Real estate apps put more information in the palm of your hand than ever before to help you achieve your real estate goals. Whether you’re an investor, agent, or renter, there’s an app to help find what you need.

Real estate apps store tons of information that let you quickly find what you're looking for thanks to intuitive designs and smart filtering capabilities. These features help create better financial outcomes for users.

Here's a break down of the best 17 real estate apps so you can choose the offering that’s right for you. We analyzed a variety of platforms to identify the top apps based on features, pricing, reviews, and user-friendly experiences.

Top 17 Real Estate Apps of 2022

Best overall

1. Zillow (for house hunting, home value estimates, and realtors)

2. DealMachine (for real estate investors)

3. Redfin (for house hunting, home value estimates)

Our best overall real estate app winners are Zillow, DealMachine, and Redfin. These platforms score highly for the number of available features, ease of use, and user-friendliness.

Zillow and Redfin each have large volumes of property inventory that are easily searchable, making the apps ideal for house hunters and home value estimators alike.

DealMachine specializes in helping investors find off-market properties while streamlining the process of contacting motivated sellers. Its app helps shorten an otherwise time-consuming process so you can find your next deal more quickly.

Best real estate apps for investors

Real estate apps are useful for investors as they store vast amounts of information to help determine whether a property will make a good investment.

This includes access to real estate market trends, property estimates, tools, and calculators to help you run the numbers on a property and guide your decision making.

DealMachine

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 rating on the app store with over 3,200 reviews Cost: $49 - $249/month DealMachine focuses on helping investors find and purchase off-market properties to easily land your next real estate deal. The app offers two main features: skip-tracing software and driving for dollars functionality. DealMachine automates the most time-consuming part of off-market property acquisitions: Locating the property address, finding homeowner contact information, and making contact attempts. The app is very intuitive so anyone can quickly get started. DealMachine costs between $49-$249 per month depending on which tier you sign up for. This platform rates highly in the App Store with a 4.8 rating and over 3,200 reviews. ⚡ Get started today with DealMachine's 7-day free trial

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PropStream

Reviews: 3.8 out of 5 rating on the app store with over 100 reviews Cost: $99/month, with add-on packages costing $20- $27/month PropStream helps real estate investors more seamlessly identify and buy off-market properties. Its main product is skip tracing software that lets you build lists of motivated seller, discover off-market properties, and create outreach strategies. PropStream offers up to 10,000 property downloads per month for a $99 monthly fee. Other features such as list monitoring, marketing tools, and extra teammates are available at an additional cost. The app scores above-average with its users, with a 3.8 rating on the App Store with 100+ reviews.

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BiggerPockets

Reviews: 2.7 out of 5 rating on Google Play with 600+ reviews Cost: Free basic version, $39/month for full version BiggerPockets boasts a community of more than two million users who are drawn to the education-centered mission of the platform. Members have access to property analysis tools, investing forums, rental property calculators, and other useful features. Investors can directly interact with other real estate investors and professionals in the BiggerPockets forum. Education resources such as webinars and podcasts provide multiple formats to learn about real estate investing. You can sign up for the BiggerPockets basic membership for free. The pro membership costs $39 a month with full access to all features, including advanced calculators.

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Roofstock

Reviews: 3.0 out of 5 rating on TrustPilot Cost: Free to browse; 0.5% buyer fee and 2.5% seller free for real estate transactions Roofstock is geared towards investors looking to buy or sell single-family homes. The marketplace can be tailored to your experience level, whether you’re an individual investor or a high-volume institutional investor. Roofstock has grown in popularity over the past few years, as the company has completed more than $5 billion in single family resident transactions since 2016. The company provides you with tools, resources, and data so you can analyze investment opportunities and make more informed financial decisions. The RoofstockOne product lets you buy into a real estate portfolio for as little as $5,000. Buyers pay a 0.5% transaction fee while the seller pays 2.5%. Every investor is protected by a 30-day refund policy for all transactions.

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Best real estate apps for house hunting

The internet is the predominant way house hunters view property listings, with over 97% of homebuyers searching listings online.

Home buying apps let you easily filter your search so you can find exactly what you’re looking for in your next house. Apps provide you with property photos, videos, and 3D tours to explore homes in-depth.

Real estate apps are able to provide extensive property details posted on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS): a database real estate agents use to market and sell properties.

Zillow

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 on the app store with more than 6.2 million reviews Cost: Free to use and list, variable realtor fees for sales Zillow is one of the most popular real estate apps with over 36 million unique monthly visitors and more than 150 million listings in its database. In addition to a vast catalog of homes, buyers have access to many resources to assist in their home search. Zillow provides market insights covering everything from location and school zones to rental income estimates and property values. Combined with market analysis and advanced filtering, users get a complete view of each property. The app is free to use. Its high scoring reviews reflect a great user experience, rating 4.8 on the app store with more than 6.2 million reviews.

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Redfin

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 on the app store with one million reviews Cost: Free, listing fees between 1% - 1.5% Redfin is a popular app for house hunting with a large inventory database and intuitive search functionality. It operates as a full service real estate brokerage company that lets you buy or sell a home directly on the site. All users have access to Redfin’s extensive resources at no cost, such as mortgage calculators, home value estimates, and market insights. Redfin offers buyers a rebate option that gives back part of Redfin’s commission to cover closing costs. An important aspect of Redfin’s platform is a reduced listing fee between 1% - 1.5% instead of the average listing agent commission of around 3%. The user experience ranks highly, scoring 4.8 out of 5 on the app store with nearly 1 million reviews.

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HomeSnap

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 on the app store with 86,000 reviews Cost: Free, Pro and Pro+ tiers charge agents $299 for membership and $599 for renewal HomeSnap is a real estate app that is only available on iOS or Android devices. The app is mainly geared towards matching home buyers with their ideal home. Real estate agents use a different version of the app to help buyers on their journey. The app is innovative by letting you "snap" a photo of the home to pull up relevant information to aid your housing search. Built-in messaging features let you chat with family members and agents to organize and streamline your search even more. The app store reflects high marks for these features, scoring 4.8 out of 5 with more than 86,000 reviews. HomeSnap has no fee for users and provides an ad-free experience. Real estate agents access HomeSnap through Pro or Pro+ tiers for an initial membership fee of $299 and $599 annual renewals.

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Trulia

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 on the app store with more than 1.2 million reviews Cost: Free Trulia is another well-known home searching tool with over one million real-time MLS-based listings. House hunters who prioritize neighborhoods and lifestyle get the most value from Trulia’s robust filtering and search functionality. Although these features bear some resemblance to its parent company, Zillow, Trulia uses a simpler site design and more visualization features such as breakdowns of monthly property costs. Trulia scores well on the app store with a 4.8 out of 5 rating with more than 1.2 million reviews. The app is free to use.

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Best real estate apps for a home value estimate

One of the most important factors you should know before selling your home is your home’s value. Real estate apps help nail down your home’s estimated value by factoring in:

• Location
• Market trends
• Neighborhood sales
• Number of bedrooms
• Square footage
• Property amenities

Keep in mind that home value estimators are far from perfect. Figures are based on algorithms that pull home sales data from a variety of sources, and mistakes are common.

In addition, home value estimators aren't always aware of the upgrades and improvements you've made to your home. You might not get credit for updating your kitchen and bathrooms, for example.

For a more accurate home valuation, find a local realtor for a comparative market analysis (CMA) report. A CMA by a pro agent considers the most relevant home sales in your area. Semya-Moya can match you up with quality local agents for a free home value estimate report.

If you're still looking for a quick ballpark home value estimate, here are our top picks.

Zillow

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 on the app store with more than 6.2 million reviews Cost: Free to use and list, variable realtor fees for sales Zillow is widely considered the best app for a free home value estimate as it has one of the largest databases of housing inventory available on the market. Zillow leverages its vast resources to provide home estimates, or "Zestimates", that let you better understand potential list prices within a range. The company succinctly spells out its estimate methodology so you can see how the "Zestimate" was calculated. The data is refreshed every day for more than 100 million homes throughout the U.S. It’s important to note that even though Zillow and Trulia are under the same company umbrella, there are differences in how estimates are arrived at.

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Redfin

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 on the app store with one million reviews Cost: Free, listing fees between 1% - 1.5% Redfin also provides a home value estimate tool that is free to use. Simply plug-in an address to Redfin’s home estimate portal and you’ll receive a range of likely sale prices if you were to list your home. Redfin’s estimated home value methodology is based on automated online data, MLS databases, and recent area home sales. You can also use the app to speak with a Redfin agent in your area to get further expertise at no cost.

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Realtor.com

Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 on the app store with over 509,000 reviews Cost: Free Realtor.com is one of the leading real estate sites to buy or sell a home. Affiliated with The National Association of Realtors, the site factors in additional expertise and educational resources when it comes to estimating your home’s value. The home estimate search portal is intuitive to use with everything you need to get a good sense of your home’s approximate value. Realtor.com also offers a sellers market that lets you connect with experts to help further explore selling your home.

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Best real estate apps for renters

Renters can use real estate apps to be more knowledgeable than ever before when looking for an apartment, condo, or single-family home.

Real estate apps geared towards renters provide filtering capabilities that include location, number of bedrooms, monthly prices, and move-in dates.

Here are our picks for the top three real estate apps for renters so you can download the right app for you.

Apartments.com

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 stars on the app store with more than 236,000 reviews Cost: Free Apartments.com gives you access to more than one million apartment units available for rent at over 500,000 property locations. The app features an intuitive, sleek design so you can spend more time exploring individual apartments that match your criteria. You’ll also enjoy seamless search functionalities and filtering options to make your search go smoothly. Users rate the app highly at 4.8 out of 5 stars on the app store with more than 236,000 reviews.

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HotPads

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 stars on the app store with over 86,000 reviews Cost: Free HotPads is another real estate app made exclusively for renters. This app focuses on some of the most competitive rental markets such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and Washington D.C. HotPads features advanced filtering options and email notifications that are more tailored to your preferences. You can also contact agents directly through the app to help organize your apartment search. The HotPads app scores well with users, rating 4.8 out of 5 stars on the app store with over 86,000 reviews.

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Zumper

Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 stars on the app store with more than 59,000 reviews Cost: Free Zumper is one of the largest privately owned rental platforms with more than 178 million site visits per year. Zumper helps you search for your next apartment by including helpful market trends and insights to keep tabs on all your options. The app also serves as a one-stop shop that lets you tour, apply, and pay directly through the app to further streamline your apartment search. App users rate Zumper highly, receiving 4.8 out of 5 stars on the app store with 59,000 reviews.

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Best real estate agent apps

Real estate professionals can also harness the power of apps to help grow their real estate business. Mobile apps help agents find a greater pool of buyers, sellers, and renters while further tailoring their listings.

The best real estate apps for agents combine optimized listings with client management tools such as drip campaigns, pipeline management, and marketing strategies to provide a holistic, organized approach.

Zillow Premier Agent

Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars on the app store with more than 17,000 ratings Cost: Free basic version, additional fees on a per-agent basis Zillow provides a platform called Zillow Premier Agent that lets agents and teams more effectively manage their business. Agents receive access to marketing tools and client relationship management strategies that grow and scale their business. This platform also features a streamline lead management process so agents can efficiently connect with interested buyers. Listing and task management functionality is also included to provide a well-rounded, easy-to-manage service. Zillow Premier Agent scores well with users, ranking 4.7 out of 5 stars on the app store and receiving more than 17,000 reviews.

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Buffer

Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars on the app store with over 27,000 reviews Cost: Free basic version, up to $100/month depending on tier Buffer helps you manage your social media platforms by automating your campaign strategy so you can more effectively grow your brand and reach buyers. While this platform has a greater scope than real estate, agents can use this service to offload content scheduling while creating a consistent presence across different apps and platforms you use for business. Buffer has more than 27,000 reviews on the app store and receives a 4.7 out of 5 star rating.

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ShowingTime

Reviews: 2.6 out of 5 stars on the app store from more than 500 reviews Cost: Free trial, $45/month start with additional tiers priced on per-agent basis ShowingTime is built exclusively for residential real estate agents and teams to help manage showings and incorporate feedback under one platform organization. The app revolves around information-sharing so real estate professionals can coordinate showings, sync calendars, provide instructions, and manage client interests. The user experience itself is a bit clunky and unreliable, receiving just a 2.6 out of 5 stars on the app store from over 500 agent reviews.

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What are real estate apps?

Real estate apps hold vast amounts of property information that can be easily searched and filtered, attracting millions of visitors on a monthly basis.

Buyers, sellers, renters, investors, and real estate professionals can all access pertinent information on real estate apps to transact deals quickly and efficiently.

The explosive growth of real estate apps has led to platforms that are tailored for a wide array of real estate search needs.

For example, investors searching for off-market properties will find apps such as DealMachine most useful, while renters find Apartments.com more suited for their search.

All of these apps are powered by an immense amount of housing data, filtering capabilities, location preferences, and other tools to optimize your real estate search from your smartphone.

How house hunting apps pull data

House hunting apps receive up-to-date property information like census data and property tax records by linking the apps to the MLS. The technology allows realtors to list properties through a portal that is shared by broker partners to a greater pool of buyers and sellers.

This collaborative approach results in more holistic inventory databases that streamlines the buying and selling process. In exchange for this collaboration, compensation is paid when buyers and sellers are matched.

House hunting apps integrate information from MLS listings into more user-friendly formats, allowing users to easily filter, view photos, and tour properties while searching for their next home.

How real estate apps estimate home values

One of the most impactful features of real estate apps is helping you estimate the value of a property. Home value estimator apps incorporate market data such as location, number of bedrooms, and square footage.

Real estate apps compile this information to estimate a range of a property’s value. However, other components such as traffic noise, house aesthetics, and overall upkeep are not included because those factors are hard to quantify.

Real estate agents help fill in the missing gaps to come up with a more realistic home value estimate through a CMA report.

How we chose the best real estate apps

We researched real estate apps across the board to identify the best options. Our evaluation included a thorough review of user experience, number of features, database size and accuracy, filtering capabilities, and customer reviews. Using this methodology, we’ve chosen the top 17 real estate apps in this list for 2022.

Real estate apps: FAQs

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The post Top 17 Real Estate Apps of 2022 appeared first on Semya-Moya.

Batch skip tracing in real estate is the process of pulling a large number of property owners' contact information to see if they're interested in selling their home.

Real estate investors often use skip tracing to find and contact the owners of distressed properties (like pre-foreclosures, neglected, or abandoned homes).

Skip tracing is popular because it can make it easier for investors to find and purchase off-market homes below fair value – instead of paying full retail price.

Read on to learn whether this strategy is right for you, including a breakdown of the pros and cons, and software pricing and reviews.

What is batch skip tracing in real estate?

Skip tracing 101

Skip tracing is the process of finding and verifying a person's information that isn’t readily available. The term "skip" stems from the phrase "skipped town" and "tracing" refers to the tracking down process.

In real estate, skip tracing refers more simply to finding accurate contact information on the owner of a property. Real estate investors use skip tracing to boost their marketing efforts and purchase more undervalued properties.

You can pull information from public records and property lookup websites that verify data such as a person's full name, physical address, phone number, and email.

Batch skip tracing: Less time, more leads

Batch skip tracing builds on this approach to create batches of individual records, so you can find and verify more homeowner records in less time.

This real estate lead generation process is most effective when attempting to find owners of distressed properties, who are often motivated to sell.

For example, some off-market properties need expensive repairs that homeowners just aren't able or willing to fix. And owners of these properties may not have the time to list the home publicly.

Investors can contact these homeowners and make an offer that reflects the condition of the home.

How does skip tracing in real estate actually work?

Here's how the process of skip tracing typically plays out.

1. Start by building a list of homeowners to contact. Explore neighborhoods and take notes of properties that look distressed. Look for homes with signs of disrepair, overgrown landscaping, notices posted on doors, or no lights turned on at night (to see if they're vacant).

2. Search public records or property lookup websites. Your goal is to identify the property owner and pull their contact information (phone numbers, emails, and mailing addresses).

3. Reach out to homeowners. Try to connect via phone (cold calling), email, or direct mail (depending on what information is available). Indicate your interest in the property and gauge the owner's interest in selling.

4. Set an appointment. If the homeowner seems interested in selling, set a time to go see the interior of the house.

5. Determine if the home is worth buying. Viewing the home in person helps you determine a potential repair budget and fair offer price. You can then run the numbers to see if the deal meets your investment criteria.

Use batch skip tracing software

Pulling homeowner's contact information manually is time-consuming and a hit-or-miss process. You need to increase the volume and quality of leads to improve your odds.

Batch skip tracing software is available to help you scale your search and create a large volume of real estate leads quickly.

The services provide the highest quality data to get you more accurate phone numbers and increase your "hit rate"' and improve your changes of success.

Software like DealMachine and PropStream help you identify and sort through a list of potentially motivated sellers to contact.

The services make it easy to filter homeowners by zip code and add relevant search criteria such as foreclosures, tax-delinquent homes, vacant properties, and bank-owned homes.

» MORE: Read our review of DealMachine's batch skip tracing software

Batch skip tracing pros and cons

Pros

Increases your potential real estate deals

Batch skip tracing helps you get in touch with more homeowners. Connecting with more off-market property owners gives you better odds of success compared to manual, individual skip tracing contact attempts.

Batch skip tracing software works best for investors who need to generate a large number of real estate leads in a short period of time, as it streamlines your search process.

Speeds up your housing search

Skip tracing is time consuming, since it requires you to manually confirm the correct homeowner information and make individual contact attempts.

Batch skip tracing helps automate this process by confirming the information for you, sending contact attempts on your behalf, and increasing the number of properties you contact.

Deals have high potential return on investment (ROI)

Batch skip tracing makes it possible to generate higher returns for real estate investors.

The owners of distressed properties are typically more likely to sell their home at a discount compared to homes listed publicly, on real estate sites like Zillow and Trulia.

Cons

The process takes a lot of time and effort

The real estate investing process is still time consuming, even with a batch skip tracing software. It requires a bit of hustle to connect with owners and buy houses off-market. It may take longer to see results for part-time real estate investors.

Costs can add up

Costs of batch skip tracing services vary, but can run over $100 per month, with additional fees for add-on services like mail campaigns. The costs can quickly add up depending on which features you choose.

Success is not guaranteed

Striking a deal can be challenging as it depends on the market, your outreach strategy, and owner response rates. You may not uncover quality leads or deals.

Batch skip tracing reviews and pricing

Batch skip tracing reviews can help answer important questions for you, including the costs and key features of skip tracing software. Each service has unique offerings and user experiences to consider.

We break down several offerings so you can decide what’s right for you and see what platform fits your needs.

DealMachine

Price: $49 – $149/month.

Features: Up to 30 team members allowed and unlimited leads.

DealMachine’s skip tracing software is focused on real estate investors and wholesalers to help automate the outreach process to close deals more effectively.

Clever tested out its skip tracing product over a 3-week period. We immediately saw instant results, with our search returning working phone numbers and the most current address of several homeowners. (Check out our DealMachine review for more details).

Its software costs between $49 to $149 per month depending on the number of leads generated. Additional services such as mail campaigns are available for an additional monthly fee.

The company rates highly in the App Store with a 4.8 rating and over 3,200 reviews.

DealMachine platform also offers a "Driving For Dollars" feature which lets you upload and create customized lists of potential off-market deals.

PropStream

Price: $99/month, with add-on packages costing $20- $27/month

Features: Up to 10,000 property downloads per month and five users.

PropStream is also focused on helping real estate investors find and analyze off-market properties. Using PropStream’s skip tracing platform you can build lists, discover properties, and create outreach strategies.

PropStream offers up to 10,000 property downloads per month for a $99 monthly fee. You can also add list monitoring features for $27 per month and add up to five teammates for an additional $20 per month. Marketing tools such as email campaigns are also available to purchase.

The user experience receives a 3.8 rating on the App Store with 105 reviews, which is a factor to consider to help ensure you get the most use out of the system.

Batchleads

Price: $39 - $299/month

Features: Up to 2 million contacts and unlimited team members.

Another noteworthy batch skip tracing platform is Batchleads. This provider is marketed as an all-in-one offering for investors and real estate professionals that generates a large quantity of homeowner data for potential leads.

Batchleads costs vary from $39 to $299 per month for between 100,000 and 2 million owner records. Additional services such as text message are available for an additional monthly fee,

Batchleads app has 20+ reviews at a 3.3 user rating on the App Store, which is middle of the road in terms of performance.

Batchskiptracing

Price: $0.20/per result

Features: One user, skip tracing for multiple uses

With a large volume of records available, Batchskiptracing is not geared just towards real estate properties but also useful for banks, call centers, law enforcement, and private investigators.

Batchskiptracing is available for $0.20 per result. No additional opt-in features are available as the platform streamlines the service for result matching.

The lack of focus on real estate can result in extraneous data that isn’t relevant for your real estate search. No app is available to download for this service.

Batchskiptracing has a 4.7 rating from 126 reviews on TrustPilot.

REISkip

Price: $0.15 - $0.20/per result

Features: Will match from 50 up to unlimited results

REISkip takes a bit of a different approach to batch skip tracing, opting instead to focus on customized list uploads to match you with potential homeowner contact information.

This offering charges between $0.15 and 0.20 per result, with additional price discounts available for larger volumes if you call. Since the site focuses on matching results with lists you upload, no other paid features are available.

While this platform is helpful if you have an extensive list of property addresses you want to explore, you only receive helpful information based on what you upload with no access to a larger pool of properties.

REISkip dosn't have many online reviews, but it has a 3.4 rating from 51 reviews on its Facebook page.

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Real estate investors who drive for dollars look for distressed properties (neglected, abandoned, or foreclosed homes). It's a profitable strategy as investors are often able to purchase these off-market homes at a discount.

However, driving for dollars can be a time consuming process. Investors need to identify neighborhoods, drive through the area (or hire drivers), note properties of interest, and contact homeowners.

Thankfully, driving for dollars apps help streamline this process, making it easier to find and make contact with homeowners, and keep driving records.

Learn more about this process and if it's the right strategy for you.

What is driving for dollars in real estate?

Investors who use this strategy drive around neighborhoods looking for signs of derelict or uncared for properties.

A distressed property often means the current owner doesn't have the money or motivation to maintain the house. Signs of a distressed property include:

• Yards with overgrown grass, weeds, and vegetation.
• Broken windows and peeling exterior paint.
• A notice of default (foreclosure) note placed on the front door or window.

As a result, you may find the owners more inclined to sell the property for less than typical market prices, to reflect the current condition of the home or other issues.

Why driving for dollars works for investors

The strategy can be especially useful for house flippers, BRRRR-method investors, and wholesalers.

Here's why: These investors are experts at fixing properties and reselling them for higher than the original purchase price. It's more cost effective to purchase off-market houses at a low price point, instead of competing with multiple buyers on public listings.

Driving for dollars can land you a good deal. But it's often a time consuming process, and there's no guarantee owners will be interested in selling when you reach out.

That's why we recommend using a driving for dollars app to scale your business. Apps like DealMachine automate the process, and make it much easier to find and contact motivated sellers.

» LEARN: How to drive for dollars using the DealMachine app

How driving for dollars actually works

1. Pick a neighborhood or location

Before identifying a neighborhood to begin driving for dollars, it’s helpful to clearly outline your investment criteria. This includes coming up with a budget and knowing your investment strategy, like house flipping or a rental. You’ll use this framework as a starting point to decide which areas to start focusing your search.

One good way to pick a location is searching areas where housing prices have meaningfully increased. Older homes in disrepair in these locations can be attractive as they have potential to rise in value once the fix is addressed.

Some other criteria to consider when choosing a location include:

• Average home prices (within your budget).
• Type of home (single-family, duplex, apartment buildings).
• Proximity to you.

2. Plan out a driving route

Once deciding on an area, map out your route ahead of time. This ensures you cover all streets within the boundaries of your search without going over the same areas twice (apps like DealMachine do this for you automatically).

Keep a notepad on hand so you can keep track of where you’ve been and any houses of interest you come across.

When driving across larger areas that take more than a day to explore, stay organized by making a list of streets you’ve visited so you can pick up where you left off when resuming your drive.

3. Drive the area looking for distressed homes

As you drive for dollars, keep an eye out for properties that look vacant or in need of repair. Signs of a distressed property include:

• Broken or boarded up windows.
• Lights off at night.
• Overgrown grass or landscaping.
• Peeling paint, missing roof shingles.
• Uncollected mail.
• General property disrepair.

The simplest way to search is by driving around the area yourself. Another approach to driving for dollars is by hiring a "bird dog" to assist if you don’t have time or want to increase your coverage area.

A bird dog is a reference to dogs that retrieve birds for a sportsman that has successfully hunted. In real estate, it refers to hiring a driver who searches for distressed properties on your behalf in exchange for a finder's fee or commission.

4. Write down the addresses and take photos

After identifying a property of interest, write down the address on a notepad. If you prefer digital-friendly options you can use your smartphone or laptop to make a spreadsheet that makes the tracking process a bit easier.

Snap a photo of the house, too. You can use the photos to create a visual reminder of the property condition. As you find more houses that are potential investment options, photos will take on a more important role in keeping you organized.

Note: Driving for dollars apps make this part of the process easier by having this information at your fingertips. These apps keep up with your driving route as you search, so you’ll have address records, owner information, photo storage, and other public information available to pull up within seconds.

5. Skip trace homeowners

Skip tracing describes the process of finding and verifying an individual's information that isn’t readily available. The phrase comes from combining the words "skip", as in "skipped town", with "tracing" which references the process of tracking down information.

Real estate investors use skip tracing to find accurate contact information on the owner of a property. This information can be found on property lookup websites and public records that show someone’s name, phone number, email, and address.

6. Contact homeowners

Reaching out by direct mail or email is a cheap, cost-effective way to quickly get in touch with the homeowners from your driving for dollars list. However, either method can come across a bit impersonal and may get you a lower response rate than a personal phone call.

When you speak with the homeowner, keep a friendly, engaging tone and ask if the person you’re speaking with is the owner of the house. If they are, mention that you’re looking to purchase a home in the area and you’re reaching out to see if there is interest in selling.

It can take many calls to find a motivated seller, but if the timing is right the owner may be interested in continuing the conversation.

Your phone call is a good time to inquire about the house details, such as the number of bedrooms, square footage, major repairs needed, what is owed on the property, and if you can visit the house for a viewing.

7. Visit the homes in person

If the homeowner is open to selling, ask to set up a time to visit the house in person. Mention when you’ll be in the area and ask if the owner will be around, or set up a time that's good for the homeowner.

During your visit, inspect the entire property so you can make a good assessment of any repair work or improvements needed. Consider bringing in contractors for a more accurate estimate.

The interior in particular is important to view since you weren’t able to make an assessment during your initial drive around the neighborhood.

Keep an eye out for areas in need of repair and make a note as you go along so you can estimate how much money it may cost to fix the house.

8. Run the numbers and make an offer

Once you’ve made a repair estimate, you may want to make an offer.

A good rule of thumb when coming up with your offer number is the 70% rule. The rule says that you shouldn’t make an offer that exceeds 70% of the after-repair value of the house. This gives you some room in case you go over budget on repairs, protecting your profit margins.

View the area's recent, comparable home sales to get an idea of the after-repair value. Use this number as a starting point and the 70% rule to finalize your offer amount.

9. Close the deal

If the numbers line up, let the owner know when they can expect to receive an offer from you. You want to make it as easy as possible for the owner to sell to you.

Since you’ll have unique insight as to why the owner is selling, you can pair your offer with a handwritten letter or note that appeals to the owner on a personal level can also help close the deal.

After submitting the offer, set up a time to discuss the terms with the homeowner in person or over the phone. If accepted, give your contractors a heads up so you can start repairs as soon as the house closes.

» MORE: How to write an offer letter to sellers

Driving for dollars: Pros and cons

Pros

You may find great off-market deals

Driving for dollars targets property owners that are potentially motivated to sell. These off-market properties aren’t available on the retail market, and less buyer competition means you have a greater chance to secure a great deal.

Create unique, tailored list of properties

You have full control over the area and types of property you’re searching for. So you can find properties that meet your specific criteria based on your real estate investing goals.

Deals have high potential return on investment (ROI)

Driving for dollars makes it possible to generate higher returns as an investor. Owners of distressed houses are often more willing to sell their property at a lower price compared to publicly listed homes on real estate sites like Trulia and Zillow.

Cons

The process takes time and effort

Physically driving through an area, taking notes on properties of interest, and making contact attempts takes a lot of time and effort, especially if you don't have a bird dog to help you.

Success is not guaranteed

Landing a deal can be challenging as it depends on the competition in your area,, your outreach strategy, and owner response rates. It’s possible that you may not discover quality leads or deals when driving for dollars.

Repairs can be costly

Fixing properties can cost a lot of time and money. There’s the potential for delays, and you may discover new issues that weren't discovered during your initial inspection. These factors impact your overall return on the investment.

Driving for dollars apps: Best solutions

Driving for dollars apps make the process of finding and winning a property easier. These apps simplify the strategy by putting homeowner and property information in the palm of your hand so you can more quickly close a deal.

We break down several driving for dollars apps so you can see which platform is best for you.

DealMachine

Price: $49 - $249

Features: Up to 30 team members and 300 drivers.

DealMachine’s driving for dollars app makes it easier to find and land your next deal. The app automates the most time consuming parts of the process such as locating the property address, finding owner information, and making contact attempts.

Its app is intuitive so anyone can quickly get started. When driving for dollars, simply pull up the app when you locate a property of interest. Within moments you’ll have property information, homeowner records, and contact details ready to go.

The service costs between $49 and $249 per month depending on which tier you sign up for. Additional products like mail campaigns are offered for an additional monthly fee. (Check out our full DealMachine review for more details).

DealMachine’s driving for dollars app is focused on wholesalers and real estate investors looking to automate their search and close deals more effectively. The company rates highly in the App Store with a 4.8 rating and over 3,200 reviews.

⚡Ready to drive for dollars? DealMachine offers a 7-day free trial

PropStream

Price: $99/month, with add-on packages costing $20- $27/month
Features: Up to 10,000 property records per month and five users.

PropStream also focuses on streamlining the driving for dollars process to help real estate investors find and analyze off-market properties. Using PropStream’s driving for dollars feature, you can discover properties, build lists, and create marketing strategies to find your next deal.

PropStream gives access to up to 10,000 property records per month for a $99 monthly fee. You can also create lists and add monitoring features for $27 per month and add up to five teammates for an additional $20 per month. Outreach tools such as email campaigns are also available to purchase separately.

The App Store user experience receives a 3.8 rating based on over 100 reviews.

Driving for Dollars App

Price: $19.99 - $399.99/month

Features: Access up to 2,000 property records per month

The Driving for Dollars app focuses exclusively on the mobile driving for dollars experience. Established in 2014, this app has over 10,000 downloads and lets you access up to 2,000 property records per month. The cost is between $19.99 and $399.99 per month based on which service you use.

The platform includes an integration with a major data provider to give you the latest information for property and homeowner records. The app is geared towards investors who want to automate outbound campaigns by mail. Voice-to-search functionality is another helpful feature that’s included in the experience.

The Drive for Dollars app has a 3.4 rating on the app store based on 50+ reviews.

BatchDriven

Price: $49 - $199/month

Features: Up to unlimited property lookups and 10+ users.

BatchDriven is a real estate lead generation service that offers a driving for dollars feature that lets you streamline the search for your next investment property. Using this app you can quickly pull up owner information and get in touch through mail, a phone call, email, or text message.

BatchDriven’s platform is offered with three tiers that cost between $49 and $199 per month, with additional services like adding property images and real time driving routes available for $20 per month each.

The BatchDriven app has a 3.9 app store rating based on 55+ reviews.

BatchLeads

Price: $39 - $299/month

Features: Up to 2 million contacts and unlimited team members.

BatchLeads is another notable real estate lead generation service that offers a driving for dollars feature. This platform is positioned as an all-in-one solution for a range of investors with access to a large amount of property information.

Batchleads costs anywhere from $39 to $299 per month for between 100,000 and 2 million owner records. Additional tools such as list creation and tracking are available for an extra fee between $59 and $149 per month depending on how many records you need.

Batchleads app has 20+ reviews at a 3.3 rating on the App Store, which is on the lower end in terms of user experience.

Driving for dollars: FAQs

Related links

DealMachine Reviews: Everything You Need to Know

We break down DealMachine reviews, its pricing, pros and cons, how to get a promo code, and how its driving for dollars app fares vs. competitors.

Batch Skip Tracing: How to Generate Real Estate Leads

Batch skip tracing helps real estate investors generate quality leads. Our guide breaks down how skip tracing works, software reviews and pricing, and more.

How to Find Off Market Properties in 2022

Off market properties are homes that are not listed for sale to the public. Learn how to find the best off market deals, and the pros and cons.

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