Zillow API Guide: Search Listings and Retrieve Property Data

Use the APIVex Zillow API to search properties by location, retrieve details by property ID, and build a repeatable listing research workflow. Send requests over HTTPS with an x-apivex-key header and consume the results in your application, database, or reporting tool.

This guide covers APIVex's third-party service. Zillow Group also maintains its own developer offerings; those products have their own access arrangements and data scope.

Choose the right property lookup

These paths sit below https://api.apivex.com/zillow. The Zillow endpoint documentation is the reference for filters and optional inputs.

Use a location search to collect candidates, then retrieve detailed data only for the properties your workflow needs. That avoids making a detail request for every result before you have applied your selection criteria.

Search listings with cURL

Set APIVEX_API_KEY in your shell environment. This Bash/cURL request searches for-sale listings in Houston:

curl --get 'https://api.apivex.com/zillow/search' \
  --header "x-apivex-key: $APIVEX_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode 'location=Houston, TX' \
  --data-urlencode 'status=forSale'

The documented status values are forSale, forRent, and recentlySold. Keep their capitalization. For a specific home address, use /search_address instead of relying on a broad market search to locate it.

Inspect the search response and retain the zpid for a property you want to enrich. Treat identifiers as strings in your own records so formatting or numeric conversion cannot change them.

Retrieve a property's details

Replace ZPID_FROM_SEARCH with an identifier from your result:

curl --get 'https://api.apivex.com/zillow/property' \
  --header "x-apivex-key: $APIVEX_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode 'zpid=ZPID_FROM_SEARCH'

The documentation also accepts a property URL. Use one clear lookup input at a time while establishing your integration. Inspect a real response before selecting fields; do not assume every property has every attribute.

Build a listing comparison dataset

A useful pipeline separates discovery from enrichment:

1. Save the location, status, and filters used for the search.
2. Collect unique property IDs from the returned candidates.
3. Apply your selection criteria before requesting details.
4. Store the source ID, retrieval timestamp, and returned attributes needed for your analysis.
5. On later runs, compare records using the same source ID and comparable query conditions.

A missing property in one search result does not by itself prove a sale or removal. Pagination, filters, and changes in source availability can all affect which records appear. Confirm a status change with a property lookup before treating it as an event.

Pagination and exports

The search endpoint documents a page parameter. Inspect the response and current docs before deciding how many pages to request; do not assume a fixed page size or that one response contains the full market. Set a maximum number of pages and stop if results are empty or repeat.

For reporting workflows, /search also documents an output parameter:

• json returns JSON and is the default.
• csv returns a URL to a generated CSV file.
• xlsx returns a URL to a generated Excel file.

If you select an export format, handle the returned file URL rather than treating the response itself as CSV bytes. For Google Sheets, follow the add-on tutorial after testing your query.

Common integration mistakes

Using an address as an ID: a zpid identifies a property; it is not the street address. Discover it with the appropriate search or use the documented URL input.

Changing filters between comparisons: keep status, geography, and other filters consistent when measuring how a dataset changes.

Confusing estimates with transactions: preserve the meaning and timestamp of each returned value. An estimate, an asking price, and a recorded sale are different observations.

Assuming full market coverage: validate the geographic coverage, completeness, and freshness against your intended use before expanding the workflow.

Next step

Open the Zillow API documentation and test a small search for your target location. For a separate listing source, see the Realtor.com search guide; its identifiers and parameters differ from Zillow's.