Zillow is an app based off of a website of the same name. It’s sort of like The Producers, only without Will Ferrell. Zillow is a real estate website mostly known for its trademark real estate search map, Zestimate. Zillow, the website, allows people to see the homes that are for sale in any particular neighborhood. Even if you are not personally in the market for a new home, it is a great way to see comps (comparables) in your neighborhood as well as gauge the value of your own home. This is valuable information for any homeowner to have.

Now on to the actual app itself. It’s functionality is pretty much what you would expect it to be, a condensed, mobile version of the website. Upon activating the app, Zillow pinpoints your exact location before displaying a Google-ish map breakdown of your current locale with places that are for sale as well as Zestimates (which is Zillow’s estimated market value of listed homes using their own proprietary formula).

Also, just a piece of useless trivia, Zillow does not use the Google Maps interface but the difference is pretty negligible. The ole "finger scanning" method of scrolling around a map works just as fine as it would elsewhere. Users also have the option of which type of map interface they would like to see: Street view, Hybrid view and List. Street view is the typical "Google maps" view with the Monopoly-esque house icons. Hybrid is a mash-up of street view and a satellite imagery, a cool option. And if you’re not at all concerned with the where and what of listings, users can opt for just the "who" feature, list view. This is just an old-school scroll down list of listings.

One cool thing is that with moderate screen lag, users can get constantly updated listings as they search in the browser. Double-clicking on a house icon will give more detailed info, such as square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and type of property (e.g. house, condo, co-op, etc.)

As I said at the beginning of this review, this app would not necessarily appeal to everyone, even homeowners. However, for those of you out there that are interested or in the market for real estate, Zillow is a very valuable, FREE, tool for homeowners or house hunters.

About five years ago, before the housing market burst its over-inflated bubble, this little guy would have been an excellent divining rod for buyers and sellers alike. And although it seems as if that ship has sailed (at least for the time being) just think of all the time, money and cell phone minutes you could save by utilizing this app.

Having an extensive mobile database at your fingertips could come in handy for many users. Some of the drawbacks -- and they are few, in my opinion -- are that the icons are slow to load at times, and the pictures that do come with the listings aren’t full screen. However, for all of its pluses, Zillow is still an app that you wouldn’t kick out of bed for eating crackers. And best of all, Zillow is free, so there’s no reason not to download it and take it for a spin. Besides, now you can find out what those neighbors of yours are really selling their two bedroom for without straining to remember the names of their kids.

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