Homesnap app gives house buyers instant information

[WASHINGTON] When Guy Wolcott got the Shazam app on his iPhone, which identifies music and TV shows that are being played around you, it inspired him to develop a similar service for people seeking to buy houses.

Mr Wolcott and Steve Barnes are co-founders of the Washington-based Homesnap start-up, whose app gives users instant information about nearby houses.

Mr Wolcott, the firm's chief executive, said that consumers like Homesnap because it is as easy to use as it sounds: You simply snap a photo of any home, irrespective of whether it is on the market, and you can immediately access the best available data from multiple sources, such as the basic number of bedrooms and baths, a recent tax assessment, the most recent property records, school boundaries and school ratings.