Problem
My client, a real estate investor, was spending 15-20 hours weekly manually scrolling through Zillow listings across 50+ zip codes, copying property data into spreadsheets. Switching between tabs, tracking which properties they'd already reviewed, losing their place mid-scroll. The manual grind limited market coverage and created a ceiling on deal flow. They were stuck choosing between depth (thorough analysis of fewer markets) and breadth (shallow coverage of more markets). Never both.
Results
- 15 hours reclaimed weekly: Manual research eliminated entirely, automated background processing
- $2,850 monthly opportunity cost saved: At $50/hour value, reclaimed time converts to business growth capacity
- Hidden contact metrics accessed: Extracted competition data standard scrapers miss, proprietary intelligence layer
- 50+ zip codes processed simultaneously: 2-3 minutes total execution, bulk market intelligence at scale
Before vs After
Before: 15-20 hours weekly scrolling Zillow manually, copying data one property at a time, processing maybe 10-15 properties per hour, missing hidden contact data, capped at limited zip code coverage.
After: Drop zip codes into webhook, walk away, check back in 3 minutes, complete spreadsheet with all property data plus contact counts, 50+ markets processed in one batch, zero manual intervention.
Client Goal
Build a scalable lead generation system for property acquisition that could process multiple markets simultaneously while capturing competitive intelligence competitors couldn't access. They needed to identify motivated sellers through pricing trends, days on market, and property manager contact volume without spending entire workdays on manual research.
Challenges
- Manual bottleneck limiting deal flow: 15-20 hours weekly on data entry meant fewer conversations with property managers, missed opportunities while researching
- Hidden data standard scrapers can't access: Number of contacts per listing lived in protected DOM elements behind CAPTCHA walls, competitive intelligence gap
- Zillow's shifting DOM structure: Platform randomly changes page layouts breaking scrapers, single-source extraction unreliable, data gaps create blind spots
- Scale ceiling from manual processes: Processing 50+ zip codes manually caps at shallow coverage or deep analysis, never both, strategic decisions made with incomplete market pictures
Solution Overview
We built a self-hosted n8n workflow that processes multiple zip codes in parallel through a dual-layer scraping system. Apify handles the initial sweep for basic property data and listing URLs. Firecrawl runs as a redundancy layer to catch what Apify misses when Zillow shifts layouts. GPT-4o standardizes all extracted data into consistent formats. A custom Python endpoint using Selenium with CAPTCHA bypass extracts the protected contact count data that standard scrapers can't reach. Everything outputs to Google Sheets in clean, structured rows ready for the next layer of automation or manual review.
How It Works
- Batch Input via Postman Webhook: Drop target zip codes into webhook, hit send once, system queues everything for parallel processing. Takes 2-3 minutes total execution regardless of volume.
- Dual-Layer Scraping with Redundancy: Apify pulls listing URLs, basic property data, location details as primary sweep ($40 monthly). Firecrawl runs as backup layer catching content Apify misses when Zillow changes layouts ($30 monthly). Eliminates data gaps from DOM structure shifts.
- GPT-4o Data Standardization: Raw scraped content fed to GPT-4o for formatting consistency across all fields. Pure extraction work, no complex reasoning, keeps API costs under $20 monthly even at scale.
- Protected Contact Data Extraction: Custom Python endpoint on Replit uses Selenium with CAPTCHA bypass to access contact counts in protected strong tags. Connects back to n8n via custom API call, proprietary system handling heavy lifting standard tools miss.
- Structured Google Sheets Output: All data appends to master sheet, property type, full address with unit variants, price, beds, baths, square footage, contacts, days on Zillow, broker details, property URL. If field blank, data wasn't on Zillow. If it exists, system pulls it.
- Continuous Batch Processing: Loop processes next zip code until completion, entire workflow runs in background, no Chrome extensions, no manual intervention, check back later for populated spreadsheet.
Key Features
- Multi-zip code parallel processing: Handle 50+ markets simultaneously while doing other work, bulk intelligence gathering at scale
- Hidden contact metrics extraction: Access competition data standard scrapers miss, see property manager inquiry volume, identify overlooked listings
- Redundant scraping layers: Dual-source architecture eliminates data gaps from Zillow layout changes, Apify + Firecrawl catch everything
- Self-hosted cost optimization: n8n runs free on VPS, total monthly cost around $150 for APIs and tools, $2,850 time savings monthly
- Clean structured output: Data ready for next automation layer, CRM sync, outreach sequences, market analysis, no cleanup required
Tools Used
n8n
Self-hosted workflow automation orchestrating the entire scraping pipeline with zero platform fees
Apify
Primary web scraper pulling listing URLs and basic property data, $40 monthly for high-volume extraction
Firecrawl
Redundancy scraping layer catching content Apify misses during Zillow layout changes, $30 monthly insurance
GPT-4o
Data standardization engine formatting all scraped content consistently, under $20 monthly for pure extraction tasks
Replit (Python/Selenium)
Custom Python endpoint with Selenium and CAPTCHA bypass extracting protected contact count data standard scrapers can't reach
Google Sheets
Clean structured output destination, all property data ready for next automation layer or manual review
Video Walkthrough
Ready to Eliminate Manual Research From Your Acquisition Process?
We build custom property intelligence systems that handle multi-market scraping, contact data extraction, and automated outreach. Stop choosing between depth and breadth in your market coverage.