Illustrative composite — not a live listing, not an appraisal.
RAAM score
71.5/ 100
Scored for a family buyer
Weighted toward schools, lot, and a workable commute to UVA / the hospital — the buyer who will lose a bidding war if they cannot name what they will not compromise on.
Charlottesville and Albemarle are tight, expensive, and full of buyers who already know the university and medical draw. A brief that ranks this house against their weights is more useful than another “charming Belmont” paragraph.
Price
$565,000
Beds
3
Baths
2
Living area
1,780 sqft
Lot
7,405 sqft
Year built
1952
What holds up
In-town Belmont keeps the commute conversation short: hospital, Grounds, and downtown are measured in minutes, not corridors.
The lot is usable, not ceremonial. For a family coming from a smaller lot, that is often the silent deal-maker.
Price is in the city’s competitive band. The score is useful because it does not pretend $565k is a bargain; it asks whether this house is the right $565k.
Highlights and watch-outs give you a client-facing document that is more specific than “great location, act fast.”
Watch-outs
City versus Albemarle is the first fact to lock. Mailing city and parcel jurisdiction are not the same, and assessment practice is not a sale price.
1952 construction: charming in photos, expensive when the roof, windows, or knob-and-tube conversation arrives. Put that in writing before emotions attach.
School assignment should be verified against the current city map, not inferred from the neighborhood name or this sample.
A mid-70s score on a contested listing is a feature. It gives the buyer permission to walk when the house is the wrong fit, which saves you the second tour.
Score breakdown
School quality78/100 · 26% → 20.3
Commute access84/100 · 20% → 16.8
Lot size & light71/100 · 16% → 11.4
Value for money58/100 · 14% → 8.1
Condition & systems64/100 · 12% → 7.7
Home age52/100 · 8% → 4.2
Community mix76/100 · 4% → 3.0
How you'd use this with a client
Some agents attach the brief; others keep it as prep. Both work.
Send it with the listing
Hand this over with the listing link. A buyer who has already ranked their weights will not ask you to re-explain the whole city.
Use the score gap — what is strong vs. what is thin — to write showing notes that sound like you, not like the remarks.
If they want five more, that is the pilot: their addresses, this format, and blunt feedback on what I got wrong.
Or use it as prep
Not ready to put a scored report in a client's inbox? The brief still earns its keep on your side of the conversation.
Read it before the showing. Highlights and watch-outs tell you what will land and what will push back — so you are answering questions, not discovering them in the driveway.
Use the weight breakdown to rehearse trade-offs: what this house wins on, what they are giving up to hit their top criteria, and whether that math still works for them.
Walk into price talk knowing where the score supports the ask and where it does not. A strong value line can hold the number; thin condition or age gives you room to counter — or permission to walk.
Want this on a client's shortlist?
Send me five addresses — a live shortlist is ideal, a listing you're taking to market works too. Reply to the email or use the form below. Same format, no cost. I want the blunt notes on what's wrong. White-label and bulk are on the table if this is useful; they're not required for the five free reports.