Data Reporter / Researcher

Summary

Join The Real Deal, the largest real-estate news outlet in the US, as a Freelance Data Reporter / Researcher. This data-driven journalism role focuses on extracting, cleaning, analyzing, and visualizing real estate data to uncover trends and create impactful editorial content. You will extract data from PDFs and websites, standardize datasets, build data visualization tools, research entities, and translate raw data into insights. Automation of data tasks and manual record reconciliation are also key responsibilities. The position offers competitive hourly compensation ($40-$70/hour). The Real Deal is an award-winning publication with a large and engaged audience.

Requirements

• Proficient in Python, especially Pandas, NumPy, and Requests
• Experienced in web scraping, PDF parsing, and API integration
• Comfortable with Google Sheets and workflow tools
• Strong research and data verification skills
• Familiar with geospatial data (shapefiles, GeoJSON, Mapbox, etc.)
• Knowledge of Git/GitHub for version control

Responsibilities

• Extract structured data from PDFs (e.g., property records, filings)
• Develop and maintain scrapers for public websites and databases
• Standardize and clean large datasets from multiple sources
• Build visual data tools (charts, dashboards, maps) for editorial teams
• Research and resolve entities across datasets (LLCs, developers, brokers, etc.)
• Support editorial staff by translating raw data into usable insights
• Automate repetitive data tasks with scripts and scheduled workflows
• Manually reconcile records as needed with precision and care

Preferred Qualifications

• Front-end familiarity (HTML/CSS/JS) for interactive data visualizations
• Background in real estate or investigative journalism is a plus