Apps for your smartphone can make your life easier… but they can also take up a lot of space on your phone. You want the apps that you download to be useful enough to use on a regular basis. We’ve come up with what we think are the best apps out there for homeowners. Whether it’s organizational help you’re looking for or design advice, one of these great apps may do the trick.
1. Smart Home Apps
You may have opted to have a number of smart home features installed in your home. Some of the most popular options are thermostats, lights, door locks, and appliances that can all be controlled with your phone. If your home has these amenities, be sure to install the specific apps that go with them. Yonomi can tie all of those things together, creating routines for everything you own.
2. Colour Capture
Once you move into your new home, you want to get the look just right. Unless you’ve hired a professional interior designer who bought all of your furniture and accessories for you, this is something that happens over time. One of the best ways to decide if something is “right” for the home is by matching the colours. The Colour Capture app by Sherwin Williams helps you identify the colours on your walls or in your furniture, then find other colours that will match. It couldn’t be easier.
3. Housecraft
Speaking of buying the right furniture and accessories for the home, you should also give Housecraft a look. It’s a virtual reality app that allows you to take pictures of your home and then place different pieces of furniture in the space to get a better sense of what it will look like. This helps you avoid buying pieces that end up looking too big or out of place.
4. Pinterest
Not sure whether you’re the type of person who likes the shabby chic look or the type of person who likes mid-century modern style? Pinterest can help with that. It’s easy to instantly see pictures of all types of design styles in all types of rooms. But Pinterest also offers more than this. You can also get ideas for recipes, fun games for the kids, clothing styles, DIY tips, and much more. The more boards you create, the more suggestions come your way. This is a great app to use any time you’re waiting in line.
5. HomeSavvy
Kind of boring, yes, but it’s important to stick to a regular maintenance routine. HomeSavvy can help you with that. It allows you to customize a maintenance schedule so you won’t forget anything, then it sends reminders as various deadlines are coming up. This is perfect for those little things like an HVAC tune-up. In some cases, it will even help you save a few dollars by showing you ways to do it on your own. Just be careful you don’t invalidate any of your warranties if you do decide to do things yourself.
6. Encircle
When you move into a new home, you’re probably not spending a lot of time thinking about what you’d do if you lost the home to a fire or other natural disaster (no one wants to think about that). However, just to be on the safe side, the Encircle app is a nice choice for documenting all of your belongings. All you have to do is take some pictures in a circle around the room, and you’ll have a quick and easy record of everything in the room. Should the worst happen, you’ll have this documented proof for the insurance company.
7. AroundMe
New to the neighbourhood? Get the AroundMe app. It quickly tells you all the things that are around you, including things like restaurants, parks, and shopping centres. It’s a nice way to get to know your new neighbourhood, but it also works worldwide, so it’s handy to have around whether you’re travelling across town or across oceans.
8. A Good Budgeting App
As a homeowner, taking care of your finances becomes even more important. Many apps that do this will connect to your financial accounts and help you plan for all types of expenses. They may even track your credit score. There are a lot of different budgeting apps out there, and a lot of it comes down to personal preference. Nerd Wallet has put together a list of some of the best tools. Check them out.
You want apps aimed at making your life easier, so look for the ones that make the most sense for you. No matter what you need, you should always check out reviews and give a few a try before making your final decision. Happy apping!
Photo credits: woman on tablet, smart home, home control
