Property Scraper API

Simple backend API for fetching and parsing property listing pages from various real estate sites.

Why This Exists

Manually checking property listings takes time. This API provides a unified interface to scrape property data from multiple real estate websites, returning structured data that can feed dashboards, databases, or analysis tools.

Quick Start

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the server
node server.js

The server starts on http://localhost:3000

API Usage

Scrape a Property Listing

GET http://localhost:3000/api/scrape?url=PROPERTY_URL

Example Request:

http://localhost:3000/api/scrape?url=https://renn.fortworthfocused.com/listing-detail/1177862117/2505-Shady-Ridge-Drive-Bedford-TX

Example Response:

{
  "url": "https://renn.fortworthfocused.com/listing-detail/1177862117/2505-Shady-Ridge-Drive-Bedford-TX",
  "found": true,
  "address": "2505 Shady Ridge Drive",
  "price": "315000",
  "beds": "3",
  "baths": "2",
  "sqft": "1658",
  "source": "Fort Worth Focused"
}

Supported Sites

Site	Support Level	Notes
Fort Worth Focused	✅ Full	Best support, all fields extracted
Your Home Search DFW	✅ Full	Good coverage
Zillow	⚠️ Limited	Basic fields only
Generic	✅ Best effort	Falls back to simple parsing

Integration with Dashboard

Option 1: Local Development

1. Run the server: node server.js
2. Note your local IP: ip addr show (e.g., 192.168.1.x)
3. Update your dashboard config to call http://YOUR_IP:3000/api/scrape

Option 2: Public Exposure

Use ngrok to create a temporary public URL:

ngrok http 3000

Then configure your dashboard to use the ngrok URL.

Project Structure

property-api/
├── server.js       # Express server with scraping endpoints
├── scraper.js      # Page fetching and parsing logic
├── package.json    # Node.js dependencies
└── README.md       # This file

Configuration

No configuration required. The server uses default ports and settings.

To change the port, edit server.js:

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;

Troubleshooting

"Connection refused" errors

• Ensure node server.js is running
• Check the correct port (default: 3000)
• For external access, use your local IP, not localhost

Empty/incomplete data

• Some sites block scraping; try a different URL
• Zillow has limited support; consider using Fort Worth Focused instead

Timeout errors

• Increase timeout in scraper.js
• Check your internet connection

License

MIT © Claw Mango