Trulia Real Estate Blog

articles about “Consumers

Trulia Revamps iPad App To Give Mobile Users Everything They Need and Want

Today we are excited to announce that Trulia’s top-rated iPad app has received a major overhaul. We listened to feedback from our users and incorporated user behavior data from our updated iPhone app to identify which features users love and interact with the most. Combined with our intuitive, user-friendly design, Trulia has created an even more visual and engaging way for home buyers to search for properties and get the inside scoop on neighborhoods.

The market is heating up, and 75% of people we recently surveyed think that it’s better to buy a home now than a year from now. With that in mind, we’re revamping the iPad experience to give users the tools they need to find their perfect place to live.

Let’s dig into the details on what’s new!

Updated listing pages – The listing pages for each property have been beautifully updated to showcase large HD photos, as well as thumbnails for quick scrolling. Users can also interact with photos in the full screen photo gallery by pinching and zooming to see more or less.

Other new features include:

Navigation menu – The new menu is simplified and streamlined, allowing users to easily search for properties for sale or rent, view their favorite homes, find saved searches, see open houses, and more.

Color-coded map markers – Utilizing colored markers, users can easily distinguish the newest properties for sale: Green represents unviewed homes that have just come on the market, black is used for all other unviewed homes, while a grey marker denotes properties that have already been seen.

Nearby map and local info, including median price and school ratings, displayed directly on the property pages – This information was previously only on the property results map. Now, each individual listing page gives users more of the inside scoop on properties and neighborhoods.

My Saves section - Prior to the update, this feature was split between the results map and search filters. Now, users view their favorite properties and saved searches all in one place that’s easily accessible from the new navigation menu.

You can download the new iPad app here. User feedback is important to us, so let us know what you think of the app by emailing ipad@trulia.com.


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Be Josh and Matt Altman’s First Intern!

Cristin Zweig, PR Manager
March 21, 2013

Be the First Altman Brothers Intern. Apply now!
Dream job alert! Trulia just launched the “Be the First Altman Brothers’ Intern” contest, which will give one lucky Trulia user the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the first intern to Josh and Matt Altman, two of the most well-known and well-connected real estate agents in the industry.

Amidst the glitz, glamour, and ultra-luxurious lifestyles of Hollywood, the Altman Brothers dominate their local housing market – now representing some of the biggest household names, from celebrities to entrepreneurs and socialites, and Josh Altman is becoming a bold-face name in his own right. You’ve likely seen Josh on TV, where he sells high-end real estate to the rich and famous. Together with his brother Matt, Josh recorded a staggering $200,000,000 in sales in 2012. With 2013 off to an even more impressive start, the duo is turning to Trulia to help them find their first superstar intern.

Could it be you?

The Altman Brothers’ very first intern will learn from Matt and Josh by witnessing and playing a part in their day-to-day business. Roles and responsibilities of their first Los Angeles-based intern include rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, as well as the following:

  • Building and executing online marketing plans for properties
  • Shadowing the duo as they show for-sale homes to prospective homebuyers
  • Touring some of the most exclusive private residences in Los Angeles
  • Aiding in scheduling appointments with clients
  • Planning and attending open houses alongside the Altman Brothers

To enter, visit Trulia.com/altmanintern and complete the submission form. Entrants are asked to test their online marketing prowess by “writing a compelling – and authentic – local review that sells your neighborhood to potential buyers,” and by also penning a brief overview of why they want to work for the Altman Brothers. Submissions will be judged and select entrants will advance to the next round, where an eventual winner will named the Altman Brother’s first intern.

Trulia’s “Be the First Altman Brothers’ Intern” Contest Timeline:

  • March 21, 2013: Contest opens to user submissions for four weeks
  • April 18, 2013: The initial entry window will close and second round finalists will be notified
  • April 22 – May 2, 2013: Second round interviews with the Altman Brothers commence
  • May 15, 2013: The winner is selected and notified by the Altman Brothers
  • August 1, 2013: The Altman Brothers internship begins!
  • August 30, 2013: The internship concludes

Think you have what it takes to work for the best in the business this summer? Enter here!

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The Best Homes for the Holidays

Whether it is baking holiday cookies, decorating the Christmas tree or, watching a special movie together, this time of year calls for family and friends to come together under one roof and take part in special holiday traditions. In the spirit of togetherness, we’d like to explore the most luxurious  homes for the holidays – those that can seat large families for dinner, feature exquisite entertainment options, or just provide that special holiday cheer with their unique amenities. Let’s take a look!

#1 Home’s Holiday Highlight: Large chef’s kitchen for cooking the holiday meals together.

Location: Farmington, CT

Price$9,999,999

Bedrooms: 52

Bathrooms: 25

Size: 48, 515 square feet

See more photos of this home.

See more homes for sale in Farmington, CT.

#2  Home’s Holiday Highlight: Massive grand dining room to seat the entire family for dinner.

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Price$8,900,000

Bedrooms: 10

Bathrooms: 18

Size: 16,000 square feet

See more photos of this home.

See more homes for sale in Los Angeles, CA.

#3 Home’s Holiday Highlight: Gift wrapping room to secretly wrap and store all the presents.

Location: Beverly Hills, CA

Price: $13,500,000

Bedrooms: 6

Size: 10,000 square feet

See more photos of this home.

See more homes for sale in Beverly Hills, CA.

#4 Home’s Holiday Highlight: Large home theater to enjoy a family movie.

Location: Scottsdale, AZ

Price$9,788,000

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 8

Size: 11,600 square feet

See more photos of this home.

See more homes for sale in Scottsdale, AZ.

#5 Home’s Holiday Highlight: Wine-tasting room for adult entertaining.

Location: Montecito, CA

Price$14,900,000

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 8

Size: 12,000 square feet

See more photos of this home.

See more homes for sale in Montecito, CA.

#6 Home’s Holiday Highlight: Large stage for family talent shows.

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Price: $7,495,000

Bedrooms: 5

Size: 10,000 square feet

See more photos of this home.

See more homes for sale in Los Angeles, CA.

#7 Home’s Holiday Highlight: Cozy cabin located near ski lodges for winter sporting activities.

Location: Aspen, CO

Price: $37,500,000

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 6 full / 3 half

Size: 11,722 square feet

See more photos of this home.

See more homes for sale in Aspen, Co.

#8 Home’s Holiday Highlight: Gaming room with bowling lanes.

Location: Washington, UT

Price$6,995,000

Bedrooms: 7

Bathrooms: 10

Size: 24,500 square feet

See more photos of this home.

See more homes for sale in Washington, UT.

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Trulia Now Offers Personalized, Real-Time Mortgage Quotes with Trulia Mortgage Center

Today, we are excited to launch our newest product aimed at helping consumers tackle the number one obstacle to buying a home: getting a mortgage.

The Trulia Mortgage Center, simultaneously released online, along with free dedicated iPhone and iPad apps, delivers the inside scoop on financing rates for homebuyers and homeowners. By providing personalized mortgage quotes that are updated in real-time and presented with detailed information about each quote, this new mortgage marketplace aims to help consumers find the best financing deal. Additionally, the Trulia Mortgage Center comes complete with online educational guides to help people understand the real costs of homeownership, the basics of borrowing and what happens after you make an offer.

Trulia Mortgage Center offers:

  • Personalized Quotes: Input your property location, loan purpose, home price, down payment, credit score, and property type to get a custom mortgage quote that fits your needs. Sort by lowest fees, APR, rate or payment for a more customized search.
Trulia Mortgage Center Personalized Quotes
  • Real-Time Estimated Payments: Get rates that are updated in real-time for the most accurate estimated payment possible.
Trulia Mortgage Center Real-Time Payment Quotes
  • Connect with Lenders: Learn about and connect with lenders about a specific quote by sending a direct email right from the quote detail page.
Trulia Mortgage Center Connect With Lenders
  • Get Mortgage Questions Answered: The ‘Discussions’ board allows users to submit mortgage related questions to our Voices community to get input from local real estate professionals and experts.

Trulia’s Free Mortgage Apps For iPhone and iPad offer:

  • Affordability Calculator: Determine the home price you can afford easily, and see a visual breakdown of your monthly payment and total cost of ownership.
  Trulia Mortgage iPhone App Affordability Calculator
  • Quote Comparison: Get personalized quotes updated in real-time that you can sort by lowest fees, APR, rate or payment to find those just right for you.
Trulia Mortgage iPad App Quote Comparison
  • Connect with Lenders: Contact lenders directly from your mobile device to learn more about a specific quote.

We hope you enjoy the new Mortgage Center online and the dedicated apps. We are just getting started so keep an eye out for additional product enhancements in the future.

  • To learn more and check out the Trulia Mortgage Center, visit www.trulia.com/mortgages.
  • To download the free Trulia Mortgage app for iPhone and iPad from the Apple App Store, click here.
  • To find out how you can advertise on the Trulia Mortgage Center, contact mortgagesales@trulia.com.
  • To download screenshots of the Trulia Mortgage Center, click here.
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Trulia Luxe Living Celebrates One Glamorous Year!

Cristin Zweig, PR Manager
August 27, 2012

This month, Trulia Luxe Living celebrated one glamorous year of bringing you all the details on celebrity and luxury real estate. Launched last August, Trulia Luxe Living has showcased the fancy, the funky and the high-society, offering a virtual window into the out-of-the-world real estate of the rich and famous.

In honor of the one year anniversary, we thought we’d take a look back at the most popular posts on Luxe Living in the last 365 days. The homes Luxe Living readers loved most run the gamut, from the late Dick Clark’s wacky Malibu “Flintone’s” house, to the new NYC pad of reality TV maven Bethanny Frankle, to not one, but two well-loved posts about the real estate moves of our fickle “Friend” Jennifer Aniston.

If you missed any of these throughout the year, here’s the top 10. In the future, be sure to bookmark Trulia Luxe Living and come back often – we feature a swanky new pad almost daily!

10. Megan Ellison Lists Stunning Hollywood Hills Home

Larry Ellison’s daughter may have inherited a famous last name and a strong work ethic from her father, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and it seems like she also picked up another habit from dear ole dad as well – a penchant for high-priced real estate. Megan Ellison is selling a $15.M Hollywood Hills estate.

9. Bachelorette Winner Jef Holm

Americans love love and reality TV, thus explaining the success of the long-running “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” franchises. The latest winner to receive the final rose from Bachelorette Emily Maynard was Jef Holm, a well-to-do Utah businessman. His family home is currently for sale, and Bachelorette fans across the nation couldn’t help sneaking a peek at the $3.39M estate Jef grew up in.

8. Lauren Conrad’s Hollywood ‘Hills’ Home

For many years, the American public couldn’t get enough of the TV train wreck that was MTV’s “The Hills.” Drama, cat fights, love triangles and the like kept viewers enraptured on a weekly basis. Based on the popularity of “The Hills” during its run, it’s no surprise Luxe Living readers were interested in reading more about the $2.25M home LC filmed the series in.

7. Camille Grammer’s Beaver Creek Vacation Home

On “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” viewers could see that these particular wives had more than one house to toil away in. Camille Grammer, the famously scorned ex of megastar Kelsey Grammer, took cameras and the other “Housewives” to her vacation escape in Beaver Creek, CO before she was forced to sell it as a part of the divorce settlement. Originally listed for $7.9M, the home is still on the market with a reduced asking price of $6.995M.

6. Jennifer Aniston Buys Big in Bel Air

Our fickle “Friend” Jennifer Aniston shocked real estate watchers earlier this year when she purchased a Bel Air spread for a whopping $21M. Just a few months earlier, she sold her Beverly Hills home for $37M and swore she and then-boyfriend (now fiancé!) Justin Theroux were going to become permanent East Coasters. She gobbled up a few apartments in NYC, but ultimately decided that the siren song of the Los Angeles area was too strong for her to ignore, and she was back – in a big way.

5. Leo Leases Out Malibu Mansion

Just in time for summer 2012, Leonardo DiCaprio hoisted his beachfront Malibu home on the rental market. If you wanted to stay just for the summer months, it’d cost you $150,000 a month. If you signed  a longer lease and stayed through the end of 2012, you’d only be shelling out $75,000 a month. Prior to placing it on the Malibu rental market, DiCaprio remodeled the 7 bedroom, 6 bathroom, 2,633 square foot estate.

4. Jen Aniston and Justin Theroux Rent in Beverly Hills

Celebrity real estate watchers and Luxe Living readers were all in a tizzy over the news that Jen & Justin were shacking up in a $40k-a-moth Beverly Hills rental while they waited out the extensive renovations on their new Bel Air estate. The home was recently on the for-sale market for $11.5M, and Aniston and her man friend picked it up as a temporary rental for a sky-high price. Like all her other homes, this rental is modern and architecturally significant.

3. Reality TV Titan Bethenny Frankel Buys in TriBeCa

Bethenny Frankel, of “Real Housewives of New York” and “Bethenny Ever After” reality TV fame purchased a massive TriBeCa home in New York for $4.995M. The big buy came shortly after the news broke that Bethenny had sold her SkinnyGirl alcohol brand for upwards of $100 million dollars. On the following season of her hit Bravo show, much of the story line centered around the renovations of this particular apartment.

2. Jim Carrey Lists Malibu Colony Home

Luxe Living readers said “allllrighty then” to the news that funnyman Jim Carrey was selling his beachfront Malibu home for $13.95M. The 5-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom, 2,866 square-foot home is situated on one of the best sections of sandy beach in coveted and celebrity infested Malibu Colony.

1. Keep on Rockin’ in Dick Clark’s Malibu Home

Prior to passing on and heading to the great “Rockin’ New Years Eve” party in the sky, the late, great Dick Clark placed his rather unusual Malibu home on the market for $3.5M. The Flinstones-esque home atop a bluff features 360 degree views, clocks in at 22.89 acres and and features 1 bedroom and 2 bathrooms. While many celebs hole up in massive mansions, the world was fascinated by the odd and understated home of the legendary Clark. Proving that bigger might not always be better, it was this unusual and quirky home that easily came in as the most popular home of the past year on Luxe Living.

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Find the Best Schools for Your Kids from Your iPad

“Where should I send my kids to school?” It’s a burning question that every parent faces and it’s not always easy to answer.

But Trulia’s got your back. We’ve been listening to your feedback, and we’ve just released an iPad update that delivers our school maps to your Trulia iPad app.

You can now overlay school attendance zones for elementary, middle and high schools, along with comprehensive contact info for all the schools in a neighborhood.

The details provided include the (1) name of the school, (2) whether it’s public or private, (3) address, (4) phone number, (5) # of students, (6) grades included and (7) GreatSchools Rating.

You can either view the attendance zone map in full screen (shown above) or with the home list open (show below), as you search for homes for sale in your desired school district.

As always, Trulia is committed to providing the best mobile real estate search experience – we hope our latest update helps you with your school search. And if you have any feedback, we’re all ears! Reach us anytime at ipad@trulia.com

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Trulia Partners with Leading Rental Listings Providers in San Francisco

Trying to rent a place in San Francisco can be a daunting challenge. Not only does the city offer many different neighborhoods and amenities to consider, but the booming job market is fueling competition for apartments, which is pushing prices up. During the month of June, amongst the largest 25 metro areas in the country, San Francisco experienced the highest year-over-year increase in asking rent prices at 14.7%, making responding to listings quickly more important than ever.

In light of all this, we were excited to announce today, that both J.Wavro Associates and RentSFNow, will syndicate their San Francisco rental listings to Trulia, making a distinctive group of new properties available to Trulia users. This is just one example of the work that Trulia is doing with its partners in the real estate industry to present consumers with great listings around the country.

While the company is busy providing the best rental listings, it’s also been building mobile apps that empower consumers and take the friction out of apartment hunting. With Trulia’s mobile apps, consumers can personalize their search with specific apartment criteria and then receive notifications as soon as corresponding properties become available. In addition, listings are color-coded to show what that person has viewed previously, what they haven’t seen and perhaps most importantly, the most recent listings, to help them find and act upon rentals quickly.

Expect to see more activity from us, as we work to provide great rental listings and powerful tools for finding the right place to live.

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Does the commute matter? Visualize your commute for the first time.

What happens when you combine government transit data, a designer and a few engineers? At Trulia, you get the ability to dynamically visualize your commute.

Commuting sucks. It’s stressful, and no amount of Sirius radio can make a traffic jam fun. Because of this, we know that commuting is an important consideration when choosing where to live, whether you’re in Los Angeles or Boston.  So, launching today is Trulia’s first iteration of the Commute Map, a way to visualize driving and public transit times. With this new product, we aim to give Trulia users a better understanding of commute times to work or anywhere important, to help them find the best place to live.

What did we do? 

We’ve taken the base data, OpenStreetMaps and General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) feeds, and produced a visual representation of commute times. We allow users to specify a start point, and then calculate estimates  that can be manipulated with a simple slider. With nationwide coverage across millions of transit data points, we’ve built an interactive and responsive map that overlays highly detailed transit results for any local query.

How does it work?

1.  We allow users to specify a work location and calculate commute and transit times in real-time.

2.  We built a heatmap of the times and allow users to use a slider to visualize how their commute changes.

3.  We did this for drive times nationwide, and public transit times for cities where data is available. This is a look at commutes in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C. and San Jose.

We’re working on integrating this data into search and allowing users to combine the heatmap with homes for sale, pricing, school ratings, and crime. More to come.

Please send us feedback… we listen.

eric@trulia.com

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Crime Maps and Trulia Estimates now on your iPad

Hello Trulia iPad users!

We’ve been listening to your feedback, and we’ve just released an iPad update that delivers two of your top requests: crime maps and Trulia Estimates on your Trulia iPad app.

Now, for the first time and exclusively on Trulia, you can overlay crime heatmap layers on your iPad home search to help your real estate search. Additionally, view Trulia Estimates on more than 50 million off-market homes, townhomes and condos in nearly 500 counties across the country, right from your iPad.

Here are screenshots showing the new crime maps and Trulia Estimates features:

 

Use these new features along with our location-based real estate search and millions of huge photos to find and “star” all your favorite homes into your Trulia account. No matter where you use Trulia you have access to all your favorite homes in one click.

Trulia is committed to providing the best real estate experiences on mobile – so keep the feedback coming and watch for more exciting announcements coming soon!

Reach us anytime at ipad@trulia.com

-Steven Yarger

Trulia Mobile Product Manager

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Trulia’s List of Anxious Athletes Looking To Sell

2011 will forever go down in professional athlete history as the year of strikes. No, not strikes as in baseball strikes. Strikes as in long, drawn out labor disputes with both the NFL and NBA, which left poor sports fans in a state of limbo for a combined total of 273 days! Thankfully handshakes were made and now all is right in the sports world with both the NFL and NBA back on track with their regular seasons.

But all is not well where sports and real estate are concerned. A number of athletes with homes lingering on the market have yet to shake hands and make deals with potential buyers. Adding to our list of real estate hall of shame, we’ve put together a list of NBA and NFL stars who didn’t sell in 2011.

scottie

Scottie Pippen – Retired NBA player most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls. (above)

Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Price: $13.5 Million

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 8

See more property details for Scottie Pippen’s home.

See more homes for sale in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

nick-van

Nick Van Exel –NBA star who brought his skills to multiple teams over a 13 year career. (above)

Location: Houston, TX

Price: $3.9 Million

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 10

Size: 16,801 square feet

See more photos of Nick Van Exel’s home.

See more homes for sale in Houston, TX.

alonso1Alonzo MourningNBA baller with a long career with the Miami Heat. (above)

Location: Coral Gables, FL

Price: $14.5 Million

Bedrooms: 8

Bathrooms: 8 full, 1 partial

Size: 13,806 square feet

See more photos of Alonzo Mourning’s home.

See more homes for sale in Coral Gables, FL.

jermaine1

Jermaine O’Neal – Entered the NBA right out of high school and went on to be a 6-time All-Star. (above)

Location: Henderson, NV

Price: $3,550,000

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 7

Lot: 30,927 square feet

See more photos of Jermaine O’Neal’s home.

See more homes for sale in Henderson, NV.

amare1

Amar’e Stoudamire – 6’10 NBA baller who plays power forward and center for the New York Knicks. (above)

Location: Phoenix, AZ.

Price: $925,000

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 partial

Size: 3,000 square feet

See more photos of Amar’e Stoudamire’s home.

See more homes for sale in Phoenix, AZ.

rashard1

Rashard Lewis – Former Seattle SuperSonic and Orlando Magic forward, who is now with the Washington Wizards. (above)

Location: Winter Park, FL

Price: $3,950,000

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 7

Size: 8,973 square feet

See more photos of  Rashard Lewis’ home.

See more homes for sale in Winter Park, FL.

troy

Troy Aikman –Former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. (above)

Location: Dallas, TX

Price: $24 Million

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 7

Size: 10,520 square feet

See more photos of  Troy Aikman‘s home.

See more homes for sale in Dallas, TX.

walter1

Walter Jones –One of the best players to ever wear a Seattle Seahawks uniform. (above)

Location: Harvest, AL

Price: $3.5 Million

Bedrooms: 8

Bathrooms: 9 full, 3 partial

Lot: 624,650 square feet

See more photos of  Walter Jones’ home.

See more homes for sale in Harvest, AL.

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