ARGUS by Altus Group vs. CoStar Real Estate Manager

[Argus is] the best property valuation tool on the market but you also can't really do any advanced property valuations without Argus. It's an industry standard and while there are competitors, they do not approach the same feature set or institutional usage the Argus has.

Incentivized

Gen-Y and younger will have no problem learning how to use CoStar but its not very intuitive for the older generations (they have to hunt and peck for what they are looking for and have no idea how to manipulate the reporting features)

Incentivized

• Financial forecasting
• Property Valuation
• Improves Decision Making

Incentivized

• Nothing
• Charging my card
• Nothing

• Price
• Only game in town

Incentivized

• In our market (Portland, OR), not enough users implement the tools that could make CoStar so much better. For example, I specialize in medical but brokers and owners don't take the time to mark medical as an approved use in their buildings so I have to search much longer and cross-reference the data by contacting the brokers directly.
• I find it really annoying that when I download documents CoStar doesn't use smart technology to automatically name my files. It is especially irritating since every piece of marketing we post to CoStar has a relevant file name yet when we download the same file we have to rename it.

Incentivized

Argus is the type of program that is very difficult to just sit down and figure out. Our analysts must have formal training in order to use it. The standard is a three day classroom course that is offered on a pretty regular basis.

Incentivized

Support is pretty good. The techs are pretty knowledgeable about the product and confident. You don't feel like they are just going through the knowledgebase and they are easy to understand. I have also never been stuck on hold for a long period of time to speak to someone.

Incentivized

There is literally not one good thing that I can say about CoStar. They charge my card $450/month because I signed a one-year contract. They provide very little data and properties and most of the time it is inaccurate. Their customer service is atrocious. They overpromise, underdeliver. STAY away from using Costar!

• It is costly
• But the best tool out there
• A vital decision making tool.

Incentivized

• Since CoStar has linked with LoopNet we have had fewer bad data calls. By which I mean old data from LoopNet that was available to the general public is now more regularly updated through CoStar so we have less confusion with our clients.

Incentivized