Step by Step Guide to Building a Zillow Tech Connect API Integration in JS

Aug 15, 2024 • 6 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of real estate data? Let's talk about integrating the Zillow Tech Connect API into your JavaScript project. This powerful API opens up a treasure trove of property information, and I'm here to walk you through the process. Buckle up!

Prerequisites

Before we jump in, make sure you've got:

A Zillow API key (if you don't have one, go grab it!)
Node.js and npm installed on your machine
A solid grasp of JavaScript and REST APIs

Got all that? Great! Let's get our hands dirty.

Setting up the project

First things first, let's set up our project:

mkdir zillow-api-integration
cd zillow-api-integration
npm init -y
npm install axios dotenv

We're using axios for HTTP requests and dotenv to manage our environment variables. Trust me, they'll make our lives easier.

Authentication

Create a .env file in your project root and add your Zillow API key:

ZILLOW_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Now, let's create an api.js file to handle our API calls:

require('dotenv').config();
const axios = require('axios');

const api = axios.create({
  baseURL: 'https://api.zillow.com/webservice',
  params: { 'zws-id': process.env.ZILLOW_API_KEY }
});

module.exports = api;

Making API requests

Time to make our first API call! Let's create a function to search for properties:

const api = require('./api');

async function searchProperties(address, citystatezip) {
  try {
    const response = await api.get('/GetSearchResults.htm', {
      params: { address, citystatezip }
    });
    return response.data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error searching properties:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

Implementing key features

Now that we've got the basics down, let's implement some key features:

async function getPropertyDetails(zpid) {
  // Implementation here
}

async function getZestimate(zpid) {
  // Implementation here
}

Data parsing and manipulation

Zillow's API returns XML, so we'll need to parse it. Let's use the xml2js library:

npm install xml2js

const xml2js = require('xml2js');

function parseXMLResponse(xmlString) {
  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
    xml2js.parseString(xmlString, (err, result) => {
      if (err) reject(err);
      else resolve(result);
    });
  });
}

Error handling and rate limiting

Always be kind to APIs. Implement retry logic and respect rate limits:

const wait = (ms) => new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms));

async function makeAPICall(fn, ...args) {
  const maxRetries = 3;
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      return await fn(...args);
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.response && error.response.status === 429) {
        console.log('Rate limited. Waiting before retry...');
        await wait(1000 * (i + 1));
      } else if (i === maxRetries - 1) {
        throw error;
      }
    }
  }
}

Testing the integration

Don't forget to test your integration! Here's a simple example using Jest:

const { searchProperties } = require('./zillow');

test('searchProperties returns data', async () => {
  const result = await searchProperties('123 Main St', 'Seattle, WA');
  expect(result).toBeDefined();
  // Add more specific assertions here
});

Optimization and best practices

To optimize your integration:

Implement caching to reduce API calls
Use batch requests when possible
Implement proper error handling and logging

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid foundation for your Zillow Tech Connect API integration. Remember, this is just the beginning. There's so much more you can do with this API, so keep exploring and building awesome things!

Resources

Happy coding, and may your properties always be in high demand! 🏠💻