The real estate market is evolving in leaps and bounds and willingly introducing innovative solutions. Among others, the time has come for its digitalization, which implies building web and mobile platforms allowing you to deal with a property online: sell it, rent it out, buy it, analyze it and even invest in it.
If you, too, want to contribute to this trend and create a similar platform, you have to find your own way to obtain the most relevant real property data. There are a lot of suitable options to achieve the goal but the smartest thing to do is to use special real estate data APIs.
Interested? Then we think it would be appropriate to delve into the issue and investigate it properly, point by point.
Why do we need access to real estate databases?
Before we figure out how to integrate real estate APIs or data into our mobile or web platform, let's discuss why property information is needed at all. How can you use it, to begin with?
The answer, in fact, is obvious: real property data would come in handy if you intend to build an advanced resource aimed at a few target groups (take a look at the picture below!).
All these users would resort to real estate portals if they need help in such areas as:
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Learning detailed data on a specific property. That is, if a real estate agent (or a future tenant) wants to find out all the details about a particular object, he can take advantage of the services of a special property resource and get the following information:
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The characteristic of the city block in which the property of interest to the user is located: the risk potential of natural perils, the type of schools nearby, the level of criminality, etc.
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Information about the object itself, such as date of construction, market value, condition of the property, etc.
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Ownership data.
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In-depth analysis of the real estate industry. People who buy, rent, or sell housing will be satisfied with the information on a property, but this is not enough for investors. They should know the state of the modern property market and be able to predict its most probable development. Only in such a case, the investments made by them will pay off. Fortunately, the platforms we’re talking about can help investors conduct a study of the market situation, compare various property objects, and make a full analysis.
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Effective marketing. Lastly, real estate databases are especially good at bettering marketing techniques. It’s quite understandable: with access to the latest information on market conditions and customer preferences, property companies can develop the most effective strategy.
Where to find real property data?
Now it's time to proceed to a more pressing question, namely: what is needed to make these resources work efficiently? Surely, first of all, the most accurate, most relevant real property data are required. But where to get this information?
Start by deciding how far you intend to go with your site, how big your plans are: will your platform be limited to only one country or will it be available in different parts of the world?
The first option, of course, is easier to implement. And if you aim to cover the whole world, then the task becomes more complicated.
Typically, information about the property is being obtained from various online lists published by real estate agents or proprietors themselves (if they’re willing to sell or rent out their apartment). Each country has its own list of this kind.
In the United States and some European countries, Multiple Listing Service (commonly known as MLS) is particularly popular. Using Multiple Listing Service, real estate agents share with each other important information on property objects (those that are currently available). And more to the point, developers are welcome to integrate MLS Databases into their resources... it's now so easy to do but there are a few ways to simplify the whole process. Of course, we mean the possibility to resort to real estate data APIs.
What is API, to begin with?
To begin with, we'd like to sort out the concept of API (which means Application Programming Interface). What it is? Why do we need it?
As the name says, the API is a special interface providing developers with the opportunity to significantly simplify their work of creating applications and sites. The simplification of the development process is due to the fact that the API allows using ready-made blocks of code (sets of classes, procedures, functions, etc.).
Many large resources (the same Facebook, Google Maps, PayPal, and so on) open access to some of their services and databases, and they do this by providing API keys (such access can be either paid or free).
These are the so-called third-party APIs. Among the instances are the following options:
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logging in with your personal Facebook account;
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displaying a Twitter feed on your blog;
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the display of custom maps on web pages (here we’re dealing with Google Maps APIs or another similar service).
If we’re talking about the property market, then the API opens access to large real estate databases. Typically, these bases are formed by market giants who are ready to share the information collected with developers (on paid or free terms).
Just imagine: a certain user is trying to find an apartment, and he has requirements for the future home he wants to rent or purchase. He opens the property website and enters the search criteria: the price of the apartment, the area of its location, and so on. The web resource accesses third-party databases through the real estate APIs feature, receives the result, and passes it to the user. Everyone is happy!
Okay, the reasons explaining why real estate APIs are so popular are clear: these solutions greatly speed up the work of developers. However, what to choose to create your platform? What options are there?
Best Real Estate APIs to resort to
Let's proceed to the discussion of the best APIs in real estate. It's high time, we guess!
Mashvisor API
We prefer to start the list of real estate APIs with the Mashvisor solution. The service is mostly aimed at real estate investors and allows them to...
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draw up a competent business plan due to the opportunity provided to accurately calculate the probable income, which certain property in a particular area is most likely to bring to them (meaning, to investors);
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sort out the market situation throughout the country (speaking of market, we implicate the real property one);
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spend time and effort more wisely, which is ensured by the access to an advanced commercial real estate database and other features mentioned below.
Key Benefits:
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in-depth information about the real estate industry. To be precise, the investor can understand which property is more profitable for him to invest money in, given the specific location (city, region, etc.). Moreover, he gets access not only to the bare facts but also to the analysis of the data provided;
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data on each object of interest (again, talking about real estate): description, type of home, address, environmental conditions, lot size (if any), property's photos and images, year of construction, the price per square foot, and much, much more;
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information on the owners of the object. In order to profitably invest in property, it’s not enough to know all about the object you are interested in. It is also necessary to obtain information about its owners. And Mashvisor's real estate listing API provides such an opportunity;
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innovative data analysis tools. And we mean not just the possibility to superficially analyze the information received, we imply a real chance to make the most accurate prediction of the future income in a particular area.
ATTOM Property API
Another useful API for real estate businessmen is ATTOM (more precisely, ATTOM’s Property Data API). The solution is very effective and suitable for different markets dealing with property. Among the company's customers are such well-known names as SetSchedule and Foresight Information Services.
Key Benefits:
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a powerful commercial property database including information on more than 150 million real estate objects (in the United States), and this number is increasing. What’s more, the data are advanced in nature and cover many useful aspects, which implies ownership info and even the criminal situation in a specified location (and other things like that);
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the opportunity to test the ATTOM solution without payment (trial period) and therefore make sure it suits you;
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the ability to obtain data on a specific area of any level and type (from the national scale to a small location);
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effective support. ATTOM team will be your faithful assistant to make sure you’ve integrated the solution without any problem.
Estated Data API
In describing the variety of real estate APIs, we should definitely mention Estated.
What's great about Estated is that it allows you to find the right information on any property to the specified parameters, and do so quickly, reliably, and without the hassle. That's why the solution is being chosen by smart real estate experts such as brokers, investors, insurance workers, and others. Of course, the service isn't one of the most affordable, but its functionality helps to save time and effort, which is sometimes tantamount to saving money.
Key Benefits:
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Detailed, real-time, updatable data on real estate throughout the United States (more than 140 million objects in the database!). There is information about the historical and current condition of each object, its value appraisal, data on the owners, and so on.
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Impressive customer database. Estated has been selected by market leaders(TaskEasy, blend, kin).
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Simple integration. The task to implement the Estated service and integrate the real estate data you need isn't difficult. Extensive documentation will answer all your possible questions.
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Convenient licensing, which means greater flexibility when working with property information.
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A clear approach to pricing. You'll know what exactly you're getting for your money.
Walk Score API
Walk Score has its own website and application aimed at helping users find the right housing. Also, using the program, one can determine the walkability indicator at a given address.
Alas, you may resort to Walk Score services only in Canada, the USA, and Australia.
Of course, the company has its own API, which helps to create real estate portals, organize the property search function, and fulfill other similar tasks.
Key Benefits:
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Availability of 2 versions of the Walk Score API: free and paid;
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The convenient integration system;
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High quality and reliability of the result (even with the free version).
Google Maps
Surely, our analysis of commercial real estate APIs cannot fail to include Google Maps API. After all, when choosing the right property, it's crucial to use maps... which makes Google a perfect solution.
Among the companies that actively take advantage of Google Maps to make money on real estate, there are such market giants as MeilleursAgents, Efficity.Com, Tranio, Immobilo, Trulia, Savills, and Zillow already familiar to us.
Key Benefits:
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Multilingual interface. Google Maps supports at least 50 languages.
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Convenient customization. Google Maps allows you to visualize information in the proper context (say, real estate experts can provide visual data about schools, public transport, nightlife, the environment, natural disaster risks, property values, and market trends).
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Support for both web and mobile platforms. And if you've built a real estate mobile app (or a web resource) with the help of Google Maps API, you can be sure of the reliability of the result.
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A number of great Google Maps apps and services that real estate professionals can take advantage of, such as…
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Google Street View: it’s a good solution to "wander" around the city (albeit only around its three-dimensional projection, so to say);
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Google Places for Business. Do you need to find a real estate agency in a particular area? This app will help you!;
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Google Earth (free version) and Google Earth Pro (paid version). Builders can use it to look for the desired area on the map and determine its detailed characteristics.
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SimplyRETS
And the last example of real estate listings APIs is undoubtedly SimplyRETS. It allows you to develop advanced mobile and web platforms and integrate MLS databases into your resources.
The main goal of SimplyRETS is to make working with property information as easy as possible (however, the name of the service speaks for itself, right?).
Key Benefits:
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Providing developers with more opportunities. The service works with many programming languages (Python, Node.js, PHP, and Curl). So a developer is free to choose the option fitting him most.
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Simplified API integration process. Everything is focused on making the creation of applications and sites easy and enjoyable.
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Convenient price rates. You’re welcome to choose one of the three tariffs provided.
We've discussed various useful real estate APIs, and now it's up to you which option to pick. Though, if you still have any doubts, we're happy to help you with our tips.
