Written by Nikki Smith | 10 March 2010

An increasing number of real estate firms are providing homebuyers with free smart phone applications, commonly referred to as "apps," to make house hunting easier than ever.

While websites have offered similar technology for years now, mobile apps literally put this power in the palm of the homebuyer's hand, providing a snapshot of the local real estate market in real-time. Apps use smart phones' global-positioning technology to provide all kinds of information, from a homes features and amenities to property values to information about local schools and crime statistics to photos of the surrounding neighborhood.

There's no question that real estate apps are more than a passing trend. Zillow reports nearly 1 million downloads of its app and an average of 2 million home look-ups each month. Redfin has reported a high level of customer satisfaction from its app even if it's not a money-maker per se.

While Federal Title does not have a mobile app, it is possible to access our online tools, including the automatic quote generator and seller's calculator, directly from your smart phone. Add the link to your list of favorites to generate a quote at any time: https://tools.federaltitle.com/titleagents/buildrequest/default.aspx — no download required.