Trulia’s app now tells house hunters when a nearby home just went on the market

Trulia today updated its apps for iOS and Android to add a new feature which offers users notifications when they are within striking distance of a home that has just come on the market. Users who enable the feature will get a push notification whenever they’re within 5 miles of a home that has been listed in the past 24 hours.

Users who have particular specifications in mind can adjust their preferences to search a wider area, search for homes that have a certain number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and set a price range.

In addition, people can choose whether they’re looking to buy or rent. People who don’t want to be pestered with notifications can also set when they want the app to serve them with new homes.

The feature is designed to help people find homes that fit the criteria they’re looking for, and quickly pounce on nearby properties that seem interesting. With the real estate market heating up this year, being first on the scene at a freshly-listed home could be a key advantage for interested buyers.

It’s also a way for Trulia to work on differentiating itself from Zillow, which doesn’t yet offer a similar feature on its mobile apps.

As homebuying season heats up, all of the major players in real estate tech are trying to draw users to their platforms. Realtor.com, Zillow and Trulia have all rolled out new ad campaigns targeting homebuyers, and Zillow and Trulia have said publicly that they each plan to spend tens of millions of dollars on marketing their products this year.

Trulia’s app is available for free from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.