Automatically determining a current value for a real estate property, such as a home, that is tailored to input from a human user, such as its owner

Abstract

A facility procuring information about a distinguished property from a user knowledgeable about the distinguished property that is usable to refine an automatic valuation of the distinguished property is described. The facility displays information about the distinguished property used in the automatic valuation of the distinguished property. The facility obtains user input from of the user adjusting at least one aspect of information about the distinguished property used in the automatic valuation of the distinguished property. On a later the day, facility displays to the user a refined valuation of the distinguished property that is based on the adjustment of the obtained user input.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A computer-readable storage device whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for procuring information about a property from its owner that is usable to refine an automatic valuation of the property, the method comprising:
 generating the automatic valuation of the property using only information about the property originated by a public source;   displaying at least a portion of information about the property used in the automatic valuation of the property;   on a first day:
 obtaining user input from the owner adjusting at least one aspect of information about the property used in the automatic valuation of the property; 
 storing the obtained user input in a non-volatile medium; and 
   on a second day that is after the first day,
 using the stored user input to display to the owner a refined valuation of the property that is based on the adjustment of the obtained user input. 
   
     
     
         2 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 1 , further comprising, on a third day after the first day, using the stored user input to display to a user other than the owner a refined valuation of the property that is based on the adjustment of the obtained user input. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 1 , further comprising, on the first day, displaying to the owner a refined valuation of the property that is based on the adjustment of the obtained user input, and wherein the refined valuation displayed on the first day is the same as the refined valuation displayed on the second day. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 1 , further comprising, on the first day, displaying to the owner a refined valuation of the property that is based on the adjustment of the obtained user input, and wherein the refined valuation displayed on the first day is different from the refined valuation displayed on the second day. 
     
     
         5 . A method in a computing system having a processor for refining an automatic valuation of a property based upon input from a user knowledgeable about the property, comprising:
 generating the automatic valuation of the property using only information about the property originated by a public source;   displaying at least a portion of information about the property used in the automatic valuation of the property;   on a first day, obtaining user input adjusting at least one aspect of information about the property used in the automatic valuation of the property;   with a computer processor, automatically determining a first refined valuation of the property that is based on the adjustment of the obtained user input; and   presenting the first refined valuation of the property on a second day that is after the first day.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the presenting involves displaying the first refined valuation of the property to a user providing the user input. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the presenting involves displaying the first refined valuation of the property to a user other than the user providing the user input. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising:
 on the first day, obtaining user input specifying a level of access to be permitted to refined valuations that are based on the adjustment of the obtained user input; and 
 on a third day that is later than the first day, presenting the first refined valuation of the property in accordance with the specified level of access. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein specified level of access is private, and wherein the presenting on the third day involves displaying the first refined valuation of the property to the user providing the user input. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein specified level of access is public, and wherein the presenting on the third day involves displaying the first refined valuation of the property to any user. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the specified level of access is public, and wherein the presenting on the third day involves displaying the first refined valuation of the property to any user designated by the user providing the user input. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 1  wherein the user input obtained from the owner adjusts at least one aspect of information about the property used in the automatic valuation of the property by identifying at least one sale of another property comparable to the property. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the obtained user input adjusts at least one aspect of information about the property used in the automatic valuation of the property by identifying at least one sale of another property comparable to the property.