CoStar Group

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A publicly traded provider of real-estate information, analytics, marketing services, and online property marketplaces.

Last updated October 29, 2026

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First read: Nov 4, 2026
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Overview

CoStar Group is a United States-based real-estate information and marketplace company serving commercial property, residential rentals, homes for sale, hotels, and related professional audiences. Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1987 by Andrew C. Florance, the company began by digitizing and aggregating property information at a time when commercial real-estate data was still largely distributed through paper files, local publications, and disconnected brokerage records. Its core CoStar products developed into subscription research and analytics services used by owners, investors, lenders, brokers, appraisers, government agencies, and corporate occupiers. The company expanded from a data provider into a portfolio of specialized online marketplaces. LoopNet became a major venue for advertising commercial properties for sale or lease, while Apartments.com, Apartment Finder, and related rental brands address the apartment-search market. Homes.com broadened the group’s exposure to residential real estate, competing for consumers and real-estate professionals in a sector dominated by large portals such as Zillow and Realtor.com. Other holdings and acquisitions have covered business-for-sale listings, land, student housing, rental-property management software, hotel performance research, property websites, and three-dimensional spatial-data technology. CoStar’s growth strategy has relied heavily on acquisitions. The purchase of LoopNet in 2012 gave the company a large commercial-property marketplace and added businesses such as BizBuySell and LandsofAmerica. Apartments.com followed in 2014, and Apartment Finder was acquired the next year. During the late 2010s and early 2020s, CoStar added brands and capabilities including Westside Rentals, ForRent.com, Cozy, Off Campus Partners, Ten-X, STR, Homesnap, and Homes.com. It also developed a substantial European presence through acquisitions such as Thomas Daily, Belbex, Realla, Emporis, BureauxLocaux, and OnTheMarket. In 2025, it agreed to acquire Domain Group in Australia and acquired Matterport, a company specializing in three-dimensional spatial mapping and digital property representations. The group’s business model combines subscription revenue from professional data and analytics with advertising, lead-generation, listing, transaction, and marketplace services. Its information products are intended to create proprietary datasets from property records, broker contributions, surveys, listings, imagery, transaction information, and market research. In 2019, CoStar announced a relationship with Oxford Economics to incorporate economic data and forecasts into its products. The company has also used large-scale consumer advertising, including a substantial Super Bowl LVIII campaign in 2024 for Homes.com and Apartments.com, to challenge established residential-property portals. CoStar has been an aggressive competitor and litigator. It has pursued copyright and database-access claims against rivals including Xceligent and CREXi, and has faced or initiated other disputes involving Move, Inc. and Zillow. The company’s enforcement approach has attracted criticism from competitors and commentators who characterize its litigation, acquisition strategy, and public-relations practices as aggressive or anticompetitive. CoStar has rejected allegations that it improperly copies or monopolizes markets and has defended its intellectual-property rights. The company is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, and remains listed on Nasdaq under the symbol CSGP.

History

CoStar Group was established in 1987 by Andrew C. Florance in Washington, D.C. Its early purpose was to digitize and organize commercial-property information before the widespread adoption of the public Internet. By assembling property records, market observations, listings, photographs, and research into searchable services, the company addressed a longstanding problem in commercial real estate: information was fragmented among brokers, owners, local publications, and paper archives. CoStar’s database and research products gradually became subscription tools for professionals involved in valuation, investment, leasing, lending, development, and corporate occupancy. The company became publicly traded through a Nasdaq initial public offering in 1998. Its subsequent development combined organic research expansion with acquisitions of complementary data companies and marketplaces. In 2004, CoStar’s litigation against LoopNet produced a notable copyright-law dispute concerning the responsibilities of Internet services that host user-posted material. In 2009, the company acquired a Washington-area building from the Mortgage Bankers Association for use as its headquarters, arguing that its own real-estate analytics helped identify an advantageous purchase opportunity. During the 2010s, CoStar pursued a deliberate platform-expansion strategy. It acquired or integrated commercial and residential listing services, allowing the company to connect professional data products with consumer marketplaces. The 2012 LoopNet transaction was particularly important because it added a prominent commercial-property advertising platform and related businesses including BizBuySell and LandsofAmerica. The 2014 acquisition of Apartments.com and the 2015 acquisition of Apartment Finder established a significant rental-search business. Later additions included Westside Rentals, ForRent.com, Cozy Services, Off Campus Partners, and Ten-X. These transactions broadened the group’s reach across apartment search, rental management, student housing, and online commercial transactions. CoStar also expanded into residential sales and adjacent sectors. It acquired Homesnap and purchased Homes.com from Dominion Enterprises in 2021. The company added STR, a hotel research and benchmarking business, and entered a relationship with Oxford Economics to strengthen the economic context in its products. International expansion brought European brands and datasets into the group, including German, Spanish, French, and British businesses such as Thomas Daily, Belbex, Emporis, Realla, BureauxLocaux, and OnTheMarket. In Australia, CoStar first acquired a minority stake in Domain Group and later agreed to acquire the entire company. Its acquisition of Matterport in 2025 added three-dimensional scanning, spatial mapping, and digital-twin capabilities. The modern CoStar portfolio therefore spans professional commercial-real-estate intelligence, listing and lead-generation marketplaces, apartment and home search, hotel analytics, transaction technology, property-management software, and spatial-data tools. Its revenue model mixes subscriptions, listing fees, advertising, marketing services, leads, and other marketplace-related charges. In 2024, the group used high-profile Super Bowl advertising for Homes.com and Apartments.com to raise consumer awareness and challenge the market position of Zillow and Realtor.com. CoStar’s competitive conduct has generated recurring disputes. It has brought copyright and database-access claims against rivals, including Xceligent and CREXi, and has faced litigation from Move, the operator of Realtor.com. Critics have portrayed its aggressive enforcement, acquisition program, and public-relations tactics as anticompetitive; the company has maintained that it is protecting valuable intellectual property and competing lawfully. Separate criticism in 2022 concerned alleged workplace surveillance and management behavior, which CoStar denied. The company moved its headquarters to Arlington, Virginia, in 2025 and continues to operate as a publicly listed real-estate information and marketplace group.

2025
Matterport acquired and headquarters relocated
[1]CoStar Groupen.wikipedia.org
CoStar added Matterport’s spatial-mapping technology and moved its headquarters to Arlington, Virginia.
2021
Homes.com acquired
[1]CoStar Groupen.wikipedia.org
CoStar acquired Homes.com from Dominion Enterprises, accelerating its entry into residential home search.
2014
Apartments.com acquired
[1]CoStar Groupen.wikipedia.org
The purchase of Apartments.com established a major consumer rental-search business within CoStar.
2012
LoopNet acquired
[1]CoStar Groupen.wikipedia.org
CoStar acquired LoopNet and related marketplace properties, expanding substantially into online commercial-property listings.
2004
LoopNet copyright case
[1]CoStar Groupen.wikipedia.org
CoStar Group v. LoopNet became an important Internet copyright dispute concerning hosted user content and service-provider responsibilities.
1998
Nasdaq initial public offering
[1]CoStar Groupen.wikipedia.org
CoStar became a publicly traded company through an initial public offering on Nasdaq.
1987
Company founded
[1]CoStar Groupen.wikipedia.org
Andrew C. Florance founded CoStar in Washington, D.C., initially focusing on digitizing and aggregating commercial-property information.

Products and positioning

A scaled real-estate data, analytics, marketplace, and property-technology platform serving both professional users and consumers.

Commercial real-estate data and analytics
CoStar
CoStar is the group’s core professional information platform. It combines commercial-property listings, ownership and transaction information, market research, photographs, analytics, and news for users such as brokers, investors, lenders, appraisers, owners, and occupiers. The service is designed to support valuation, underwriting, leasing, investment analysis, market monitoring, and strategic decision-making.
Commercial property marketplace
LoopNet
LoopNet is an online marketplace for commercial property listings. It connects owners, landlords, brokers, buyers, tenants, and investors through advertisements for office, retail, industrial, multifamily, land, and other property types. Its integration into CoStar’s portfolio links marketplace exposure with the group’s broader commercial-real-estate data services.
Residential rental marketplace
Apartments.com
Apartments.com is a consumer-facing rental-search platform presenting apartment and rental-home listings. It also provides marketing and lead-generation services for property owners and managers seeking prospective tenants. CoStar has used the brand as one of its principal residential advertising assets and promoted it heavily alongside Homes.com.
Residential real-estate marketplace
Homes.com
Homes.com is a residential property-search and real-estate marketing platform for homes for sale. It serves consumers researching properties and real-estate professionals seeking listing exposure and leads. CoStar acquired the business in 2021 and subsequently invested in national brand-building to compete with established residential portals.
Hotel performance analytics · 2019
STR
STR provides hotel-industry benchmarking, research, and performance data. Its services allow hospitality owners, operators, investors, lenders, consultants, and public-sector users to compare occupancy, room rates, revenue, and market conditions. CoStar acquired STR to add hotel analytics to its wider property-information portfolio.
Spatial mapping and property technology
Matterport
Matterport develops technology for capturing and presenting three-dimensional digital representations of physical spaces. Within CoStar’s portfolio, the technology can support property marketing, remote inspection, documentation, measurement, visualization, and digital-twin applications across real estate and related industries.

Controversies

2024
Alleged hotel price-coordination practices involving STR data
A proposed consumer class action alleged that CoStar and several hotel companies used competitively sensitive information distributed through STR reports to maintain artificially high room prices. The allegations were contested and the claims were later dismissed.
Source
2022
Workplace monitoring and management allegations
Reporting cited claims from current and former employees that CoStar excessively monitored staff, used intrusive check-ins, publicly berated workers, and dismissed some employees arbitrarily. CoStar denied the allegations and said that dissatisfaction reflected demanding performance standards.
Source
2020
CoStar sues CREXi over alleged intellectual property theft
CoStar Group filed a federal lawsuit against CREXi, alleging copyright infringement, misappropriation and breach of contract. According to the filing, the suit seeks damages over CREXi's alleged use of CoStar content. The dispute concerns claims that CREXi used CoStar material without authorization. The case was reported as a legal action brought by CoStar against its competitor CREXi.
Source
2020
FTC Sues to Block CoStar Group's Acquisition of RentPath
In December 2020, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed suit to block CoStar Group's proposed acquisition of RentPath. According to the FTC, the merger would eliminate a strong competitive alternative and harm customers. The agency's challenge was announced in connection with the transaction, and the event was subsequently referenced in a RentPath press release stating that RentPath terminated its agreement to be acquired by CoStar Group. The source material does not specify further details of the FTC's allegations, the outcome of the litigation, or the terms of the proposed transaction.
Source
2019
CoStar reaches $10.75 million settlement with Xceligent
CoStar reached a $10.75 million settlement with Xceligent, which had alleged that CoStar's competitor stole thousands of images and proprietary information from its commercial listings platform. The report does not state whether the settlement resolved the allegations or included an admission.
Source

2024Homes.com and Apartments.com Super Bowl campaign
United States
CoStar purchased an estimated $35 million of Super Bowl LVIII advertising inventory for commercials promoting Homes.com and Apartments.com. The campaign was intended to build consumer recognition and position the brands against Zillow, Realtor.com, and other property portals.
Outcome. The campaign significantly increased the brands’ national advertising presence, although a definitive commercial return was not specified in the cited material.
Source

Brand decisions

2025
Acquire MatterportM&A
Background
CoStar sought to add spatial-capture and three-dimensional visualization capabilities to its property technology portfolio.
Action taken
It acquired Matterport.
Aftermath
The deal expanded CoStar’s capabilities in digital property representation, mapping, and virtual real-estate experiences.
Reported transaction value. $1.6 billion (February 2025)
Source
2021
Acquire Homes.comM&A
Background
CoStar aimed to build a larger residential real-estate audience and challenge established home-search portals.
Action taken
It acquired Homes.com from Dominion Enterprises for cash.
Aftermath
Homes.com became a central part of CoStar’s residential expansion and subsequent national advertising strategy.
Cash purchase price. $156 million (April 2021)
Source
2014
Acquire Apartments.comM&A
Background
CoStar wanted a stronger presence in consumer apartment search and rental-property marketing.
Action taken
It acquired Apartments.com and developed the brand as a major rental marketplace.
Aftermath
The acquisition broadened CoStar’s business from commercial property into large-scale residential rental advertising.
Reported transaction value. $585 million (2014)
Source
2012
Acquire LoopNetM&A
Background
CoStar sought to expand beyond subscription research into online commercial-property marketing and listings.
Action taken
It acquired LoopNet and brought associated businesses such as BizBuySell and LandsofAmerica into the group.
Aftermath
The transaction gave CoStar a major commercial marketplace and strengthened the connection between its data products and listing services.
Reported transaction value. $860 million (2012)
Source

Recent events

2021.04.16
Reported2021.04.16
CoStar Group to acquire Homes.com[6]CoStar Group 将收购 Homes.compilotonline.com
CoStar Group is acquiring Homes.com for $156 million. The article describes the transaction as an acquisition but does not report that it has been completed.
2021.03.04
Reported2021.03.04
CoStar and RentPath settle break-up fee litigation[7]CoStar与RentPath解决分手费诉讼prnewswire.com
CoStar and RentPath reached a settlement resolving litigation over CoStar's obligation to pay a break-up fee; the court approved the settlement, under which CoStar will pay RentPath $52 million.
2020.12.29
Reported2020.12.29
FTC sues to block CoStar Group's acquisition of RentPath[4]FTC Sues to Block CoStar Group's Acquisition of RentPathprnewswire.com
The FTC filed suit to block CoStar Group's proposed acquisition of RentPath, saying the merger would eliminate a strong competitive alternative and harm customers.
2020.12.29
Reported2020.12.29
RentPath terminates agreement to be acquired by CoStar Group[4]FTC Sues to Block CoStar Group's Acquisition of RentPathprnewswire.com
RentPath announced that it had terminated its agreement to be acquired by CoStar Group following the FTC's decision to sue to block the transaction.
2020.11.23
Reported2020.11.23
CoStar Group agrees to acquire Homesnap[8]CoStar Group同意收购Homesnapinman.com
CoStar Group announced that it had agreed to acquire residential real estate search portal company Homesnap for $250 million in cash. The deal was expected to close by the end of 2020.
2020.09.25
Reported2020.09.25
CoStar sues CREXi over alleged intellectual property theft[3]CoStar sues CREXi over alleged intellectual property thefttherealdeal.com
CoStar filed a federal lawsuit against CREXi alleging copyright infringement, misappropriation and breach of contract. The suit seeks damages over alleged use of CoStar content.
2020.06.24
Reported2020.06.24
CoStar Group prices $1 billion senior notes offering[9]CoStar Group 为 10 亿美元优先票据发行定价financialpost.com
CoStar Group announced that it had priced a private offering of $1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of 2.800% senior unsecured notes due 2030. The sale was expected to close on or about July 1, 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.
2019.10.23
Reported2019.10.23
CoStar reaches $10.75 million settlement with Xceligent[5]CoStar reaches $10.75 million settlement with Xceligenttherealdeal.com
CoStar reached a $10.75 million settlement with Xceligent, which had alleged that CoStar's competitor stole thousands of images and proprietary information from its commercial listings platform. The report does not state whether the settlement resolved the allegations or included an admission.
2019.10.01
Reported2019.10.01
CoStar Group announces acquisition of STR[10]CoStar Group宣布收购STRfinance.yahoo.com
CoStar Group announced it would acquire STR for $450 million in an all-cash deal.

Sources14 sources

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