How to Scrape Homegate.ch Real Estate Property Data in 2026

Direct answer: Do not build an ordinary scraper for Homegate.ch listing data unless you have written authorization from SMG Swiss Marketplace Group Ltd. SMG’s real-estate marketplace GTC, version 1 July 2026, expressly prohibit systematically selecting marketplace content, including by scraping, and prohibit copying, publishing, reproducing, or linking that content with other data outside the marketplaces. Homegate’s English disclaimer separately says free use is for personal browsing and that republication requires prior written consent.

This is a description of the published terms, not a legal opinion about every possible project. If you have a legitimate research or commercial need, ask SMG for a written agreement that identifies the access method, permitted fields, refresh rate, retention period, redistribution rights, privacy responsibilities, fees, and support contact. The reviewed material mentions technical interfaces for contracted customers, but it does not establish a public listing API or a generally available data licence.

What Homegate’s published terms say

SMG identifies its document as the GTC for its real-estate marketplaces, including Homegate, with a version date of 1 July 2026. Product-specific service descriptions and individual agreements can add to or override the general terms, so read the terms attached to your actual contract.

Systematic selection and reuse

Section 7 says marketplace listings and other content are generally protected and require consent from the relevant rights holder. It then states: “In particular, it is prohibited to systematically select the Content available on the Marketplaces (e.g. by scraping), to copy, publish or otherwise reproduce it (e.g. on the Internet) in any form or to link it with other data.” Read the current Homegate legal information and the applicable SMG GTC before designing a data pipeline.

Browsing is different from extraction

The English disclaimer distinguishes viewing pages for personal consumption from republication. A person can browse individual listings, while a service that repeatedly collects listings, stores them, combines them with another dataset, or republishes them needs a separate permission analysis. Public visibility does not automatically grant a right to copy or redistribute.

Interfaces are contractual

The GTC refer to technical interfaces and place responsibility on customers to maintain connections when marketplace systems change. That wording describes a possible contracted relationship; it is not proof that an independent developer can sign up for a public API. Ask SMG to identify the exact interface and the rights attached to each field.

Rights, accuracy, and personal data

SMG says content rights may belong to SMG or third parties. It also disclaims warranties about truthfulness, accuracy, completeness, and currentness. The GTC require customers to follow applicable data-protection law, collect personal data lawfully, and ensure they may transmit it. An authorized project still needs provenance, validation, deletion rules, and a process for handling requests concerning personal information.

A compliant workflow for an authorized project

1. Define the purpose. Write down whether the project is internal research, valuation, market analysis, accessibility work, or another use. State whether results will be published or sold.
2. Request written authorization. Contact SMG with your organization, use case, geography, expected volume, fields, retention period, and distribution plan. Ask whether an API, feed, export, or customer interface is available.
3. Get field-level permission. Confirm permission for addresses, descriptions, prices, photos, agent details, identifiers, and derived metrics separately. Ask whether combining fields with external data is allowed.
4. Agree on operational limits. Put request rates, caching, maintenance windows, authentication, support, versioning, and change notices in the agreement.
5. Minimize collection. Store only fields needed for the stated purpose. Keep a source URL, retrieval timestamp, authorization reference, and hash so every record has provenance.
6. Validate before analysis. Flag missing values, stale listings, duplicate identifiers, currency differences, and contradictory measurements. Treat marketplace data as input to be checked, not as guaranteed fact.
7. Control publication. Before releasing a report, confirm that tables, screenshots, photos, addresses, and links are within the written scope. Remove personal data that is not necessary.
8. Monitor expiry. Set deletion or reauthorization dates. When the contract ends or a listing is withdrawn, remove records according to the agreed policy.

Questions to put in an SMG access request

Area	Questions
Access	Is the method an API, feed, export, or customer interface? How are credentials issued and rotated?
Coverage	Which countries, cantons, property types, and listing states are included?
Fields	Which text, prices, coordinates, images, identifiers, and agent fields may be stored?
Use	Are internal analysis, commercial products, publication, and redistribution each allowed?
Retention	How long may raw and derived data be retained? What happens after withdrawal?
Privacy	Which party is responsible for notices, lawful basis, deletion requests, and access requests?
Operations	What rate limits, uptime commitments, change notices, support channels, and fees apply?

Runnable code for processing an authorized export

The examples below deliberately process a file supplied under your agreement. They do not automate Homegate pages, bypass controls, or imply that a public endpoint exists.

Python: validate and normalize JSON

import json
from datetime import datetime, timezone

with open('authorized-homegate-export.json', encoding='utf-8') as f:
    rows = json.load(f)

required = {'id', 'price', 'location'}
normalized = []
for row in rows:
    missing = required - row.keys()
    if missing:
        raise ValueError(f'Missing fields for {row.get("id")}: {sorted(missing)}')
    normalized.append({
        'source_id': str(row['id']),
        'price_chf': float(row['price']) if row['price'] is not None else None,
        'location': row['location'],
        'retrieved_at': datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()
    })

with open('normalized.json', 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
    json.dump(normalized, f, ensure_ascii=False, indent=2)

Node.js: create a provenance manifest

import { readFile, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';

const rows = JSON.parse(await readFile('authorized-homegate-export.json', 'utf8'));
const manifest = {
  source: 'SMG-authorized export',
  retrievedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
  records: rows.length,
  fields: [...new Set(rows.flatMap(row => Object.keys(row)))].sort()
};
await writeFile('provenance.json', JSON.stringify(manifest, null, 2));
console.log(manifest);

cURL: upload a report to your own service

curl --fail --request POST \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-binary @normalized.json \
  'https://your-authorized-service.example/import'

Replace the example host only with an endpoint you control or that your written agreement identifies. Keep credentials in environment variables or a secret manager, never in source control.

Why browser automation is a poor default

A browser script adds fragile selectors, consent dialogs, login state, pagination, lazy loading, rate limits, and changing page layouts. It also creates a risk that a technically successful collection violates the marketplace terms. If SMG authorizes browser access for a specific purpose, document the approved pages and frequency, use the smallest request rate allowed, stop on authentication or bot challenges, and report layout changes instead of attempting to defeat them.

Or skip the browser setup

If your approved workflow needs visual records rather than structured listing extraction, ScreenshotNeo can capture a URL with one request. It is a screenshot API and MCP server; it does not grant permission to copy Homegate content, so obtain SMG authorization first.

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation. cURL:

curl -G 'https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot' -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python:

import requests
r = requests.get('https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot', params={'access_key': 'YOUR_API_KEY', 'url': 'https://stripe.com'}, timeout=90)
open('shot.webp', 'wb').write(r.content)

Node.js:

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

Cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot, with each step switchable. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed; response headers identify the page verdict and whether it was billed. An MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients call take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.

Troubleshooting

“I can view the listing, so why can’t I collect it?”

Viewing and systematic selection are treated differently in the published terms. Request written authorization and stop automated collection until its scope is clear.

“SMG mentioned an interface, but I cannot find documentation.”

Ask the contract owner for the interface specification, credentials, permitted fields, rate limits, and export rights. The GTC reference to interfaces does not establish a public developer API.

“My authorized export has duplicate or stale records.”

Use the provider’s stable identifier when available, retain retrieval timestamps, compare update fields, and define a refresh policy. Do not silently merge records when identity is uncertain.

“Prices or locations look wrong.”

Normalize currency and units, preserve the raw value, record the source timestamp, and validate against an independent source permitted by your agreement. SMG does not guarantee accuracy or freshness.

“The report contains names or addresses.”

Review the privacy section of the agreement, minimize personal data, document the lawful basis, and establish deletion and access-request procedures before publication.

Performance, reliability, and cost

For an authorized feed, performance depends on the contracted interface and its limits. Queue work, retry only transient failures with exponential backoff, make imports idempotent, and record response status and provider request IDs. Cache only for the period allowed by the agreement. Separate raw, normalized, and published datasets so a deletion request can be applied consistently.

Budget for authorization, contract review, data storage, validation, monitoring, and support rather than assuming page requests are the main cost. If you use ScreenshotNeo for permitted visual captures, choose a cache TTL, use asynchronous jobs and signed webhooks for large batches, and consider bulk capture for up to 100 URLs per call. Its plans are Free: 1,000 shots/month; Starter: $5 for 3,000; Growth: $15 for 15,000; Pro: $39 for 60,000; Scale: $99 for 250,000; Business: $249 for 1,000,000. Yearly billing gives two months free, and every feature is available on every plan.

FAQ

Does Homegate have a public scraping API?

The reviewed official material does not confirm one. It mentions technical interfaces for customers under contract.

Can I publish a dataset made from public listings?

Not on the basis of public visibility alone. The disclaimer requires prior written consent for republication, and the GTC prohibit systematic selection and associated reuse.

Can I use the data for a university project?

Ask for written permission that covers the institution, fields, retention, publication, and any personal-data processing. Academic purpose does not automatically override the terms.

Are derived statistics allowed?

Ask whether combining listing data with other data and publishing derived results is permitted. The GTC specifically address linking marketplace content with other data outside the marketplaces.

Is a screenshot the same as a data export?

A screenshot is a visual copy and may still be subject to rights and contract limits. Treat it as permitted only when your authorization covers it.

Source note

This guide reflects SMG’s real-estate marketplace GTC version 1 July 2026 and Homegate’s English disclaimer as described above. Terms and pages can change; re-check the current documents and obtain project-specific advice before collecting or publishing data.