Zillow Property Scraper

Advanced Zillow scraper that extracts property listings with detailed information including prices, addresses, property details, broker information, and images. Supports multiple search queries, custom filters, and handles captcha challenges automatically.

Features

• Multiple Search Queries: Process multiple locations or search URLs in a single run
• Advanced Captcha Handling: Automatically handles Zillow's Press & Hold challenges
• Detailed Property Data: Extracts prices, addresses, bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, broker info, images, and ZPIDs
• Smart Filtering: Apply price, bedroom, bathroom, home type, and square footage filters
• Per-Query Limits: Set maximum listings per search query
• Debug Mode: Optional detailed logging for troubleshooting
• Error Recovery: Handles failed pages and stops gracefully on consecutive failures

Input Configuration

Multiple Search Queries Format

{
  "searchQueries": [
    {
      "location": "los-angeles-ca",
      "listingType": "sale",
      "minPrice": 500000,
      "maxPrice": 1000000,
      "minBeds": 3,
      "homeTypes": ["house", "condo"]
    },
    {
      "search_url": "https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/..."
    },
    "https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/..."
  ],
  "maxListings": 1000,
  "maxPages": 24,
  "debugMode": false
}

Single Search Query Format (Legacy)

{
  "location": "new-york-ny",
  "listingType": "rent",
  "minPrice": 2000,
  "maxPrice": 5000,
  "minBeds": 2,
  "minBaths": 1,
  "homeTypes": ["apartment", "condo"],
  "maxListings": 500,
  "debugMode": true
}

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
searchQueries	Array	Array of search queries (objects or URL strings)	[]
location	String	Location to search (e.g., 'los-angeles-ca')	"los-angeles-ca"
listingType	String	Type of listings: 'sale' or 'rent'	"sale"
minPrice	Integer	Minimum price filter	-
maxPrice	Integer	Maximum price filter	-
minBeds	Integer	Minimum bedrooms (0-10)	-
maxBeds	Integer	Maximum bedrooms (0-10)	-
minBaths	Number	Minimum bathrooms (0-10)	-
maxBaths	Number	Maximum bathrooms (0-10)	-
homeTypes	Array	Home types: house, condo, townhouse, apartment, multi_family, mobile	[]
minSqft	Integer	Minimum square footage	-
maxSqft	Integer	Maximum square footage	-
maxListings	Integer	Maximum listings per search query	1000
maxPages	Integer	Maximum pages per search query	24
debugMode	Boolean	Enable detailed logging	false

Output Data

Each property listing includes:

{
  "price": "$995,000",
  "address": "4122 S Bronson Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90008",
  "details": "3 bds 2 ba 1,729 sqft - Foreclosure",
  "bedrooms": 3,
  "bathrooms": 2,
  "sqft": 1729,
  "other_details": "Foreclosure",
  "broker_name": "COLDWELL BANKER REALTY, Tiffany Dalgic DRE # 01896614",
  "status": "For Sale",
  "link": "https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/...",
  "zpid": "20575605",
  "cover_image": "https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/...",
  "scraped_at": "2025-01-08T10:30:00"
}

Usage Examples

Example 1: Multiple Cities

{
  "searchQueries": [
    {
      "location": "los-angeles-ca",
      "listingType": "sale",
      "minPrice": 500000,
      "maxPrice": 1000000
    },
    {
      "location": "san-francisco-ca", 
      "listingType": "sale",
      "minPrice": 800000,
      "maxPrice": 1500000
    }
  ],
  "maxListings": 500,
  "debugMode": false
}

Example 2: Mixed Queries (Location + Direct URLs)

{
  "searchQueries": [
    {
      "location": "miami-fl",
      "listingType": "rent",
      "minBeds": 2
    },
    "https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Beverly-Hills-CA/",
    "https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/Manhattan-New-York-NY/"
  ],
  "maxListings": 1000
}

Example 3: Detailed Filtering

{
  "location": "austin-tx",
  "listingType": "sale",
  "minPrice": 300000,
  "maxPrice": 800000,
  "minBeds": 3,
  "minBaths": 2,
  "homeTypes": ["house", "townhouse"],
  "minSqft": 1500,
  "maxListings": 200,
  "debugMode": true
}

Key Features

Smart Captcha Handling

• Automatically detects Zillow's Press & Hold challenges
• Uses human-like behaviour to avoid captcha
• Verifies challenge completion by detecting property listings

Error Recovery

• Detects "Uh oh, something broke" and 400 error pages
• Returns to last successful page on errors
• Exits after 2 consecutive page failures
• Handles rate limiting and blocks gracefully

Logging Modes

• Debug Mode OFF: Minimal logging (starting, warnings, results, finishing)
• Debug Mode ON: Detailed logging for troubleshooting

Per-Query Limits

• Each search query can collect up to maxListings independently
• Useful for balanced results across multiple locations
• Continues to next query even if one query reaches its limit

Performance Notes

• Inter-page delay: 1 second
• Maximum 1 retry per failed page
• Optimized request blocking for faster performance
• Smart scrolling to load all listings on each page

Common Use Cases

1. Multi-Market Analysis: Compare properties across different cities
2. Investment Research: Find properties within specific price ranges
3. Rental Market Survey: Analyze rental prices in target areas
4. Custom Search URLs: Use pre-filtered Zillow URLs for specific criteria
5. Market Monitoring: Regular scraping of specific property types

Troubleshooting

• Enable debugMode: true for detailed logging
• Check if Zillow URLs are accessible manually
• Ensure price ranges and filters are realistic for the location
• Monitor for IP blocking if running frequently

Rate Limiting

• Built-in delays and human-like behavior to avoid detection
• Randomized user agents and browser settings
• Request blocking for ads and analytics to improve performance