Last Updated on June 16, 2023 by Rental Recon
When you’re searching for the perfect investment property, there are several tools you can use. Many people reach out to a real estate agent to help search for the perfect rental home. Others tackle the task on their own using real estate analysis tools and websites.
Two popular companies that specialize in real estate sales are Mashvisor and Zillow. These two websites provide real estate investors with an online search engine that allows potential vacation property buyers to search listings and find the perfect investment property for their situation.
Both sites provide users with valuable tools and real-time market data, but which website is better? Keep reading for our review on each of these real estate tools and their helpful features.
Mashvisor vs. Zillow: Which website is better for real estate investors?
Mashvisor and Zillow are both real estate programs that allow potential buyers to search properties based on custom parameters like location, price, and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. For the serious real estate investor, Mashvisor is the better option because it provides more features and rental property insights.
What Does Mashvisor Do?
Mashvisor promises users that it can turn months of research into 15 minutes. This website allows investors to immediately determine what kind of returns a property will provide and what is necessary to outperform the rental market in a specific area.
Mashvisor’s real estate tools allow users to:
- Search for available real estate in specific cities and neighborhoods
- Calculates both long term rental and short-term rental cash returns
- Formulate rental strategy comparisons
- Evaluate investment potential
With Mashvisor, real estate investors can save their searches, compare properties, and easily share their finds with friends, families, or other investors.
Mashvisor’s Search Options
Mashvisor provides real estate investors with several helpful real estate search features that make finding your dream property hassle-free.
Search Within a City
Users can search for specific cities to find real estate investment opportunities in any given area. Mashvisor will provide an investor with average Airbnb cash returns for the region, an interactive heat map that you can set to search based on specific criteria including:
- Listing price
- Availability
- Average Airbnb cash on cash returns
You can also use the filters to avoid unwanted properties by selecting the property type, the number of desired bedrooms and bathrooms, and minimum or maximum square footage.
Narrow Your Results by Neighborhood
Mashvisor can help potential buyers figure out which neighborhoods are best to invest in by showing important neighborhood metrics like:
- The average income
- Median home price
- Airbnb occupancy rate
- Vacation rental comparisons
- Average cash on cash returns for that neighborhood
This data will help investors figure out the optimal rental strategy for their desired neighborhood.
Nationwide Data Analysis
Mashvisor uses property finder AI algorithms and data from reliable sources like MLS, Airbnb, and other property listing sites. AI takes into consideration other investors who share your criteria and recommends properties to you based on social, financial, and behavioral patterns. Data from reliable sources ensures that your list prices, home values, and vacation rental comps will always be accurate and up to date.
Stand Out Analysis Tools Provided by Mashvisor
Mashvisor has several real estate analysis tools that help it stand out from other property analysis websites.
Rental Strategy Comparison
If an investor is unsure whether to use their investment property as a traditional long-term rental or short-term vacation rental, the rental strategy comparison tool can help. This tool allows users to compare values to figure out which rental strategy is more lucrative. The comparison will highlight differences in:
- Rental Income
- Cash Flow
- Cash on Cash Return
- Occupancy Rate
- Monthly Expenses
Interactive Purchase Analysis and Investment Property Calculator
With Mashvisor, investors can ditch outdated spreadsheets and instead use the investment property calculator to estimate startup costs, reoccurring expenses, and mortgage and financing costs.
Personalize and Share Your Favorite Properties
Users can rate the properties they find and make notes in their personal portfolios. Mashvisor also lets users share their favorite properties with friends or agents. Users can also download a PDF of the property report to print and keep as a hard copy.
Compare Your Property to Other Properties
The valuation analysis allows investors to view nearby Airbnb rentals and traditional rentals to compare similarities with the available properties in the area. Comparisons include:
- Overall rating based on distance, property type, number of beds and baths
- Short term rental occupancy rate
- Nightly Rates
Rental Income If you’re ready to try Mashvisor, CLICK HERE for more information about Mashvisor and a Verified 20% Coupon code for your first subscription to any of Mashvisor’s plans.
Who Should Use Mashvisor?
First Time Real Estate Investors
If an investor is searching for their first investment property, Mashvisor is a great place to begin research. Mashvisor provides easy-to-comprehend market data for even the least experienced real estate investors. This site also provides a Knowledge Center full of articles, tips, and educational material for new investors.
Experienced Real Estate Investors
Experienced real estate investors benefit most from Mashvisor’s organizational and comparison tools. An experienced investor will know what they are looking for in a property and can quickly analyze the pros and cons of each listing.
Real Estate Agents
Mashvisor allows agents to list properties on their site, creating more traffic from serious real estate investors.
Mashvisor Pricing
Mashvisor provides users with three plan options, each giving access to different features.
Lite Plan
The Lite Plan is the least expensive option and allows investors to:
- Estimate long term and vacation rental rates
- Project rental ROI
- Access the nationwide property search
- View investment opportunity scores
Standard Plan
The Standard Plan includes all the features of the Lite Plan, but in addition, investors can:
- View rental comps and export ten comps a month to Excel
- Customize expenses and ROI estimates
- Use heatmaps to show lucrative areas
- Compare cities with the Smart Property Finder
- View neighborhood analytics
Professional Plan
The Professional Plan allows users access to every feature that Mashvisor has to offer. This plan is geared more towards brokers who work with clients or commercial property investors. Some professional features include client outreach campaigns and property management tools.
If you’re unsure of which plan is right for you and your real estate needs, check out our article for an in-depth look at each Mashvisor plan.
How Does Zillow Compare to Mashvisor?
Like Mashvisor, Zillow is a real estate search program that allows investors to search for available properties. While Mashvisor is geared towards investors looking to purchase Airbnb-type rental properties, Zillow is used by investors and regular home buyers. Zillow doesn’t provide in-depth rental analysis features like Mashvisor.
| Features | Mashvisor | Zillow |
| Nationwide Property Search | X | X |
| Estimated Rental Value | X | X |
| Rental Comps | X | |
| Neighborhood Analytics | X | |
| Airbnb Cash on Cash Return | X | |
| Share Properties | X | X |
| Investment Calculator | X | |
| Free to Use | X |
Searching on Zillow
Zillow allows investors to search by a specific address, a neighborhood, a city, or a zipcode. Using a map of the selected area, investors can narrow their search using one of Zillow’s many search criteria like:
- Listing status (for sale, for rent, or sold)
- Price parameters
- Beds and baths
- Type of listing (houses, townhouses, multi-family, condos, lots, apartments, or manufactured)
- Max HOA fees
- Square footage
- Lot size
- Year built
Zillow allows investors to get very specific on the property they are searching for, including criteria like swimming pool, waterfront, the type of view, and even keyword filters. Compared to Mashvisor, Zillow’s search parameters allow users to get more specific.
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What Does Zillow Tell Me About the Property?
Once an investor finds a property they like on Zillow, they can access data about the listing. Zillow typically has very extensive data about their properties and includes information like:
- Listing price
- Estimated monthly payments
- An overview describing the property
- Facts and features (type of property, year built, heating, cooling, parking, lot size, etc.)
- Price and tax history
- Estimated monthly cost
- Estimated rental value
- Comparisons to nearby homes
Using this data, a potential investor can crunch their own numbers to determine if a property will be a good investment. Unfortunately, Zillow lacks the property analysis tools that Mashvisor provides.
Zillow Pros and Cons
The most notable advantage Zillow has over Mashvisor is that investors can use Zillow for free. Investors have access to a nationwide search engine, rental estimates, and property details without the hassle or commitment of signing up and paying a monthly membership fee.
Zillow lacks advanced features and property analysis tools. There isn’t an option to compare neighborhoods or run numbers to determine if an investment property will be profitable. Zillow also doesn’t provide the in-depth insights that an investor can take advantage of using Mashvisor.
Is Mashvisor Worth the Price?
Mashvisor’s biggest flaw is that it does not offer a free version for investors to get a taste of what this real estate analysis program has to offer. A seven-day free trial is available, but this trial is only unlocked after entering payment information.
Even without a free version or easily accessible free trial, if an investor decides to commit to Mashvisor, they will find that it does not disappoint. Mashvisor offers a wide variety of real estate analysis tools that can help both first-time investors and professionals.
Investors will benefit from optimized searches using AI and advanced algorithms, calculators with customizable expenses, ROI estimates, and tools to help grow real estate business like personalized client outreach campaigns.
Whether an investor is looking for their first Airbnb property to earn extra income or an experienced real estate agent needs to get organized, Mashvisor is an invaluable tool for property sales and analysis.
