The real estate industry is in the midst of massive technological transformations, with technologies like big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and APIs leading the charge. These technologies are infusing a touch of modernity into each transaction, marking a significant departure from traditional practices.
Among these, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) stand out as a crucial link between users and the expansive real estate industry, facilitating a host of online interactions. With online real estate projected to claim 20% of the market share by 2025, APIs offer indispensable features that can provide a competitive edge in this sector. Exploring all the different options can be overwhelming, but this benchmarking article is here to guide you.
This article compares the top real estate APIs, exploring their features and benefits to help businesses and developers make informed choices.
Let’s dive in.
What are Real Estate APIs?
Real Estate APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are protocols and tools that facilitate interaction and data sharing between different real estate-related software applications and websites. They serve as bridges that allow disparate systems to communicate with each other in a structured and secure manner. For instance, a real estate website could use an API to display the latest property listings from a database or send push notifications to potential buyers about new properties on the market.
Here’s a more detailed look at the common categories of real estate APIs and what they offer:
- Property Listing APIs. Provide access to property listings, details, images, and pricing information.
- Market Data APIs. Deliver market trends, property values, and real estate analytics.
- Property Valuation APIs. Offer property valuation and appraisal services.
- Mortgage and Financial APIs. Supply tools for mortgage calculations, credit checks, and financial analysis.
- GIS APIs. Offer geographic data, mapping, and location-based services for property searches and analysis.
- Real-time Communication APIs. Deliver real-time chat, video and audio calling, and activity feed features for interactive and engaging user experiences.
Comparing Real Estate APIs
Now, let’s look at some of the top APIs in the real estate industry and see how they stack against each other.
Attom API
Attom is a comprehensive real estate data platform offering various property information and analytics. It provides real-time access to various data, including property characteristics, valuation, ownership details, mortgage records, parcel boundaries, hazard data, market analytics, and more. Attom sources data from over 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties. Integrating Attom API, which comes in JSON and XML formats, into your application lets your users get all the details they need to make well-informed decisions in the dynamic real estate market.
Price: Attom offers a 30-day free trial of its property API. To get actual pricing, you’ll have to contact their data experts.
Ease of Use: Attom’s property data API is user-centric and boasts robust documentation.
Specs: The Attom Real Estate API is cloud-hosted.
Limitations: Attom’s API is currently capped at 200 calls per minute. However, this limit can be reduced to ensure optimal user response times.
Support: Attom provides dedicated support throughout the API implementation to ensure everything goes well.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to set up and use | You have to get in touch with the company for pricing. |
| Comprehensive property database | There may be a learning curve compared to similar APIs. |
| Automated valuation models (AVMs) | |
| Customizable APIs and integration options |
Mashvisor API
Mashvisor is another real estate data platform that delivers up-to-date and accurate data to help investors identify lucrative investment opportunities in the real estate market, whether rental or purchase. The platform covers property listings, rental rates, Airbnb data, vacation rentals, and insights into top-performing markets. Integrating the Mashvisor API in your application will deliver all these features, including key investment functionalities like cash flow projections and return on investment calculations. Mashvisor currently delivers data on more than 150 million properties and is used by 50,000+ satisfied clients.
Price: Free version – 30 API requests/month.
Basic plan at $299/month – 100 API requests/month.
Professional plan at $599/month – 250 API requests/month.
Ease of Use: Mashvisor property data API is easy to implement and has comprehensive documentation.
Specs: Mashvisor Real Estate API is cloud-based.
Limitations: There is a limit to the number of countries Mashvisor can pull data for.
Support: Mashvisor provides support through various channels, including Email/Help Desk, Phone Support, a Knowledge Base, and FAQs/forums.
| Pros | Cons |
| Robust Data Analysis using AI and ML. | Paid plans may be expensive for small businesses. |
| Wide range of features, including an Airbnb rate management and calculator. | It may have a steeper learning curve compared to similar APIs. |
| Multi-platform accessibility. |
Estated API
A part of Attom Data Solutions, Estated is a robust platform for obtaining property data and valuation information. Access details like boundary parcels, building data, historical deeds, sale and mortgage data, market value, taxes, assessments, and ownership information. With estated API in JSON format, you can provide your users with accurate property valuations, supporting real estate transactions and assessments. Estated currently covers data for over 150 million properties.
Price: Estated’s APIs and datasets come with pricing options ranging from $50,000 annually to $125,000.
Ease of Use: Estated boasts comprehensive documentation, making the APIs easy to implement.
Specs: Estated is a cloud-based solution.
Limitations: Estated is not one of the most affordable options in the market, potentially making it less accessible for budget-conscious users.
Support: Estated has a 24-hour response time for regular plans, while enterprise customers can enjoy dedicated support.
| Pros | Cons |
| Comprehensive real-time data on 140M+ US properties. | Certain features and discounts are only available to enterprise customers. |
| Easy integration with extensive documentation | Higher cost compared to some alternatives. |
Zillow Group API
Zillow Group, an industry-leading real estate marketplace, provides APIs and Data Sets covering various aspects of real estate. Developers can harness Zillowgroup’s diverse APIs and Data Sets (up to 20) to integrate their applications with a wealth of real estate data and functionality. Covering mortgage, mls, public data, estimates, and transactions, these APIs enable you to explore and seamlessly incorporate a range of offerings into your applications for users. In 2022, Zillow was the most visited real estate platform, according to Statista.
Price: Zillow Group APIs are free to use with an access key from zillow.com.
Ease of Use: Zillow may not be the most easy-to-integrate API as its documentation covers XML only.
Specs: Zillow is a cloud-based SaaS.
Limitations: Zillow APIs are limited to a maximum of 1,000 calls/day per data set.
| Pros | Cons |
| Covers 7,000 regions and 150 cities in the USA. | Zillow is primarily focused on the USA, limiting international data availability. |
| Includes data on demographics, geographic objects, and pricing. | Documentation is only available for XML at the moment. |
| Provides pricing information for previously sold apartments. | Lack of customization options. |
| Enables assessment of pricing change dynamics over time. | Your API application must link back to Zillow. |
RealEstateAPI
RealEstateAPI is another notable real estate API, offering a comprehensive suite of data and functionalities. It provides real-time data on property listings, market trends, and neighborhood information. Integrating this API into your application will also deliver advanced functionalities like property search, property details, property comps, parcel boundary, address auto-complete, address verification, and more. RealEstateAPI provides insights on 150+ million properties and owners.
Ease of Use: Setting up the APIs is usually easy and seamless. Additionally, you can join the daily onboarding sessions with Developer Advocates if you need assistance.
Support: Offers direct assistance and a Discord community for architecture-related discussions.
| Pros | Cons |
| High performance with 1-second or less response times and 99.9% uptime. | Customization may be intricate, depending on the complexity of the desired endpoints. |
| Provides a range of endpoints and customization options | Might be too complex for smaller-scale projects. |
| Leverages AI for in-depth analysis using proprietary datasets. | |
| Insights on more than 150 million properties. |
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this benchmarking article has provided insights into some of the top real estate APIs. However, the question remains: which one should you choose? To select the most suitable API for your real estate application, you should weigh factors like your expected user numbers, budget limitations, and the specific features you want.
If you’re uncertain about your decision, our API experts at ORIL are ready to help. Don’t hesitate to reach out today, and we’ll guide you to the ideal choice for your unique needs.
