Local real estate firms are starting to come out with their own downloadable apps as house hunting progressively becomes smartphone-based. They’re trying to improve upon popular apps like Zillow and Trulia.

The app launched this summer by Zeitlin & Co. can’t match up in terms of national scope. It can only track listings in Middle Tennessee. But Zeitlin CFO Sam Averbuch says the information refreshes every hour, unlike other apps that may only update overnight or once a week.

“What happens is you go on these sites and two of three listings are not currently listed or it’s old or they’ve sold, so it’s not the most reliable data.”

In its first two months, the Zeitlin app – which is free – has been downloaded less than a thousand times. Averbuch says that’s ok because the app is a long term project.

Zeitlin hired a Wisconsin-based firm that designs and manages real estate apps for firms across the country. Nashville’s Bob Parks Realty also launched a customized smartphone app earlier this year.