The best commercial real estate databases come packed with features like deal-predictive insights, advanced lead filters, and specialized tools to help you take your business to the next level. If you’re working in the commercial space, these platforms will be a goldmine for understanding the market and generating leads for clients and listings. I’ve reviewed and handpicked the six best options, looking at pricing, data quality, research capabilities, user feedback, and overall functionality.
- Reonomy: Best for predictive analytics
- CRE Collaborative: Best for data aggregator and marketing options
- ProspectNow: Best for property ownership details
- Real Capital Analytics: Best for commercial real estate investing and transactions
- Commercial Investment Multiple Listing Service (CIMLS): Best for free tools
- CoStar: Best for in-depth reporting tools
The Close’s Top Picks for Commercial Real Estate Databases
(3-day free trial) | |||
(Always free | |||
| *Prices stated are per user per month | |||
What Data Do Commercial Real Estate Databases Provide?
Commercial real estate databases offer a variety of data to help investors, brokers, and property managers make smart decisions. From property details to market trends, having the right info at your fingertips can give you a serious edge.
Key Types of Data & How They’re Used
- Asset type: Identifies the type of property—like offices, retail, industrial, or multifamily—so you can easily compare and spot opportunities.
- Location: Includes address, nearby amenities, and transportation links to gauge the property’s appeal and potential rental income.
- Zoning: Shows legal land use rules to know what can be built or operated on the site—great for assessing development options.
- Transaction data: Covers past sales, purchase prices, and ownership history to aid in understanding market trends and property values.
- Mortgage data: Lists current and past loans, lender info, and terms to help analyze the financial status of a property.
- Market data: Offers insights like average rents, vacancy, and cap rates to see how the area performs and predict trends.
Each type of data gives you a piece of the puzzle, and when you put it all together, you get a clear picture of the market—helping you make better decisions faster. Let’s look at the best commercial real estate data companies to help you put it all together.
Reonomy: Best for Predictive Analytics
Why I Chose Reonomy
I chose Reonomy because it’s a powerhouse for commercial property data, giving you everything from mortgage and lender details to tenant and occupant information. It integrates seamlessly with CRM software and uses AI and machine learning to predict opportunities across entire markets. What really sets Reonomy apart is its data sources from exclusive partners like at least 3,100 county assessors, census data, secretary of state offices, title companies, and geospatial providers. While it’s an incredible tool, it would be even better if it offered a mobile app and 24/7 customer support.
Additional Features
- Detailed search filters: Search properties and owners by important filters like origination date, loan amount, and owner portfolio.
- Custom data feeds: Receive customized data and reports to stay up-to-date on commercial transactions in your local market.
CRE Collaborative: Best for Data Aggregator & Marketing Options
Why I Chose CRE Collaborative
I picked CRE Collaborative because it’s a solid all-in-one solution for commercial real estate data, professional connections, and tech services. It’s like a central hub that pulls together accurate property info, making it easy for your marketing efforts and networking with other pros. It also comes with handy features like marketing and tech advisory, property searches, and options to post and promote listings. The downside? It’s missing transaction history, mortgage and lender info, and occupant data.
Additional Features
- Free review for professionals: Receive a no-obligation review of your company technology and data.
- All-in-one tools: Facilitate branding, social media marketing, networking with professionals, and finding and analyzing properties.
ProspectNow: Best for Property Ownership Details
Why I Chose ProspectNow
I went with ProspectNow because it’s perfect for agents and investors looking to track down property owners for both residential and commercial real estate. Whether it’s single-family homes, apartments, industrial spaces, or other commercial properties, this platform gives you all the ownership details you need to reach out and score new leads. Plus, it uses AI and predictive analytics to pinpoint properties likely to hit the market within the next year. What’s missing? A mobile app, live chat, and 24/7 support would make it even better!
Additional Features
- Residential and commercial property data: It has over 42 million commercial real estate properties.
- Return on investment (ROI) calculator: The ROI calculator shows how much money ProspectNow can generate in your business.
Real Capital Analytics: Best for Commercial Real Estate Investing & Transactions
Why I Chose Real Capital Analytics
I chose Real Capital Analytics because it’s a go-to resource for getting the inside scoop on the commercial real estate market. It’s packed with insights on major players, deals, and market trends, so you can keep tabs on what’s happening and who’s involved. Dig into details like property owners, deal history, and even debt terms—all in one spot. However, it’d be even better if the company added CRM integration and live chat support.
Additional Features
- Market analysis: Create real-time custom market reports detailing pricing, volumes, and yields.
- Mortgage Debt Intelligence (MDI): A linked, searchable database of properties, loans, borrowers, and lenders. It helps you understand the risk associated with an owner’s or lender’s complete commercial real estate exposure.
Commercial Investment Multiple Listing Service: Best for Free Tools
Why I Chose Commercial Investment Multiple Listing Service
I picked CIMLS because it’s a solid, free option for searching commercial properties for sale or lease, along with pulling up sales comps for specific properties. It’s super handy for investors, tenants, or owners looking to find real estate pros to partner with. Plus, if you’re an agent, it’s a great place to post your listings and get in front of potential clients and tenants in your market. With features like city, property type, keywords, price range, and square footage filters, it covers a lot—but adding CRM integration and deeper property data would definitely make it even better.
Additional Features
- Extensive search features: Use search filters to find properties, professionals, and comps easily.
- Free property listings: It’s easy and free to post a commercial real estate property with an account.
CoStar: Best for In-depth Reporting Tools
Why I Chose CoStar
I chose CoStar because it’s a popular option for getting deep commercial real estate insights, no matter your needs. With tools for building financial models, creating custom reports, and exploring global data, it’s got everything covered. What really makes CoStar shine is its super-detailed info, easy-to-understand analytics, and visuals like aerial maps, trend graphs, and forecasts from local experts. The only thing I would change? A free trial would make it easier to test out before diving in!
Additional Features
- Real Estate Manager: It’s a combination of market data, analytics, and management software for real estate brokerages and teams.
- Advisory services: It offers consulting to help you communicate with investors, allocate resources, analyze locations, and get support during deals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the largest commercial real estate database?
The CoStar Group owns various real estate brands, including LoopNet, Showcase, Ten-X, Apartments.com, Apartment Finder, and Homesnap, making it the largest and most well-known commercial real estate database. However, Reonomy is another wide-reaching platform with extensive data and tools for investors.
What data is used in commercial real estate?
Data is vital in commercial real estate, and the most common data types include property, transaction, financial, ownership, and demographic data. Property data includes the asset type, location, size, and zoning. Transaction and ownership data include information about the loan, lender, owner, and tenant. Finally, demographic data refers to information about the local market, including household age, income, ownership rates, and migration.
How do you research commercial real estate?
Commercial real estate can include various property types, so the evaluation process will vary. In every case, however, analyzing commercial properties should consist of an evaluation of the following:
- Comparable properties
- Type of investment
- Acquisition expenses
- Property cash flow
- Local real estate market and economics
- Demographics
With this information, real estate professionals can make wiser decisions. Without gathering the necessary data, you risk the success of your investments.
Methodology: How I Chose the Best Commercial Real Estate Databases
Our methodology at The Close ensures that our team of professionals, writers, and editors thoroughly analyzes each database. We meticulously evaluate the affordability, features, usability, customer support, and reviews to determine our expert score.
We selected the best commercial real estate software to help agents enhance their communication strategies and grow their businesses. Our rigorous selection process ensures that our top picks make it easier for agents to connect with clients, streamline their operations, and achieve their business goals.
The detailed criteria we used to determine the best commercial real estate databases include the following:
- Affordability (25%)
- Cost is a crucial factor. We focused on tools that offer a strong balance between features and affordability, ensuring real value for real estate professionals looking to streamline their efforts and increase their ROI.
- General Features (20%)
- We evaluated the core features of each platform, considering how well these features support essential in commercial real estate research, such as property details (asset type, location, building size, and zoning), transaction history, mortgage and lender data, occupant and tenant data, customized reporting, ownership data, and contact information.
- Ease of Use (15%)
- We looked for databases that allow users to understand the functionality of the program (with some or little technical support) and have access to a CRM to track contacts and data, either built-in or through integrations. In addition, we researched platforms available on a mobile app.
- Usability and Support (15%)
- We prioritized platforms with intuitive interfaces, easy navigation, and robust support resources, including tutorials, FAQs, and responsive customer service, to ensure a smooth user experience.
- Expert Score (15%)
- After considering all the factors, we compiled the scores to determine our expert rating, reflecting the overall performance, reliability, and suitability of each commercial real estate database for real estate professionals.
- Customer Ratings (10%)
- We examined user feedback to ensure our research was grounded in real-world experiences and unbiased evaluations, reflecting the database’s effectiveness in everyday use.
Your Take
Commercial real estate pros need more than just basic property info—they need accurate, up-to-date data they can actually use. That’s where the best CRE data providers come in, offering everything from property details to market insights. Tools like data visualization and predictive modeling help turn all those numbers into real-world insights, making it easier to spot trends and find investment opportunities. The right commercial real estate data providers help you make smarter decisions and keep you a step ahead of the competition.
Add comment