Bid4Assets Scraper: 19 Data Fields, Up to 1,000 Free Results/Month

County tax-lien certificates, tax-deed sales, and sheriff sales cost $5.00 per 1,000 results on the free-plan price, with up to 1,000 results a month included on Apify's free plan. Every run queries Bid4Assets' live listings API directly, pulling structured fields including currentBid, bidCount, and auction dates without requiring a login or paid proxy. The output is built for real-estate investors, surplus-funds researchers, and auction aggregators monitoring distressed public property. It is not for anyone who needs private owner contact details or assessed tax valuations, which these listing records do not contain.

Try it: open Bid4Assets Scraper on Apify, sign in on the free plan and run the prefilled example.

Can you try Bid4Assets Scraper before paying?

Yes. Apify's free plan includes $5.00 of prepaid usage every month and asks for no credit card. At $0.005 per result, that covers up to 1,000 results of Bid4Assets Scraper a month, before run-start charges and platform usage.

Bid4Assets Scraper was last updated on 2026-07-04. It is one of 1,724 Actors CrawlerBros publishes on Apify, which together have 722,851 lifetime public runs and an average rating of 4.63 out of 5 across 416 reviews.

What does it cost to run Bid4Assets Scraper?

Each result costs $0.005 on Apify's free plan, which is $5.00 per 1,000 results. Starting a run is charged separately at $0.005 per GB of Actor memory. Apify also bills the platform usage each run consumes, at the rates of your Apify plan, on top of these charges.

The maxItems setting is the primary driver of your bill because result charges apply strictly to items written to the dataset. Setting criteria to a broad keyword can quickly reach your item ceiling if left unconstrained. Running a test with maxItems set to 10 lets you verify your filters without incurring unnecessary result charges.

How do you run Bid4Assets Scraper from the API?

The schema marks 1 of its 11 controls as required: mode. Nothing in the payload below is illustrative. Those are the schema's prefilled defaults for Bid4Assets Scraper, so the request works once your token is in place.

Call the synchronous endpoint to start a run and receive dataset items in one request:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/crawlerbros~bid4assets-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"search"}'

The same run from Python, using the official client:

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")

run_input = {
  "mode": "search"
}

run = client.actor("crawlerbros~bid4assets-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

And from Node.js:

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>' })

const input = {
  "mode": "search"
}

const run = await client.actor('crawlerbros~bid4assets-scraper').call(input)
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems()
console.log(items)

Because the call is synchronous, your client waits for the whole run. Keep it for exploration. For scheduled work, start the run without waiting and collect the dataset afterwards, so network trouble costs you a retry rather than the results.

Which Bid4Assets Scraper inputs matter, and which can you skip?

The mode parameter dictates your search structure, allowing you to choose between search, byAuctionType, and byState. If you use search, criteria is required; for the other two modes, auctionType or state acts as your primary filter. Leave proxyConfiguration off and keep channel set to Real Estate for your first run.

• mode (string): What to fetch. Default: "search".
• criteria (string): Free-text keyword or a specific parcel/APN number (required for mode=search; optional extra filter for other modes). Default: "tax lien".
• auctionType (string): Browse by real-estate auction/sale type.
• state (string): Browse listings located in a specific US state.
• channel (string): Bid4Assets sells more than real estate; defaults to Real Estate (this actor's focus). Change to explore other channels. Default: "22".
• category (string): Restrict to a real-estate property type. Default: "".
• auctionStatus (string): Only currently open (live) listings, only closed/sold listings, or all. Default: "open".
• sortBy (string): How to order results (mirrors the site's own sort dropdown). Default: "".
• dateRangeMonths (integer): How far back to search for closed/all auctions (1-6 months). Only affects mode/auctionStatus combinations that include closed listings. Default: 6.
• maxItems (integer): Hard cap on emitted records. Default: 50.
• proxyConfiguration (object): Optional. Bid4Assets' edge (Akamai) may rate-limit sustained high-volume traffic; enabling the free AUTO proxy group adds resilience. Not required for normal use. Default: {"useApifyProxy":false}.

Fixed-choice controls: mode accepts search (Search by keyword or parcel number), byAuctionType (Browse by auction type), byState (Browse by state); auctionType accepts taxLien (Tax Lien Certificate), taxDeed (Tax Deed Sale), sheriffSale (Sheriff Sale), surplus (Surplus Funds); state accepts 51 values, including AL (Alabama), AK (Alaska), AZ (Arizona), AR (Arkansas); channel accepts 16 values (default 22), including 22 (Real Estate), 10 (Cars & Vehicles), 11 (Art), 12 (Coins); category accepts "" (Any property type), 01 (Agricultural), 02 (Bid & Assume), 03 (Commercial), 05 (Residential), 06 (Timeshares), 99 (Other); auctionStatus accepts open (live), closed (sold), all; sortBy accepts 10 values (default ""), including "" (Default (relevance)), closeDateAsc (Close date: soonest first), closeDateDesc (Close date: latest first), openDateAsc (Open date: oldest first).

What does Bid4Assets Scraper return?

The output supplies essential bidding data, including currentBid, timeLeftSeconds, auction dates, and direct sourceUrl links to every auction. It does not provide parcel boundary maps, historical assessment documents, or delinquent property owner names. When title text omits phrasing about jurisdiction or auction classification, the county and auctionType fields are left empty rather than inferred.

• auctionId - Bid4Assets auction identifier
• title - full listing title (usually includes state, county, and parcel description)
• currentBid - current/winning bid amount (USD)
• bidCount
• auctionOpenDate, auctionCloseDate, actualCloseDate
• timeLeftSeconds - present only while the auction is still open
• auctionStatus - open or closed
• locationCity, locationState, locationStateName
• county - extracted from the listing title
• auctionType, auctionTypeName - Tax Lien / Tax Deed / Sheriff Sale / Surplus Funds (only when confidently detected)
• imageUrl - listing photo
• sourceUrl - canonical Bid4Assets auction URL
• recordType: "listing", scrapedAt

These are the documented fields. Optional ones can be empty on a given record, so measure how often each field your deliverable depends on is populated across a real sample before automating the handoff.

How do you build the workflow end to end?

Open Bid4Assets Scraper and work through these in order. Each step ends with something to check, so a bad configuration surfaces on a small run rather than a scheduled one.

1. Select the required mode control first, choosing search, byAuctionType, or byState.
2. If mode is set to search, provide an APN or keyword in the criteria field, or use the prefilled default tax lien.
3. Keep channel set to 22 to isolate Real Estate, or select an alternative marketplace channel if querying non-property assets.
4. Set auctionStatus to open for live auctions, or switch to closed to query historical sales.
5. Set dateRangeMonths between 1 and 6 to define the lookback window whenever closed listings are included.
6. Set maxItems between 1 and 2000 to cap the maximum number of records emitted into your dataset.
7. Execute an initial run and inspect the returned items to confirm fields like county and auctionType appear where expected.

How do you apply it? Three worked playbooks

These are Bid4Assets Scraper's own documented use cases, each worked through as an operating pattern rather than a description.

Use case 1: Tax-lien investors

Outcome: Monitor new tax-lien certificate auctions by state or county

Configure: Set mode to "byState", state to "FL", and category to "05".

Working method: Execute an initial run to establish a baseline of open tax lien certificates. Set a schedule to execute the task weekly, comparing the new dataset's auctionId values against your baseline to highlight recently published listings.

Deliverable: A CSV containing live residential tax-lien certificates in Florida with their respective counties, auction IDs, and current bid amounts.

Stop condition: The state property returns zero listings on consecutive runs during active county auction cycles.

Use case 2: Title & surplus-funds researchers

Outcome: Find surplus-funds claims tied to foreclosure sales

Configure: Set mode to "byAuctionType", auctionType to "surplus", and auctionStatus to "open".

Working method: Run the scraper targeting all open surplus-funds listings. Review the returned county and title fields to map out which local jurisdictions have outstanding excess foreclosure proceeds waiting to be claimed.

Deliverable: An Excel spreadsheet of active surplus-funds listings across the United States including location state, parsed county names, and the original foreclosure URLs.

Stop condition: The dataset returns items with a category or channel other than real estate.

Use case 3: Auction aggregators

Outcome: Feed live Bid4Assets real-estate listings into a broader search tool

Configure: Set mode to "search", criteria to "county", auctionStatus to "open", and maxItems to 2000.

Working method: Execute a broad query utilizing the wildcard keyword to pull the maximum volume of live listings. Clean the county and auctionTypeName fields to format the records for integration into your central real estate database.

Deliverable: A JSON feed of up to 2,000 active real estate auctions formatted for immediate database ingestion, containing source URLs, photo links, and bidding deadlines.

Stop condition: More than half of the output records are missing both the county and the auctionType fields.

What breaks, and how do you design around it?

Because county names and auction classifications are parsed directly from listing titles, unstandardized titles will result in empty county or auctionType fields. If you encounter omitted counties, cross-reference locationCity with an external municipal lookup table to recover jurisdiction data. When searching by state without a specific query, note that the internal keyword fallback covers jurisdictions containing "county" and can bypass certain non-county entities like Louisiana parishes.

When should you not use Bid4Assets Scraper?

Do not use this Actor if you are tracking standard retail MLS properties or broad residential resales that never reach tax foreclosure. If you need traditional property listings or commercial foreclosures, use the Auction.com Property Scraper or Century 21 Real Estate Scraper instead. You should also avoid this Actor if your project requires certified legal title abstracts or verified tax-deed records for closing escrow, which must be sourced directly from local county land records offices.

What should you check before trusting the output?

• Verify that currentBid contains a valid USD numeric amount on every record.
• Check whether timeLeftSeconds is present and positive for listings where auctionStatus is set to open.
• Monitor how frequently county is omitted when title text lacks explicit county references.
• Inspect auctionType and auctionTypeName to ensure they match expected values like taxLien or sheriffSale rather than being omitted due to unclassified title phrasing.
• Confirm that sourceUrl resolves to a valid Bid4Assets property auction URL for every returned listing.

None of this proves a record is correct. It gives a scheduled Bid4Assets Scraper run defined points where it should stop instead of quietly passing bad data downstream.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to scrape 1,000 Bid4Assets listings?

On the free-plan price, 1,000 results cost $5.00 in dataset result charges. Apify also bills for platform usage and Actor RAM consumed on top of these per-result charges. The run-start fee is charged every time a run starts, whether or not it returns results.

Are proxies required to extract property listings from Bid4Assets?

No proxy is required for normal runs. Bid4Assets' edge may rate-limit sustained high-volume traffic, so enabling the free AUTO proxy group via proxyConfiguration adds resilience if you run large collections.

Why are county and auctionType missing on some records?

Bid4Assets does not provide a structured auction type or county facet for real estate. The Actor detects auction types and extracts county names directly from the listing title text. If the title does not explicitly mention them, the fields are omitted rather than guessed.

How far back can I scrape closed real-estate auctions?

You can retrieve historical closed auctions up to 6 months back. The dateRangeMonths control accepts an integer between 1 and 6, and applies whenever auctionStatus is set to closed or all.

Does this scraper cover every US county?

Coverage depends entirely on which counties actively run auctions on Bid4Assets at the time of your run. The Actor queries live marketplace listings rather than a fixed static county directory.

Where to go next

When you are ready to run it, open Bid4Assets Scraper on Apify; the free plan covers up to 1,000 results a month.

Start with the Bid4Assets Scraper Actor page for the current input schema, pricing tier, and run history.

If you are comparing approaches rather than committing to one Actor, these category pages list every option we publish:

• Property listing scrapers covers 63 Actors in this family.

Other Actors we maintain for related data:

• MyHome.ie Scraper: Scrape MyHome.ie - Ireland's leading property portal.
• StorageTreasures Auctions Scraper: Scrape StorageTreasures.com self-storage unit auctions - browse active or upcoming lien/charity/manager-special auctions nationwide, filter by state, city, zip, category, unit size or keyword, look up specific auctions or facilities by ID, and track in-person live auction events.
• United Real Estate Homes for Sale Scraper: Search United Real Estate for homes for sale by city, state, ZIP code, or keyword.
• Auction.com Property Scraper: Scrape residential real estate auction listings from auction.com with bank-owned, foreclosure, and private-seller properties across all 50 US states.
• IRS Tax Exempt Organization Scraper: Search and retrieve IRS tax-exempt organizations (501c nonprofits) from the official IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File.
• Michigan LARA License Lookup Scraper: Look up Michigan professional and occupational licenses from LARA (Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) - the state's own public license search.
• EstateSales.net Estate & Moving Sale Listings Scraper: Scrape EstateSales.net - search estate, moving, and auction sale listings by US state, city or ZIP code, filter by real sale type and date range, or pull the site's nationally-featured sales.
• Century 21 Real Estate Scraper: Scrape homes for sale and rent from Century21.com.

Related guides:

• United Real Estate Homes for Sale Scraper: 3 Practical Use Cases
• Michigan LARA License Lookup Scraper: 3 Practical Use Cases
• GovDeals Scraper: Practical Guide for Surplus Auction Sourcing
• US Unclaimed Property Scraper: 17 Data Fields per Record (2026)

Resources

• Actor documentation, input schema, and pricing: verified against the published Actor on 2026-10-03.

• Actor last updated by its maintainers on 2026-07-04.

• Run outcome figures cover the 30 day public window ending 2026-10-03.

• Bid4Assets Scraper on Apify