Houski vs. Zillow API: one property data API across 16 countries
Zillow's data programs were built to power Zillow, not to be a general property data source. They are focused on the United States, access goes through Zillow's own approval process, and the terms are written around displaying Zillow's data rather than building on it.
Houski takes the opposite approach. One property data API covers Canada, the United States, Great Britain, much of Europe and South Korea under a single schema, with self-serve access and terms that let you cache what you retrieve and display it inside your own product.
The limitations of Zillow
1. Coverage stops at the border
Zillow focuses on the United States, so anything that has to work in Canada or Europe needs a second vendor and a second schema.
2. Gated access
Access to Zillow's data goes through application and review, with usage limits set by Zillow. That is difficult for applications that need frequent or growing access.
3. Display-oriented terms
Zillow's terms are written around showing its data to end users as Zillow presents it, which makes local caching, derived analysis, and consistent user experiences harder.
4. Limited data points
Zillow focuses on Zestimates and basic characteristics, missing many data points needed for sophisticated applications.
Houski's advantage
Houski's property data API covers 16 countries:
1. Comprehensive coverage
More than 220 million properties under one schema, from Seattle to Miami, from Vancouver to Halifax, and across Great Britain, Latvia, Slovenia, Czechia, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Norway, Switzerland, Estonia, Austria and South Korea. Money values come back in each country's own currency.
2. Self-serve usage
Sign up, get a key, and pay for the data returned, with a $99 USD monthly minimum and a maximum monthly spend you set yourself.
3. Freedom to build on the data
Houski lets you display retrieved data to end users inside your own product, application, website or report, including products you sell to other businesses, and cache responses to cut call volume. The terms of service spell out the rules.
4. Rich, detailed property information
More than 400 fields per property: physical characteristics, history, permits, zoning, scores, demographics, climate, and more.
5. Historical data access
Listing and assessment histories, and model values for any date from January 2021 to today through the predict endpoint, enable trend analysis and longitudinal comparisons.
Beyond basic property details: The full picture
Zillow offers a current snapshot. Houski delivers a complete platform:
Complete property lifecycle data
- Construction details and building materials
- Permit records from more than 80 cities, counties and states in North America, from whole countries such as France, Poland, Finland and South Korea, and from cities and regions across Europe
- Listing history and price changes over time
- Assessment values (where the assessing authority publishes them), with their land and improvement parts where they are published separately
- Zoning and land use data
Neighborhood context
- Detailed demographics
- School accessibility scores
- Community amenities
- Market trends by area
- Geographic features and boundaries
Market intelligence
- Valuation estimates
- Similar nearby properties from the automated valuation model (AVM) endpoint
- Price trends by region
- Investment metrics
- Rental market data
A foundation for applications far beyond simple lookups.
Built for developers
Houski's API was designed by developers, for developers:
- Comprehensive documentation
- Consistent data formats
- Logical endpoint design
- Flexible filtering
- Predictable error handling
- One schema across every country
Faster integration and less maintenance vs. Zillow.
Technical Implementation Comparison
The block below is a live call against the real Houski API, the request code and the JSON response are generated every time this page is rendered. Select as many of the 400+ fields as you need in a single call:
const houski_data = async (): Promise<PropertiesResponse> => {
// You must copy the PropertiesResponse type declarations from the
// Houski API documentation to strongly type the response
const url = new URL('https://api.houski.ca/properties');
url.searchParams.set('api_key', 'YOUR_API_KEY');
url.searchParams.set('city', 'calgary');
url.searchParams.set('country_abbreviation', 'ca');
url.searchParams.set('province_abbreviation', 'ab');
url.searchParams.set('select', 'interior_sq_m,bedroom,bathroom_full,construction_year,property_type,heating_type_first,foundation_type,assessment_value,assessment_year,latitude,longitude');
const response = await fetch(url);
const data = await response.json();
return data;
}
(async () => {
let data: PropertiesResponse = await houski_data();
// Log the response
console.log(data);
})();
{
"cache_hit": true,
"cost_cents": 5.1000004,
"data": [
{
"address": "518 Rochester Terrace NW",
"assessment_value": 1300000,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 2,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 2023,
"foundation_type": "Poured concrete",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 169.45374,
"latitude": 51.11072,
"longitude": -114.2748,
"property_id": "103f92f6cf7bbdd9",
"property_type": "Land"
},
{
"address": "36 Crimson Ridge Heights NW",
"assessment_value": 194000,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 2,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 2024,
"foundation_type": "Poured concrete",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 169.45374,
"latitude": 51.107574,
"longitude": -114.25946,
"property_id": "104fb85a9c002e5d",
"property_type": "Commercial"
},
{
"address": "54 Rowmont Link NW",
"assessment_value": 853500,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 2,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 2023,
"foundation_type": "Poured concrete",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 169.45374,
"latitude": 51.106037,
"longitude": -114.275,
"property_id": "1055f97323e53f25",
"property_type": "House"
},
{
"address": "499 Rochester Terrace NW",
"assessment_value": 888000,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 2,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 2023,
"foundation_type": "Poured concrete",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 169.45374,
"latitude": 51.111366,
"longitude": -114.27512,
"property_id": "1106094a42c3757d",
"property_type": "Land"
},
{
"address": "304 30 Rochester View NW",
"assessment_value": 105000,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 2,
"bedroom": 2,
"construction_year": 1800,
"foundation_type": "Poured concrete",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 121.70197,
"latitude": 51.109074,
"longitude": -114.26745,
"property_id": "1198b011e799062c",
"property_type": "Townhouse"
},
{
"address": "95 Royston He NW",
"assessment_value": 918500,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 2,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 2023,
"foundation_type": "Poured concrete",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 169.45374,
"latitude": 51.107533,
"longitude": -114.272934,
"property_id": "11aa161875771a70",
"property_type": "Land"
}
],
"error": "",
"pagination": {
"current_page": 1,
"has_next_page": true,
"has_previous_page": false,
"page_total": 110113
},
"price_quote": false,
"result_total": 660677,
"time_ms": 34,
"ui_info": {
"city": "Calgary",
"city_id": "6ec95b53075d062c",
"city_link": "ca/ab/calgary",
"city_slug": "calgary",
"country": "Canada",
"country_abbreviation": "CA",
"country_abbreviation_id": "9ace2b6431b7f1be",
"country_abbreviation_link": "ca",
"country_slug": "canada",
"province": "Alberta",
"province_abbreviation": "AB",
"province_abbreviation_id": "aae1f05a0f89d2c7",
"province_abbreviation_link": "ca/ab",
"province_slug": "alberta"
}
}
Compared with Zillow:
- Coverage: more than 220 million properties across 16 countries, vs. a United States focus.
- Access: self-serve, usage-based pricing, vs. application and review.
- Data use: cache and display inside your own product, vs. display on Zillow's terms.
- Data points: 400+ fields per property, vs. limited property characteristics.
- Focus: a general property data API you can build on, vs. data built to power Zillow's own site.
Real-world advantages:
- Coverage: 16 countries vs. one
- Flexibility: build on the data vs. display-only
- Rich data: 400+ fields vs. basics
- Developer freedom: self-serve access vs. gated programs
- One schema: every country in one API vs. a second vendor outside the United States
Conclusion
Zillow's data wasn't built to be a general property data source. Coverage, access, and usage limits create significant challenges.
Houski's property data API is built for developers first: comprehensive data, flexible usage, modern design.
Ready to see the difference? Explore our property API documentation.