CoStar Faces Antitrust Suit Amid Real Estate Data Boom

The real estate industry is undergoing a structural shift toward a secondary layer of ownership focused on the data used to value, market, and manage physical assets. This infrastructure for transaction histories and automated valuations now increasingly dictates investment decisions across the sector.

CoStar Group has emerged as a central figure in this trend toward data concentration. An antitrust class action filed in April alleges that the company controls approximately 80% of the U.S. market for online commercial property listings and information services. CoStar denies these allegations, maintaining that its contracts are designed to protect its proprietary investments.

Market projections for this technological shift vary. The Business Research Company estimates the AI-in-real-estate market will reach $1.3 trillion by 2030, while Grand View Research values the broader property technology market at $50.1 billion in 2026.