Trulia Mortgage Center goes live

Trulia introduces their Mortgage Center

Filling in a gap as they file for their IPO, real estate media company, Trulia, has announced the launch of the Trulia Mortgage Center which will provide consumers with personalized mortgage quotes from lenders in real time. In discussion with several agents today, the common theme heard was, “they didn’t already have this?” which indicates that it is a logical offering, but also that they are playing catch up to some extent, as quotes have been featured on the other big two for quite some time.

The Center stands out, however, with their well designed dedicated app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and is also available online.

“More than half are not pre-qualified”

“Our research revealed that even though 76 percent of users who have contacted a real estate professional on Trulia are planning to move in the next six months, more than half are not pre-qualified for a mortgage. Knowing this, we recognized an opportunity to help our transaction-ready homebuyers and current homeowners finance their American Dream,” said Lee Clancy, Trulia’s VP of Consumer Products.

Clancy added, “As more people search for homes on-the-go from their smartphones and tablets, we understood how important it is for today’s mobile house hunters to be able to search for rates in real-time from anywhere, at anytime. This is why we’ve launched the Trulia Mortgage Center simultaneously online and as a dedicated app for iOS from the start.”

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Trulia’s Chief Economist, Dr. Jed Kolko wrote that the top three mortgage rates questions he gets asked the most are:

1. How do mortgage rates affect the housing market?
2. Why are mortgage rates so low, and will they stay low?
3. How can you get the lowest rate possible?

Trulia Mortgage Center features

According to Trulia, the following are the key features of the site:

• “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.

• Real-Time Estimated Payments: Get rates that are updated in real-time for the most accurate estimated payment possible.

• Connect with Lenders: Learn about and connect with lenders about a specific quote by sending a direct email right from the quote detail page.

• Get Mortgage Questions Answered: Submit mortgage related questions to our Voices community on our ‘Discussions’ board to get input from local real estate professionals and experts.”

iOS app features

• Affordability Calculator: Determine the home price you can afford easily, and see a visual breakdown of your monthly payment and total cost of ownership.

• Quote Comparison: Get personalized quotes updated in real-time that you can sort by lowest fees, APR, rate or payment to find ones just right for you.

• Connect with Lenders: Contact lenders directly from your mobile device to learn more about a specific quote.

The takeaway

Trulia is the last of the big three real estate media companies to go public, and is shoring up its offering just in time. Consumers are worried about mortgages, and as Trulia indicates, many continue to not be pre-qualified, which better equips consumers that choose Trulia as their real estate resource, and stands a chance at improving the transaction process compared to a Trulia consumer that hasn’t researched mortgages.