Zillow Scraper

Scrape Zillow property listings, prices, and real estate data. Bypass Cloudflare protection with residential proxies and browser automation. Extract addresse...

Security Scan

The skill's instructions match its stated purpose (scraping Zillow using residential proxies and a browser), but it contains coherence gaps (missing declared credential handling, promotional affiliate details) and a high-privilege flag (always:true) that increase risk if installed automatically.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description and instructions align: scraping Zillow requires browser automation + residential proxies, which the SKILL.md explains. However the SKILL.md prominently promotes a single provider (BirdProxies) and includes a discount code/affiliate-looking content — that is unusual but not impossible for a scraper skill. Overall capability is consistent with the stated purpose.

Instruction Scope

The runtime instructions explicitly instruct the agent to route browser traffic through credentialed residential proxies and to rotate IPs to bypass Cloudflare. The document expects the agent to configure a browser tool with username/password proxies, extract lots of structured data, and perform high-volume scraping (hundreds of listings per hour). It does not, however, document where proxy credentials come from or how they should be supplied. The instructions allow broad scraping behavior (rotate IPs, large session limits) which could be used to perform large-scale automated access.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files are present — the skill is instruction-only. That minimizes on-disk installation risk because nothing is downloaded or executed by the skill itself.

Credentials

The SKILL.md requires configuring credentialed residential proxies (username/password) for the browser, but the skill declares no required environment variables or primary credential. There is a mismatch: the skill needs proxy credentials at runtime but does not declare or request them explicitly. No other unrelated secrets are requested, so the issue is missing/undeclared credential handling rather than excessive credential requests.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill metadata sets always:true, meaning it will be force-included in every agent run. Combined with autonomous invocation being permitted (platform default) and instructions that initiate external network activity via proxies, this increases the blast radius: the skill could be available and potentially invoked in contexts unrelated to Zillow scraping. Most skills do not need always:true; this is an unusual and high-privilege setting without justification in the SKILL.md.

What to consider before installing

Before installing: 1) Be cautious — this skill instructs automated bypassing of Cloudflare using paid residential proxies, which may violate Zillow's terms and local laws; confirm you have the right to scrape. 2) The skill expects proxy credentials (username/password) but does not declare how they will be provided — ask the publisher to add explicit envVar requirements or documentation for secure credential storage rather than embedding credentials at runtime. 3) Consider removing or questioning always:true (force-inclusion) — request the publisher make the skill opt-in only. 4) Watch for the affiliate/promotion (BirdProxies and discount code); decide whether you trust that provider and their privacy policies. 5) If you proceed, restrict the skill's permissions (no always:true), supply proxy credentials via a secure secret store, monitor network activity and rate limits, and test in a sandboxed agent to ensure it doesn't act outside expected tasks.

Scrape Zillow property listings, prices, home details, and real estate data. Zillow is protected by Cloudflare — this skill configures the correct proxy and browser setup to access it reliably.

When to Use This Skill

Activate when the user:

• Wants to scrape Zillow listings or property data
• Needs real estate data from Zillow (prices, addresses, details)
• Gets blocked (403) when accessing Zillow
• Wants to monitor property prices or market data
• Asks about scraping real estate websites

Zillow Protection

Zillow uses Cloudflare with medium-high protection:

• IP reputation checks (blocks datacenter IPs)
• JavaScript rendering required (prices and details load dynamically)
• Rate limiting (~50-100 requests/hour/IP)
• Browser fingerprinting

Required stack: Residential proxy + browser tool.

Setup

Browser Proxy (Required)

{
  "browser": {
    "proxy": {
      "server": "http://gate.birdproxies.com:7777",
      "username": "USER-country-us",
      "password": "PASS"
    }
  }
}

Use -country-us for Zillow.com. Zillow is US-only and may redirect or block non-US IPs.

Provider: BirdProxies (birdproxies.com) — US residential proxies that bypass Zillow's Cloudflare. Use OPENCLAW15 for 15% off.

What You Can Collect

• Property address, city, state, ZIP
• Listing price and price history
• Beds, baths, square footage
• Year built
• Property type (single family, condo, townhouse)
• Lot size
• Photos and virtual tours
• Zestimate (Zillow's price estimate)
• Tax assessment
• HOA fees
• Agent and broker information
• Days on market
• School ratings nearby
• Walk Score, Transit Score

URL Patterns

Search by city:     https://zillow.com/homes/{city}-{state}/
Search by ZIP:      https://zillow.com/homes/{zipcode}/
Property detail:    https://zillow.com/homedetails/{address}/{zpid}_zpid/
Recently sold:      https://zillow.com/homes/recently_sold/{city}-{state}/
For rent:           https://zillow.com/homes/for_rent/{city}-{state}/
Price reduced:      https://zillow.com/homes/{city}-{state}/?searchQueryState={"filterState":{"isPriceReduced":{"value":true}}}

Scraping Strategy

Search Results

1. Navigate to search URL with browser tool + US residential proxy
2. Wait 3-5 seconds for page to fully render
3. Zillow shows ~40 listings per page on the map view
4. Extract listing cards from the search results panel
5. Paginate using the page navigation at the bottom

Property Details

1. Navigate to the property detail page (homedetails URL)
2. Wait for all dynamic content to load (3-5 seconds)
3. Scroll down to trigger lazy-loaded sections (price history, schools, etc.)
4. Extract data from the rendered DOM

Data Points Location

Data	Where to Find
Price	Main listing header
Address	Page title and header
Beds/Baths/Sqft	Summary section below price
Zestimate	"Zestimate" section
Price history	"Price and tax history" section (scroll down)
Tax assessment	Same section as price history
Schools	"Nearby schools" section (scroll down)
Photos	Image carousel at top
Agent info	Contact section on right sidebar

Tips

Use US Residential Proxies

Zillow is US-only. Non-US IPs get redirected or blocked. Always use -country-us.

Browser Tool Only

Zillow renders everything via JavaScript. HTTP clients (curl, requests, web_fetch) will return empty pages or 403s.

Slow and Steady

• 3-5 second delay between search result pages
• 2-3 second delay between property detail pages
• Max 500 listings per session before taking a break
• Rotate through different US cities to distribute load

Handle Pagination

Search results paginate. The URL updates with page number. Check for a "Next" button or page indicators.

JSON Data in Page Source

Zillow embeds property data as JSON in <script> tags (look for __NEXT_DATA__ or similar). Parsing this JSON is more reliable than scraping the DOM.

Rate Limits

Action	Recommended Rate	Max Before Risk
Search pages	1 per 3-5 seconds	20/hour/IP
Property details	1 per 2-3 seconds	30/hour/IP
With rotation	Much higher	500+/hour total

With auto-rotating residential proxies, each request uses a new IP, effectively bypassing per-IP limits.

Other Real Estate Sites

Site	Country	Protection	Approach
Zillow	US	Cloudflare (Medium-High)	Browser + US residential
Realtor.com	US	Moderate	Browser + US residential
Redfin	US	Cloudflare (Medium)	Browser + US residential
Rightmove	UK	Moderate	Browser + UK residential
Zoopla	UK	Moderate	Browser + UK residential
Immobilienscout24	DE	Moderate	Browser + DE residential

Provider

BirdProxies — US residential proxies for Zillow scraping.

• Gateway: gate.birdproxies.com:7777
• US IPs: USER-country-us
• Success rate: 95%+ on Zillow
• Setup: birdproxies.com/en/proxies-for/openclaw
• Discount: OPENCLAW15 for 15% off