Altus Group and BrightCat both serve the Canadian property market, but from different angles. Understanding which angle you need determines which source is right.
Altus Group is a commercial real estate analytics and advisory firm. Through Altus Data Studio, they provide investment transaction data, cap rate surveys, valuation analytics, and market-level reporting. Their quarterly Investment Trends Survey reaches 300+ institutional stakeholders across Canada's eight largest markets.
Altus's strength is the institutional investment perspective: where capital is flowing, how asset classes are being valued, and what investor sentiment looks like across the country.
BrightCat tracks the supply side: what's listing, what's selling, what's sitting, and what's signalling transition. The dataset covers residential (6M+ properties), commercial (315K+ properties), rentals (26K+ buildings), and sold transactions (899K+ events) — all with weekly updates and 12 years of continuous history.
BrightCat's strength is detailed, property-level market intelligence delivered through modern infrastructure (Snowflake, MCP, API). Where Altus tells you where capital went, BrightCat tells you where it's going next.
| Criterion | BrightCat Data | Altus Group |
|---|---|---|
| Primary data | Listings, sold, rentals, commercial, lifecycle | Investment transactions, cap rates, valuations |
| Detail level | Property-level records | Market-level aggregates and surveys |
| Residential coverage | 6M+ properties, all 10 provinces | New housing development focused |
| Commercial coverage | 315K+ properties, dual-listing signals | Investment transactions, 8 major markets |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Quarterly (ITS), varies by product |
| Delivery | Snowflake, MCP, API, flat file | Altus Data Studio, reports, direct |
| AI/MCP access | Yes — MCP connector live | Not available |
| Pre-mover signals | Yes | No |
Use Altus Group when you need investment transaction analytics, institutional cap rate benchmarks, or valuation advisory services for commercial portfolios.
Use BrightCat when you need property-level listing activity, sold velocity, pre-mover signals, dual-listing intelligence, rental market data, or AI-native delivery via Snowflake and MCP.
Use both when your analysis requires the investment perspective (where capital is flowing) alongside the supply-side view (what's listing and selling at the property level). CRE investment teams, insurance underwriters, and institutional analysts often need both layers.
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