Collecting and representing home attributes

Abstract

A facility for representing home attribute values for a plurality of homes and a plurality of home attributes is described. The facility incorporates a data structure comprising, for each of the plurality of homes, for each of the plurality of attribute value sources, the capacity to store values for any of the plurality of home attributes obtained from the attribute value source.

1 . A method in a computing system for constructing a repository containing attribute information for a plurality of homes, comprising, for each of the plurality of homes:
 procuring values for attributes among a plurality of attributes that were attributed to the home by a government agency;   storing the procured attribute values for the home with an indication that they were attributed to the home by a government agency;   providing a mechanism for a user to identify himself as an owner of the home;   where the mechanism is used to identify a user as an owner of the home, obtaining from the user values for attributes among the plurality of attributes;   storing the obtained attribute values for the home with an indication that they were attributed to the home by an owner of the home, such that all of the procured attribute values and all of the obtained attribute values are simultaneously stored; and   making available for display by any user both the procured and obtained attribute values for the home.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein providing the mechanism comprises:
 posing a question whose answer would be known to the owner of the home;   receiving an answer to the posed question from a user;   only if the received answer is correct, identifying the user as the owner of the home;   if the received answer is incorrect:
 obtaining credit card information from the user; 
 determining whether the obtained credit card information is associated with a valid credit card; and 
 only if the obtained credit card information is associated with a valid credit card, identifying the user as the owner of the home. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein providing the mechanism comprises:
 obtaining credit card information from the user;   determining whether the obtained credit card information is associated with a valid credit card; and   only if the obtained credit card information is associated with a valid credit card, identifying the user as the owner of the home.   
     
     
         4 . A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for constructing a repository containing attribute information for a plurality of properties, the method comprising, for each of the plurality of properties:
 procuring values for attributes among a plurality of attributes that were attributed to the property by a government agency;   storing the procured attribute values for the property with an indication that they were attributed to the property by a government agency;   providing a mechanism for a user to identify himself as an owner of the property;   where the mechanism is used to identify a user as an owner of the property, obtaining from the user values for attributes among the plurality of attributes;   storing the obtained attribute values for the property with an indication that they were attributed to the property by an owner of the property, such that all of the procured attribute values and all of the obtained attribute values are simultaneously stored; and   making available for display by any user both the procured and obtained attribute values for the property.   
     
     
         5 . A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for publishing information about a distinguished home, the method comprising:
 identifying a distinguished user as the owner of the distinguished home if the distinguished user can either (1) answer a question whose answer is likely to be known by the present owner of the distinguished home or (2) provide credit card information associated with a valid credit card;   if the distinguished user is identified as the owner of the distinguished home:
 receiving information about the distinguished home from the distinguished user; and 
 including the received information in a web page relating to the distinguished home that is available for retrieval by any user without restriction. 
   
     
     
         6 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 5  wherein the received information specifies values for one or more home attributes. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 automatically determining a valuation of the distinguished home based at least in part on at least a portion of the received information; and   including the determined valuation in a web page relating to the distinguished home that is available for retrieval by any user without restriction.   
     
     
         8 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , further comprising identifying a distinguished user as the owner of the distinguished home if the distinguished user provides documentary evidence that the distinguished user is the owner of the distinguished home. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , further comprising identifying a distinguished user as the owner of the distinguished home if the distinguished user provides a copy of a deed showing the distinguished user to be the owner of the distinguished home. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , further comprising identifying a distinguished user as the owner of the distinguished home if the distinguished user provides a copy of a title showing the distinguished user to be the owner of the distinguished home. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , further comprising identifying a distinguished user as the owner of the distinguished home if the distinguished user provides a copy of a mortgage statement showing the distinguished user to be the owner of the distinguished home. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , further comprising identifying a distinguished user as the owner of the distinguished home if the distinguished user provides a copy of a property tax assessment showing the distinguished user to be the owner of the distinguished home. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , further comprising identifying a distinguished user as the owner of the distinguished home if the distinguished user provides a copy of a property tax bill showing the distinguished user to be the owner of the distinguished home. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 determining that the distinguished user and a second user are both simultaneously identified as the owner of the distinguished home; and   in response to the determining, initiating a manual process to identify a single owner of the distinguished home.   
     
     
         15 . One or more computer memories collectively containing a data structure containing home attribute values for a plurality of homes and a plurality of home attributes, comprising, for each of the plurality of homes, for each of a plurality of attribute value sources, the capacity to store values for any of the plurality of home attributes obtained from the attribute value source. 
     
     
         16 . The computer memories of  claim 15  wherein the data structure comprises an attribute value table, each row of which contains indications of:
 a home;   a home attribute;   an attribute value source; and   a value for the indicated home attribute attributed to the indicated home by the indicated attribute value source,   such that the table may simultaneously contain multiple rows for the same home and home attribute and different attribute value sources,   and such that any rows the table indicating a distinguished home may be used to display information about the distinguished home.   
     
     
         17 . The computer memories of  claim 16  wherein the data structure further comprises an attribute table, each row of which contains information identifying a different home attribute,
 and wherein each row of the attribute value table indicates an attribute by containing a reference to a row of the attribute table whose contents identify the attribute,   such that the addition of a row to the attribute table whose contents identify a new home attribute enables rows to be added to the attribute value table that indicate values for the new home attribute.   
     
     
         18 . The computer memories of  claim 16  wherein the data structure contains both (1) a first row indicating a distinguished home, a distinguished home attribute, a first attribute value source, and a first value for the distinguished home attribute attributed to the distinguished home by the first attribute value source, and (2) a second row indicating the distinguished home, the distinguished home attribute, a second attribute value source that differs from the first attribute value source, and a second value for the distinguished home attribute attributed to the distinguished home by the second attribute value source that differs from the first value for the distinguished home attribute. 
     
     
         19 . The computer memories of  claim 18  wherein the first attribute value source is a government agency and the second attribute value source is a user identified as an owner of the distinguished home. 
     
     
         20 . The computer memories of  claim 15  wherein the data structure further comprises information indicating at least one attribute value source authority precedence, each attribute value source authority precedence specifying, for a designated attribute, a relative level of authority to be attributed to each of a plurality of attribute value sources providing values for the designated attribute. 
     
     
         21 . One or more generated data signals collectively conveying a home attribute display data structure, the data structure having contents for causing a display device to display visual information that (a) identifies a home, (b) conveys a first value for a home attribute obtained from a first source, and (c) conveys a second value for the home attribute obtained from a second source distinct from the first source. 
     
     
         22 . The generated data signals of  claim 19  wherein the data structure further has contents for causing a display device to display visual information that (d) identifies the first source, and (e) identifies the second source. 
     
     
         23 . A computing system for aggregating home attribute values, comprising:
 an import module that imports home attribute values exported by one or more external electronic data sources;   a web serving module that serves web pages usable by authorized users to input home attribute values; and   a home facts repository that stores both home attribute values imported by the import module and home attribute values inputted via web pages served by the web serving module.   
     
     
         24 . The computing system of  claim 23  wherein the web serving module further serves web pages to users without restriction that contain both home attribute values imported by the import module and home attribute values inputted via web pages served by the web serving module. 
     
     
         25 . A method in a computing system for managing home attribute values, comprising:
 obtaining a value for an attribute of a home from a data source; and   adding a row to a first table indicating the received value and identifying the home, the attribute, and the data source, the first table containing a plurality of rows each corresponding to a value of one of a plurality of attributes of one of a plurality of homes obtained from one of a plurality of data sources.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein no attribute value has previously been obtained from the data source from which the attribute value is obtained, and wherein the row added to the first table identifies the data source from which the value is obtained by containing an identifier for the data source from which the value is obtained, the method further comprising:
 selecting the value of the identifier for the data source from which the value is obtained; and   adding a row to a second table containing the selected value of the identifier and additional identifying information for the data source from which the value is obtained.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25  wherein no value has previously been obtained for the attribute for which the value is obtained, and wherein the row added to the first table identifies the attribute for which the value is obtained by containing an identifier for the attribute for which the value is obtained, the method further comprising:
 selecting the value of the identifier for the attribute for which the value is obtained; and   adding a row to a second table containing the selected value of the identifier and additional identifying information for the attribute for which the value is obtained.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25  wherein no attribute value has previously been obtained for the home for which the attribute value is obtained, and wherein the row added to the first table identifies the data source from which the value is obtained by containing an identifier for the home for which the value is obtained, the method further comprising:
 selecting the value of the identifier for the home for which the value is obtained; and   adding a row to a second table containing the selected value of the identifier and additional identifying information for the home for which the value is obtained.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the obtained value is an enumerated value that has not previously been obtained for the attribute for which the value is obtained, and wherein the row added to the first table indicates the obtained value by containing an identifier for the attribute for the obtained value, the method further comprising:
 selecting the value of the identifier for the obtained value; and   adding a row to a second table containing the selected value of the identifier and additional identifying information for the obtained value.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the obtained value differs from a value indicated by a row of the first table other than the added row for the same attribute and for the same home. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising presenting to a user at least two of the multiple values for the attribute and home contained by the first table. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising applying to the multiple values for the attribute and home contained by the first table a value derivation rule to produce a derived value to use for the attribute and home. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising using the derived value by presenting it to a user. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising using the derived value by generating a valuation of the home that is based upon the derived value. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 32  wherein the applied value derivation rule selects one of the multiple values for the attribute and home contained by the first table as the derived value. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35  wherein the applied value derivation rule applies an attribute value source authority precedents specify a relative level of authority to be attributed to each of a plurality of attribute value sources. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 32  wherein the applied value derivation rule combines the multiple values for the attribute and home contained by the first table to produce the derived value.