Recommendations for inexpensive but reliable nationwide real estate data sources (sold + active comps)

[u/Ykohn]

I’m looking for guidance on good data sources for real estate comps. Specifically, I need both recently sold properties and currently active listings to be able to analyze local market trends.

What I need from a data provider:

• Sold properties: 6–12 months of sales history, with sale price, sale date, address, beds, baths, square footage, lot size, year built, property type.
• Active listings: Current properties on the market with list price, days on market, beds/baths, square footage, property type, and location.
• Nationwide coverage is ideal (major metros + suburban markets at minimum).
• Property details: Beds, baths, square footage, lot size, year built, assessed value, annual property taxes.
• API access preferred so the data can be integrated directly into an application.

Constraints:

• Budget: Ideally under $200/month for a reasonable number of lookups.
• I’m not a licensed agent, so I don’t have MLS access — I need options available to non-agents that are still reliable.
• Data should be consistent and credible enough for analyzing comps and identifying market direction.

If you’ve worked with data providers that balance accuracy, affordability, and nationwide coverage, I’d really appreciate your recommendations.

Thanks in advance!

[u/Deanosurf]

for $200 you MIGHT be able to get data for one mls for one month. but very doubtful.

welocme to the real estate industry.

[u/Grouchy_Mermaid]

Sorry dude, that level of data will cost thousands of dollars a month for ONE state. Each state often has several MLSs, and each MLS has their own data feed that they own and intentionally don't share for distribution anywhere else. There is simply no singular national data feed for the type of data you're looking for, only option would be to go state by state to individual MLS organizations and convince them to give you a data license—each of which will cost you more than $200/mo.

[u/Elegant_Highway7905 → u/Grouchy_Mermaid]

There is a lot of confusion in the real estate tech community about this kind of data. For instance, there are 12 states (Texas being the biggest market) where sale data is simply not public information. The only way to get accurate sales data in Texas is to license the data from each of the 35 MLS associations in the state. Not a cheap process.

[u/Ancient_Payment1335]

There are some providers like constellation or trestle core logic who provide such live mls data feeds. However you will be looking at around 500k+ for such access. Most probably you won’t get access unless you are that mls member.

[u/hodlinglikeahodler]

I was trying to build the same thing, but realized it exists already. Use batchleads / propstream they’ve got this tool already built and fully functioning

[u/ArtisticAd4357]

I have an amazing solution for you that gives the best free property demographics and if you want to skip for contact info you can (for a fee). I’ll DM you

[u/Ancient_Payment1335]

Look at what realtor.com providers for market reports. Those are free if you attribute. Live listing you won’t get access to u less you are mls member

[u/Ok_Season_2073]

If you are not an agent and dont have MLS access, your best bets under $200/mo are usually aggregator APIs. ATTOM and Estated both cover sold + active listings with property details, though ATTOM can get pricey depending on volume.

[u/CoreLogic_Trestle]

Trestle can provide this on a MLS by MLS basis. You will need a broker who can give permissible use

[u/No-Abrocoma-1801]

You need to hire a web scrapper to scrap listings from famous websites like realtor Zillow etc

Dm if you need more info.

[u/Anjali_gupta_2909]

I came across an upcoming software that could be a real game-changer for real estate professionals.

Titleman.ai helps you cut your lead search time in half, finding hidden gems, curating property selections,

building ROI forecasts, and even cracking mortgages in just 10 minutes. They're going live soon, and there's

already a waitlist to join. If I were you, I would jump right in!

[u/Klutzy_Pop_8663]

I have a solution for you that might work, it has all the data you asked but you will need to look for a certain address to get it, for $100 a month you will have unlimited searches.

www.Alefytech.com

[u/Hustle4Life]

I think our RentCast API will be right up your alley:

https://www.rentcast.io/api

We provide sold data and transaction history through our property records dataset and endpoints (link), and we provide nationwide sale listings through our listings dataset and endpoints (link).

We have a free plan that you can start with for testing/development, and 2 paid plans for less than $200 per month:

https://rentcast.io/api#api-pricing

Feel free to hit me up if you have any specific questions.