HABU report glossary

What does AVM mean in a HABU report?

AVM means automated valuation model. A property AVM estimates a home value from recorded property attributes and nearby comparable-market evidence without a physical appraisal of the home.

How to use this definition

Use this definition to understand a term named in your HABU report. It explains the reference and its limits; it does not turn a screening input into a property-specific appraisal, legal conclusion, or permit decision.

How a property AVM works as a report reference

What an AVM can indicate

A usable AVM can provide a current property-value reference and usually a range. It does not establish the value created by a particular ADU, addition, lot split, or redevelopment program.

How HABU treats a RentCast AVM

HABU labels a RentCast property AVM as a separate reference view. It is not substituted for pathway-specific resale or rental evidence, and HABU does not replace a missing AVM with an assessor value or an unsupported estimate.

Why an AVM may be unavailable or incomplete

An AVM may be unavailable when the request lacks a usable property match or key attributes, when sufficiently comparable recent evidence is not returned, or when the result cannot be bound to the report evidence snapshot. HABU does not infer a more specific cause from a missing result.

Reference limitation: An AVM is not a licensed appraisal, inspection, offer, guaranteed sale price, or proof of the added value from a development project.

Questions about Automated valuation model (AVM)

Why does my HABU report say the RentCast AVM is unavailable?

The report did not contain a usable property-level AVM bound to its evidence snapshot. That can reflect a property-match, attribute, comparable-evidence, or evidence-binding gap; HABU does not guess which one occurred.

Is an AVM the same as an appraisal?

No. An AVM is an automated market reference. A licensed appraisal can consider the inspected condition, improvements, site characteristics, and assignment-specific requirements.

Does HABU use the current-home AVM as the value of an ADU?

No. ADU added value is screened separately with permit-linked resale evidence and a guarded rental-income indication for the selected ADU program.

Check the source and related report terms

Start with HABU's plain-language summary, then use the authority-owned source and related definitions when you want the underlying context.

Authoritative source

RentCast API: Property Valuation

Ready for a property-specific screen?
Start with the available parcel data, then validate any promising path.
Compare an AVM with the HPI reference