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Apps that every homeowner should have

There are a number of essential apps that a homeowner can benefit from. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Centriq: It saves you time you did not know needed to be saved.
  • iScape: This is an important app not only for homeowners, but also architects and interior designers.
  • Houzz: This one has proved useful to people in the real-estate sector, such as developers and private home and office owners.
  • Ourhome: This comes in handy for anyone in charge of a home or a number of people working on a collaborative project.
  • Coordinated calendars: The app can update project members on upcoming deadlines as well as other important details.

Technology. Where would we be without it? Thanks to technology, there are mobile applications for just about everything, so it only makes sense that there are apps specifically built with homeowners in mind. 

We had a chat with Mr Eric Waibochi of Smith Aegi, a digital design and advertising company, who discusses some of the essential apps that a homeowner can benefit from.

Centriq: It saves you time you did not know needed to be saved. It essentially helps homeowners keep track of household items and appliances. Once you download the app, you take photos of your household items and upload them on the app, which automatically generates the user manuals and guides for the appliance in a few hours. It then registers them into its system with a specific code that can be used to track the items. This app is especially important to homeowners that have several properties to let and those that own property that is a distance away. 

If you own a home or a furnished rental house, this app could greatly help you because it is easy to keep track of the household items, especially the electronic ones, as well as their receipts and warranties and anything relevant about the gadgets and appliances that you may need quick access to. If any of these appliances is broken, you can easily repair them in a timely manner or make orders for replacement items from global shipping sites such as Amazon, directly from the app. And if you need help to learn how to use your appliances, this app will teach you how. It also comes in handy when buying or selling a home as it is possible to transfer the different appliances and equipment manuals with all the relevant information about the home. The only downside to this app is that it is limited to iOS users.

iScape: This is an important app not only for homeowners, but also architects and interior designers. The app helps in visualising and planning your property. To begin with, it offers you different landscaping ideas. If you have a garden or lawn, you can use it to come up with an output of what you would like your space to look like and share it with your spouse or designer. It gives a real-life impression of the end product of the space as well as an inventory of everything that you would use to accomplish the design. 

The provided inventory makes it easy when it comes to purchase because you already have an idea of your budget. 

Another bonus that comes with this app is that you can collaborate on projects with a number of people. For example, if you share space with a neighbour, you can link the apps and design the shared space together on an agreed-upon project to your satisfaction. It also gives you an idea of what a project will look like regardless of whether you are going to do the project yourself or hire a professional to do it. Even better, it is available for Android and iOS users.

Houzz: This one has proved useful to people in the real-estate sector, such as developers and private home and office owners. The app offers a platform where numerous professionals in the interior design field, such as designers and architects, are listed. One can easily get a suitable professional in a matter of seconds by viewing their portfolios and looking at their specifications then choosing a few who match what you would like to do.

Besides this, the app offers a variety of project ideas and suggestions that could help someone who has no idea how to, for instance, design and decorate their project. It is, however, important to have an interview with each of the professionals listed in the app for verification purposes before engaging on a project with them.

Ourhome: This comes in handy for anyone in charge of a home or a number of people working on a collaborative project. This app allows whoever is in charge to delegate tasks to different members involved and track the task. Such an app is especially beneficial for those working on construction projects or an interior design project. Managers can also use it to assign daily duties to their teams and manage scheduling at a tap.

Coordinated calendars: The app can update project members on upcoming deadlines as well as other important details. It can also be used by parents to delegate chores to their children and ensure that the home is run efficiently whether they are present or not. In a nutshell, it ensures continuity of activities as well as accountability among people working towards a similar goal.​