Scoring factor
How to weight lot size
The label says lot size and light. The formula scores the lot. Orientation, windows, and shade are not inputs. Weight this for outdoor space you will use, not for a bright room the number cannot see.
How hard to weight it
A yard you will live in belongs near the top. The family preset puts the lot at 20, behind schools. The remote-work preset ties it with value at 25, because the house is also the office and the outdoor room.
A lot you do not want to maintain should stay under 10. The downsizing preset uses 8: enough that a huge yard does not get a free pass, not enough to hunt for acreage. The commute preset also uses 8.
Past a ratio of 2 — twice as much lot as living area — every larger lot scores 100. Extra land beyond that does not raise the factor. If acreage itself is the purchase, this weight will not separate a 2-acre lot from a half-acre once both clear that bar.
What the weight does to the total
A ratio of 0.5 scores 50. A ratio of 2 or more scores 100. Missing lot size also scores 50, the same as the modest yard.
| Weight | Effect on the total |
|---|---|
| Weight 25 | A full-size lot versus a missing lot is a 12.5-point gap. |
| Weight 20 | The same gap is 10 points, still enough to beat a light school difference. |
| Weight 8 | The same gap is 4 points. The yard breaks ties and does not lead. |
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 ratio is lot area ÷ living area. If living area is missing, the divisor is 1,500. Below 0.5 the score is ratio × 100, so a 0.25 ratio scores 25. From 0.5 to 1 the score runs from 50 to 75. From 1 to 2 it runs from 75 to 100. At 2 and above it is 100.
Units are whatever the listing stored. The formula does not convert acres to square feet. If one listing is in acres and another is in square feet, the ratios are not comparable. Check the listing before you trust a 100.
There is no light term. A north-facing house on a large lot scores the same as a sunny one with the same ratio.
ratio = lot area ÷ (living area, or 1,500)
ratio < 0.5 → ratio × 100
ratio < 1 → 50 + (ratio − 0.5) × 50
ratio < 2 → 75 + (ratio − 1) × 25
ratio ≥ 2 → 100
No lot area → 50
When the new engine is on
When the new engine is on and a flood hazard score is present, the lot score drops by (100 − flood score) × 0.2, which is at most 20 points. A flood zone can take a perfect lot down to 80. Without hazard data, the ratio stands alone.
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
- Value for money
Land that does not add living area makes the price per foot look worse. A heavy value weight and a heavy lot weight pull in opposite directions on a small house with a large yard.
- Condition
The lot formula ignores the house. A large yard on a house that needs a roof still scores 100 here. If you will not take on that project, keep condition high enough to offset the yard.
- Home age
Older houses in this market often sit on the larger lots. Weighting the lot up and age up at the same time favors newer houses and fights the stock that actually has the yards.
Mistakes that move the ranking
- Reading a low score as “dark.” Nothing in the factor measures light.
- Expecting a missing lot to score poorly. It scores 50, so a condo with a blank lot field ties a house whose lot is half its living area. A high weight does not punish missing data.
- Chasing the last bit of land. Once the ratio hits 2, the score is already 100. Paying more for a larger lot does not improve this factor.
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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