that that woman from Chicago who is about to be appointed “something” in the Obama administration cajoled $40,000,000 out of donors to buy O and Michelle a home in Hawaii?

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