The Rise of the AI Valuation
Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) have been around for years, but the rise of AI has made them remarkably accurate. Platforms like Zillow's Zestimate and Redfin's Estimate can now often predict a home's sale price with impressive precision. They are excellent tools for educating clients and setting realistic expectations.
Because of their accuracy, many agents and data companies make a critical but flawed assumption: they believe that an AI valuation is a signal of a homeowner's intent to sell. They build prospecting lists based on who has the most equity or whose home value has increased the most.
The Critical Flaw: Value Does Not Equal Motivation
In today's market, a high home value, combined with a low mortgage rate, is often a powerful incentive for a homeowner to *stay*. Simply knowing what a house is worth tells you absolutely nothing about the owner's plans, pains, or motivations.
The Wrong Question: "What is this house worth?"
The Right Question: "Is this owner ready to sell, and why?"
The Pivot: The Sell Index is a Measure of Motivation, Not Value
This is the fundamental difference between a generic AVM and the TimeToSell.AI platform. The Sell Index is not a valuation model. We are a motivation model.
Our AI is not trying to predict a price; it's trying to predict a life event. It's calculated from dozens of signals that AVMs ignore:
- Property Condition: An aging roof or HVAC system.
- Financial Pressure: A recent, high-interest HELOC.
- Life Events: An out-of-state inheritance or a change in family status.
- Lifestyle Friction: A multi-story home becoming a burden for an older owner, as seen in the "Physical Mismatch" profile.
An AVM values the asset. We understand the owner. And in real estate, it is the owner, not the asset, that makes the decision to sell.
Stop chasing valuations.
Start finding motivated sellers.
Activate your TimeToSell.AI account today.
