You love your smartphone. It’s a combination calculator, filing cabinet, communication device, and information finder. You even sleep with the device recharging on your night stand. Lucky for you then that your indispensable can prove even more useful now that you own one of the homes for sale in the Central Valley. Just be sure to download these apps, which work for both IOS and Android devices.

Homestyler

The exterior of your new home is going to look just as good as what you saw in the model. That’s because both were created by professionals. As for the interior, you most likely won’t have the benefit of a decorator for your spaces. You won’t need one with AUTODESK® Homestyler, which lets you start with a photo of your room or one of its built-in empty spaces. You can then add fixtures, art, rugs, and 3D furniture to transform your interiors. As a bonus, you get pics of professionally decorated rooms for inspiration.

PRO Landscape Home

Now that you’ve done the interior, it’s time to tackle your yard with PRO Landscape Home, which is free but costs $14.99 if you want to include the library with over 2,000 landscape objects. This app starts with a picture of your yard or home exterior. You can then draw in grass, pavers, or mulch. Look for plants by climate zone, so you’ll know they grow in Central California. Then add focal points like outdoor furniture or fountains. Once you’ve saved your creation, you can easily share it on social media.

BrightNest

If you want to keep your home clean, comfortable, and in top shape, you’ll have to do regular maintenance on it. Brightnest helps you organize and schedule your home chores and sends you helpful reminders. You also get plenty of how-to’s with pictures, tips and tricks, and hacks for making home ownership a breeze. Separate downloads available for Android and IOSdevices.

Encircle

If you ever file a claim on your homeowner’s insurance, you’ll need to provide evidence that you owned the item. The more documentation you can provide, such as through receipts, serial numbers, and photos, then the more likely it is that you’ll be reimbursed correctly. The most convenient way to catalog what you own is through a home inventory app like Encircle, which is free. Choose a room from a list and then start adding items to it. Take photos of individual items or the entire room. You can then add details like manufacturer and serial number later.

Google Calendar

Jane plays soccer at 4 pm, John needs to get to band practice at 5 pm, your spouse has to take the dog to the vet, and you have to get the ingredients for the cake you’re baking. How do you keep everything on schedule? With the calendar app that every smartphone has. If that built-in utility isn’t up to snuff, try Google Calendar, which syncs seamlessly with Gmail, Google Drive, and other Google apps. At a glance, you can find out what’s going on today and drill up to weekly or monthly views. Like much of Google, this apps is free.

Ruler 2

Is your new sofa going to fit through the front door? How many square feet is your bedroom? How wide is that window for the curtains you want to buy? The answers to these questions require a tape measure or ruler. Your smartphone can act as one and save the measurements so you don’t have to keep remeasuring. Ruler 2 costs $2.99 for IOS. A similar app, Ruler, is free for Android.

If you want more information on improving your life at home or want to tour one of our developments, please contact us.