From a listing to a score you can check
DwellScore adds public data to each New York City listing, turns it into six scores, and shows the research behind every one. Here is the whole method.
- 1
Start with the address
A listing gives a price, a floor plan and photos. We take the address and place it on the map.
- 2
Add what the city already knows
We look up the street trees around it, the modelled road, rail and aircraft noise on its block, the nearest parks, the subway time to Manhattan’s business districts and the city’s record of the lot.
- 3
Score six things from 0 to 10
Each score has its own formula and shows the numbers that went into it, so you can check the working.
- 4
Rank by what matters to you
Choose a lens. It decides how much each of the six scores counts toward the overall number.
What goes into each score
Restoration
Street trees within 200 metres, counted with larger and healthier trees weighted more. Modelled transport noise (road, rail and aviation) on the block. Distance to the edge of the nearest large park and the nearest local park. An input that could not be measured for a home is left out of its score, not guessed.
Source: NYC street tree census, U.S. DOT National Transportation Noise Map, NYC Parks properties
Outdoor space
Whether the home has private outdoor space, what kind (garden, terrace, balcony), and whether it opens at ground level. For a whole house, the yard is measured from the lot.
Source: The listing, NYC PLUTO lot records
Commute
Door-to-door subway time to Midtown or Lower Manhattan, whichever is faster, on the weekday morning schedule; the number of transfers; and the walk to the nearest subway entrance.
Source: MTA subway schedule and entrance data
Practical
In-unit laundry, bedroom and bathroom count, and the age of the building.
Source: The listing, NYC PLUTO
Cost
Price per square foot against comparable homes nearby, and the full monthly carrying cost: mortgage, property tax or maintenance, common charges and insurance.
Source: The listing, local market figures
Investment
Rental income where there is any, unused development rights on the lot, building quality and the neighborhood’s price trend.
Source: The listing, NYC PLUTO
How the overall score is weighted
The overall number is a weighted average of the six scores. Each lens uses different weights.
Livability
Restorative surroundings, outdoor space, transit, and day-to-day practicality. Price is ignored.
- Restoration40%
- Outdoor space25%
- Commute20%
- Practical15%
Affordability
Value against the local market (price per sqft, monthly carrying cost), with livability as a tiebreaker.
- Cost45%
- Restoration15%
- Commute15%
- Practical15%
- Outdoor space10%
Investment
Development upside and building fundamentals, then value against the market.
- Investment45%
- Cost25%
- Commute15%
- Restoration5%
- Outdoor space5%
- Practical5%
Balanced
All six dimensions weighted equally.
- Restoration17%
- Outdoor space17%
- Commute17%
- Practical17%
- Cost17%
- Investment17%
How we grade the research
The evidence matrix lists 40 links between something about a home and an outcome for the people living in it. Each link gets a grade.
Open the evidence matrix- A
- Several strong studies agree, often including trials or large long-term studies.
- B
- Good studies point the same way, but there are fewer of them or they only show a correlation.
- C
- Early or mixed evidence. Worth knowing about, not worth paying a premium for.
- D
- Weak or indirect evidence. We list it so you can see we looked.
What the score cannot tell you
- Where does the data come from?
- Public records: New York City’s street tree census and parks properties, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s national transportation noise map, the PLUTO lot database and the MTA’s subway schedule. Details of the home itself come from its listing.
- Does a high score mean a home is a good buy?
- No. A score describes the home’s surroundings, layout and costs. It does not inspect the building, read the board minutes or know your finances. Use it to narrow a shortlist, then do the usual checks.
- What assumptions go into the monthly cost?
- Unless you enter your own, we assume 20% down and a 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.5%. These are round market conventions, not a rate quote.
- Will living near more trees make me healthier?
- The research describes averages across thousands of people, and most of it shows correlation. It tells you which features tend to go with better health, not what will happen to you.
- How current is the tree data?
- The scores use the city’s most recent complete street tree census, from 2015. Trees planted or lost since then are not counted.