11 popular real estate & property apps in Australia

Aussies have a historical love of property, but more recently, we’ve also fallen in love with smartphones.

As any trip on public transport will showcase, our eyes are incessantly glued to these devices. It thus stands to reason that property apps offer the perfect way to satisfy these two obsessions.  

Listed below, no particular order, are some of the most popular property and real estate apps in Australia available for both Android and Apple (iOS) devices.

Need a home loan for your next property? These are some of the lowest-rate variable home loans currently on the market for owner occupiers: 

For Buyers, Sellers & Renters

1. Realestate.com.au

With the most downloaded real estate app in Australia, realestate.com.au describes itself as “the #1 place for property”. The website and app is a product of international real estate advertising company REA Group, which is majority-owned by News Corp Australia.

After establishing itself as Australia’s most popular real estate website, realestate.com.au launched its app in December 2010, attracting one million downloads in less than two years. By June 2018, the app had been downloaded over 7.9 million times.

Source: Realestate.com.au

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 3.8 on Google Play (14,000+ reviews) and 4.7 on the App Store(50,000+ reviews)
• Search for houses, apartments, rooms or land to buy or rent in Australia
• View estimated values for Australian properties on and off the market
• Look at the sales history of properties
• Create custom ‘collections’ of saved properties (e.g. ‘dream homes collection’, ‘holiday houses collection’).
• Smart notifications that provide updates on the status of saved properties
• View upcoming inspection times and auctions for all properties that match your search
• See closest schools to any property based on Government data (ACARA)
• Set up a profile for your own property to keep track of the estimated value
• Home loan calculator (including upfront costs) that saves your info

2. Domain

With over 6.5 million downloads (as at August 2018), Domain’s app is a close second to realestate.com.au in the popularity stakes. Largely owing to the rivalry between its majority-owner Fairfax Media and REA Group’s News Corp Australia, Domain has for many years battled realestate.com.au for the mantle of being Australia’s top real estate platform. The battle recently escalated into court proceedings when REA Group objected to Domain’s advertisement in 2017 which claimed it was the “#1 property app in Australia.”

At the time of writing, Domain advertises itself as “Australia’s highest rated real estate app” and has amassed numerous awards over the years for the its design and functionality. In 2016, it was named one of Google Play’s Best Apps for 2016. It’s also certified as an ‘Editor’s Choice’ app on Google Play.

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 4.3 on Google Play (19,000+ reviews) and 4.6 on the App Store(24,000+ reviews)
• Look for Australian houses, apartments, townhouses or land to buy or rent
• Search specifically for new houses, land, apartments or designs (helpful for first home buyers hoping to secure a government grant)
• See the price estimates and sale histories of over 13 million properties
• Filter property searches by price, bedrooms, bathrooms, parking, land size and other features (e.g pool, study)
• Receive alerts when properties that match your saved searches become available
• Draw on maps with your fingers to search for properties in your favourite locations
• See school catchment zones for any property
• Add upcoming inspections to your phone’s calendar or the app’s in-house inspection planner
• Track your property’s value with the Home Price Guide estimate

3. Soho

Soho App has been described as the "Tinder for Property". Started by ex-Airtasker Co-founder Jonathan Lui in 2017, Soho App allows buyers to find properties with swiping gestures similar to popular dating app Tinder while still offering traditional real estate portal search. The app also has a social news feed and groups where real estate agents and brokers share property insights and help buyers learn.

Soho App has had over 30,000 downloads since 2017 and operates across Australia and Singapore.

Image: Soho App (provided)

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 3.6 on Google Play (< 100 reviews) and 4.5 on the App Store (< 100 reviews)
• Search for houses, apartments, rooms or land to buy or rent in Australia
• Tinder-style swipe to look through and judge properties
• Property Match alerts for new properties listed in your target areas and budget
• Request for home loan approvals with-in the app
• Social network and groups to connect buyers to property insights from agents
• Access suburb and area data to see market values by region.

4. View.com.au

Originally launched as realestateVIEW.com.au in 2001, Victoria-based real estate portal view.com.au drives itself to be positioned as “the number one source of national real estate data”.

View.com.au’s app first launched in late 2011 and has had over 50,000 installs on Google Play.

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 3.1 on Google Play (200+ reviews) and 4.6 on the App Store (1,000+ reviews)
• Search through hundreds of thousands of Australian properties to buy or rent
• Heat maps to explore median sale and rental prices in the area and key points of interest (parks & recreation, hospitals etc.)
• See the latest sales information and auction results on properties
• Shortlist favourite properties and receive instant alerts about them when things happen
• Filter searches by location, price, property type, home features and more
• Easily phone or email agents

5. Property Value Search/Onthehouse.com.au

Onthehouse.com.au is a subsidiary of Australia’s largest provider of property data and analytics, CoreLogic (formerly RP Data), which describes the business as the “#4 online real estate search platform in Australia”, with over 1.5 million unique website visits a month. As alluded to by the website’s domain name, onthehouse.com.au offers free listings for real estate agencies and agents. It also provides data and interactive tools to help give buyers, sellers and investors a more in-depth understanding of the market.

According to Google Play, Onthehouse.com.au’s Property Value Search app has had over 100,000 downloads, however, it’s had a flurry of negative user reviews in recent years over a range of technical issues.

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 2.9 on Google Play (600+ reviews) and 2.3 on the App Store (100+ reviews)
• See descriptive profile reports on every property in Australia (number of bedrooms & bathrooms, land size, land value etc.)
• Access sale histories of individual properties (sale price, sale date, type of sale etc.)
• Use Real Estate Exchange (REX) analytics service to see property value movements by region
• Access property value ‘guesstimates’

For Renters

6. TenantApp

TenantApp is a property search app for renters created by Brisbane-based property management software company InspectRealEstate (IRE).

This app has had over 50,000 downloads from Google Play and is ranked at #4 on Google Play’s top apps for “House & Home”.

Source: inspectrealestate

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 3.0 on Google Play (less than 100 reviews) and 3.0 on the App Store (less than 100 reviews)
• Search for rental properties throughout Australia and filter by price range, property type, number of bedrooms, locations and features (e.g. pet-friendly, pool, bath)
• Shortlist desired properties and book inspections directly
• Keep track of your tenancy applications and inspection times
• Affiliated real estate agents include Ray White, McGrath, RE/MAX, Professionals and First National

7. Rent.com.au

Describing itself as “Australia’s #1 website dedicated to rental property, rent.com.au was founded in 2007 and listed on the ASX in 2015. It has around 1 million visitors to its website a month.

Despite only launching in August 2018, Rent.com.au’s app has already racked up over 1,000 downloads on Google Play and is ranked #6 on Google Play’s top apps for “House & Home”.

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 5.0 on Google Play (less than 100 reviews) but no available reviews on the App Store 
• Search for rental properties with lifestyle filters (e.g. good for families vs singles, peaceful vs vibrant)
• Create a personal renter resume
• Book inspections and make applications
• Pay finance bonds, check tenancy record, purchase contents insurance
• See a suburb’s ‘walk score’ ‘transit score’ NBN status and rental pricing

For Renovators & Home Designers

8. Houzz

Don't have the Houzz app? Photos, pros, products, discussions, & stories! Send a download link to your device >>> https://t.co/0whttyIDNK pic.twitter.com/nZK0nIN69S

— Houzz Australia (@HouzzAU) November 11, 2017

Popular Californian home renovation and design website Houzz first launched in Australia in 2014, tapping into the nation’s multi-billion dollar obsession with property improvement. In 2015, it reported that more than 1.4 million Australians were using its mobile and online platform each month, 24,000 of which were active renovation and design professionals from over 60 different trades.

Houzz’s app has had over 10 million downloads around the world on Google Play and won the “Best App” award at Google’s inaugural Play Awards in 2016.

Key details: 

• User ratings (out of 5): 4.6 on Google Play (350,000+ reviews) and 4.6 on the App Store (800 reviews)
• Browse millions of home interior and exterior photos (sorted by style, location or room) to gain design ideas
• Find active renovation and design professionals to hire or collaborate with (e.g. architects, interior decorators, repair professionals)
• Shop for products and materials – discover and purchase products/materials directly from home design images
• Preview what products would look like in your home with the My Room 3D feature which utilises your device’s camera
• Read articles, industry news and guides from design experts
• Watch Houzz TV for home inspiration videos and how-tos
• Exchange design ideas among the Houzz community and get advice from experts

For Property Professionals

9. RP Data Pro (CoreLogic)

Property data and analytics giant CoreLogic describes its RP Data Pro product as “Australia’s best property professional tool”. The company first launched its app for iOS in July 2015 before releasing a version for Android in June 2017.

Despite being restricted to RP Data Professional subscribers, CoreLogic reports that the RP Data Pro app has over 50,000 weekly active users.

Source: CoreLogic

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 4.6 on Google Play (less than 100 reviews) and 4.8 on the App Store (less than 100 reviews)
• Only available to those with an RP Data Professional subscription (packages from $150/month)
• View the latest data on Australian property (value and rental estimates, sale details, ownership details, rental history etc.)
• Read market insights and research trends
• Generate property/suburb/valuation reports for clients with one click via email or MMS
• School catchment information

For Auction Lovers

10. GAVL Live Auctions

Australian tech startup GAVL launched its live-streaming auction app in 2017 and has since broadcast over 5,000 auctions with millions of views from around the world.

GAVL claims that the app has been downloaded in 50 countries while on Google Play it has been downloaded over 5,000 times.

Source: GAVL

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 3.5 on Google Play (less than 100 reviews) and 4.5 on the App Store (less than 100 reviews)
• Watch and bid in real estate auctions in Australia & New Zealand live and free in HD from anywhere in the world
• See the results of auctions seconds after they finish
• Browse listings & shortlist properties
• Follow auctioneers and communicate with agents
• Live alerts based on your search criteria
• Display prices in different currencies
• Control of the auction process for agents

For The Budget Conscious

11. Property Calculator Australia

Created in 2015 by Australian business Zaindy Pty Ltd, the simple Property Calculator Australia app has had over 20,000 downloads.

Key details:

• User ratings (out of 5): 4.4 on Google Play (less than 100 reviews) and 4.8 on the App Store (less than 100 reviews)
• Calculate your deposit, lenders mortgage insurance, stamp duty and loan repayments
• Save your calculations and compare results
• Glossary of common property terms

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Disclaimers

The entire market was not considered in selecting the above products. Rather, a cut-down portion of the market has been considered which includes retail products from at least the big four banks, the top 10 customer-owned institutions and Australia’s larger non-banks:

• The big four banks are: ANZ, CBA, NAB and Westpac
• The top 10 customer-owned Institutions are the ten largest mutual banks, credit unions and building societies in Australia, ranked by assets under management in November 2019. They are (in descending order): Credit Union Australia, Newcastle Permanent, Heritage Bank, Peoples’ Choice Credit Union, Teachers Mutual Bank, Greater Bank, IMB Bank, Beyond Bank, Bank Australia and P&N Bank.
• The larger non-bank lenders are those who (in 2020) has more than $9 billion in Australian funded loans and advances. These groups are: Resimac, Pepper, Liberty and Firstmac.

Some providers' products may not be available in all states. To be considered, the product and rate must be clearly published on the product provider's web site.

In the interests of full disclosure, Savings.com.au, Performance Drive and Loans.com.au are part of the Firstmac Group. To read about how Savings.com.au manages potential conflicts of interest, along with how we get paid, please click through onto the web site links.

*The Comparison rate is based on a $150,000 loan over 25 years. Warning: this comparison rate is true only for this example and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate.

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