HomeFinder – Chrome Extension 🏠

A browser extension + backend service that monitors real-estate listings on Yad2 and triggers alerts when new apartments match user-specified parameters.

Features

• Automatic polling of Yad2 listings at scheduled intervals.
• Compares new listings against stored records in MongoDB to avoid duplicates.
• Alerts the user (via browser extension notification or badge) when relevant new listings are found.
• Lightweight Chrome Extension for front-end interaction + Node.js/Express backend for logic and data persistence.

Tech Stack

• Frontend (Chrome Extension): JavaScript, Chrome Extension API, manifest.json, content/background scripts.
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB (Mongoose), Cron jobs (node-cron or equivalent), Axios/Fetch for API calls.
• Data & Automation: Scheduled tasks compare listing snapshots and trigger notifications when new entries appear.

Architecture & Workflow

1. The Chrome extension loads in the background (service worker + content scripts) and triggers listing refresh events or user-initiated checks.
2. The backend runs a cron job (e.g., every 15-30 minutes) to fetch the latest Yad2 listings via public API endpoint.
3. The backend compares fetched listings against the stored listings collection in MongoDB. New listings = not matched in DB.
4. When new matches are detected, the backend saves them and sends a notification signal to the extension (via Telegram).
5. The extension displays an alert notification with info and link about the apartment.

Project Structure

homefinder/
├── extension/             # Chrome extension source code
│   ├── manifest.json
│   ├── background.js
│   ├── content.js
│   ├── popup.html/js (optional UI)
│   └── assets/
├── backend/               # Node.js / Express backend service
│   ├── server.js          # App entrypoint
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── models/
│   ├── services/          # Fetching and processing logic
│   ├── cron/              # Scheduled tasks definitions
│   └── config/
├── db/                    # Database schemas & migrations (if any)
└── README.md              # This file

Installation & Usage

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/Danmile/HomeFinder---chrome-extension.git
cd HomeFinder---chrome-extension

2. Setup backend

cd backend
npm install
# configure .env (MONGODB_URI, YAD2_API_ENDPOINT, etc)
npm start

3. Load extension in Chrome

• Go to chrome://extensions/
• Enable Developer mode
• Click Load unpacked → select extension/ folder
• The extension icon should appear in your toolbar
• Configure any preferences (if applicable) and allow notification permissions

Configuration

• Define environment variables in .env:

  MONGODB_URI=your_mongo_connection_string
  YAD2_API_ENDPOINT=https://api.yad2.co.il/… (or scraping endpoint)
  CRON_SCHEDULE=*/15 * * * *   # every 15 minutes
  ALERT_THRESHOLD_PRICE=…
  

• In backend/config/, adjust fetch parameters (locations, filters) as needed.
• The extension’s popup (if present) may allow user settings such as notification filters, keywords, price limits.

Author

Dan Milevski

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Made with ❤️ for smart home seekers.