Scoring factor
How to weight condition and systems
The methodology page mentions documented updates. The scorer does not read them. Condition is a lookup on year built, with a low-confidence warning to get an inspection. Weight it as a stand-in for “how old are the systems likely to be,” and then inspect.
How hard to weight it
This is the right high weight when a surprise repair would sink the purchase. First-time buyers and investors both put it at 25. The downsizing preset puts it first, at 28, because the point of the move is not taking on a project.
Families who will renovate can leave it at 8, which is the schools-and-yard preset. A 50-point condition gap is then 4 points on the total. You will see the estimate and it will not override the district.
Do not set it to 40 hoping the score will find a new roof. There is no roof field. You would only be amplifying year built, which home age may already be amplifying.
What the weight does to the total
Under 5 years scores 95. Under 10 scores 85, under 20 scores 75, under 30 scores 65, under 50 scores 55, and 50 or older scores 45. The widest ordinary gap is 50 points.
| Weight | Effect on the total |
|---|---|
| Weight 28 | New versus 50-plus years is 14 points. Enough to lead a downsizing search. |
| Weight 25 | The same gap is 12.5 points. Tied with a heavy value weight, a cheap old house has to be much cheaper to win. |
| Weight 8 | The same gap is 4 points. You still see the estimate after the factors you care about. |
The property score is the weighted sum: each factor score times its weight, divided by 100. Weights are scaled to add up to 100 before that sum.
What the score uses
By default an analysis uses the formulas in “What the score uses.” The new scoring engine runs only when FEATURE_USE_NEW_SCORING_ENGINE is on, or when a rollout percentage includes that account. Where that engine differs, it is called out separately. A missing input scores 50. That is a neutral, not a zero, and it can outrank a known weak result.
The bands above are the whole default formula. A house built 50 years ago and a house built 120 years ago both score 45. There is no historic bonus here. That bonus exists only on home age.
The factor does not read inspection reports, permit filings, roof age, HVAC age, or the word “renovated” in a listing. Two houses of the same year score the same, including one that was gutted last year.
No year built scores 50, which is higher than the 45 given to a known older house. Missing data outranks a known old house.
under 5 years → 95
under 10 → 85
under 20 → 75
under 30 → 65
under 50 → 55
50 or older → 45
No year built → 50
When the new engine is on
When the new engine is on and the census tract has a median year built, a house newer than that median gets 5 extra points. A 20-year-old house in an older tract can score 80 instead of 75. The confidence flag is still low, and the warning is still to inspect. The 5 points are not a condition survey.
The public overview is the methodology page. Where that page says comparables, orientation, or documented updates, the formulas on this page are the ones that run.
Tradeoffs against the other factors
- Home age
Same input, two weights. If you only care about likely repairs, put the points here and keep age low. If you care about era and charm, do the opposite, and remember this factor will still penalize the older house.
- Value
A low price per foot and a low condition score travel together. Weighting both highly is how you refuse a bargain that is really a project. Weighting value high and condition low is how you go looking for that project.
- Schools
A family preset that puts schools at 30 and condition at 8 will rank a tired house in a strong district above a newer house in a weaker one. That is coherent if you will renovate. It is a bad surprise if you will not.
Mistakes that move the ranking
- Treating a high condition score as a clean inspection. The newest band is 95, not 100, and it still only means the house is under five years old.
- Expecting “updated kitchen” to move the number. It will not.
- Letting a blank year built look better than an old house. 50 beats 45. If year built is missing, the weight is scoring ignorance ahead of age.
Profiles that lean on this
The other six factors
Set the weight yourself
The builder opens on an even split, or on the platform default if one is saved. It does not assume this factor. If you want a whole profile filled in, start from a buyer preset.
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