The property starts at its census tract
PriceDNA uses the property location to resolve the census tract that contains it. That tract is the analytical starting point for local data, location scoring inputs, and nearby market context where the source supports that level of detail.
Different views serve different purposes
PriceDNA uses more than one local geography because a single fixed boundary does not work for every question:
- Local area is an adaptive, population-based geography used to resolve comparable local signals for the PriceDNA Location Score™.
- Neighborhood uses fixed 1-, 3-, and 5-mile views to show how population, housing, and rental-demand characteristics change with distance.
- Census tract is the property’s core statistical anchor where tract-level data is available and reliable.
How the Hybrid Spatial Resolution Index helps
Public and market data are published at different resolutions. Some values may be available by tract, while others are only reliable at county, metro, state, or national level. The Hybrid Spatial Resolution Index helps PriceDNA resolve those overlapping geographic sources without pretending every number has the same local precision.
Why values may repeat across 1-, 3-, and 5-mile views
When the same value appears across several radius views, the underlying source may be broader than the displayed radius. PriceDNA keeps the value consistent instead of fabricating a more local number.
Repetition can therefore be a transparency signal rather than a bug. Read the value at the source resolution represented in the report and avoid interpreting it as three independent radius estimates.
Why a county or broader value may appear
When reliable fine-grained data is unavailable, sparse, or unsuitable for the metric, PriceDNA may use a documented broader fallback such as county subdivision, county, metro, state, or national data. The appropriate fallback depends on the source and metric.
The goal is to use the best reliable context available while avoiding false precision.
Property-specific facts still matter
Local data provides context; it does not replace property-specific facts. Use actual rent, taxes, insurance, repairs, utilities, financing, condition, and operating history whenever verified information is available.