How HUT scores work

Moat Score

0–100. Higher is stronger position for the buyer. A "moat" is how hard it would be for someone else to outbid you on this property without overpaying.

We combine four inputs:

• Price-to-comps gap (40 pts) — how far the asking price sits below comparable recent sales in the same ZIP, beds/baths, and square-footage band. ≥15% below comps scores full points; 0% below scores zero.
• Days on market (25 pts) — longer means more seller fatigue. 90+ days saturates full score; under 7 days scores zero.
• Price-change history (20 pts) — each prior reduction signals flexibility. 3+ reductions scores full; 0 reductions scores zero.
• Motivated-seller flags (15 pts) — estate sales, divorce, tax delinquency, pre-foreclosure, etc., where public records support it. Each confirmed flag adds up to 5 pts.

A score ≥ 70 typically means you have meaningful negotiating room. Scores below 30 mean the property is priced fairly or hot — not a good moat play.

Negotiation Openness Score

0–100. Higher means the seller is more likely to accept a discounted offer.

We build this score from five signals, each capped at 20 pts:

• Listing age — 60+ days on market adds maximum 20 pts.
• Prior price reductions — each cut adds ~7 pts, capped at 20.
• ZIP concession rate (trailing 90 days) — how often sellers in this ZIP accepted below-ask offers. Above 40% rate scores 20 pts.
• Motivated-seller indicators — same flags as Moat Score; adds up to 20 pts.
• Active-listing inventory signal — more competing listings in the same ZIP/bedroom tier shifts leverage to buyers. High inventory adds up to 20 pts.

We do not use any private MLS notes — only what's visible in public records and listing feeds.

Use this as a directional signal, not a guarantee. Seller behavior is human and unpredictable.

Opportunity Radar

A daily-refreshed ranked list of properties with the strongest combined buy-side signals: high Moat Score, recent price drops, motivated-seller flags, and below-comps pricing in your saved areas.

Available on Investor Radar and Broker Enterprise. The radar respects your saved-search filters — ZIP codes, price band, beds/baths.

Market Pulse

Live snapshot of Houston supply, demand, price drops, and absorption rate. We compute it from active listings, new listings, sold listings, and search/seeker volume across the platform.

Refreshed several times per day. Each card shows its own “Updated” timestamp.

HCAD data

HCAD is the Harris County Appraisal District — the public office that values every property for tax purposes. We pull the latest assessment, owner of record, and tax-payment history straight from HCAD's published roll.

For properties outside Harris County, we pull from the corresponding county appraisal district (Fort Bend CAD, Montgomery CAD, etc.).

Foreclosure

We surface trustee-sale filings the same day they post on the county clerk’s public docket. Each entry shows the original lender, reported balance, and auction date when available.

Foreclosure data is part of Investor Radar and Broker Enterprise.

Data freshness

Different data has different cadences:

• Active listings & price drops: refreshed every 15 minutes.
• HCAD assessments: refreshed nightly.
• Foreclosure dockets: refreshed every 6 hours.
• Court records (probate, divorce): refreshed daily.
• Market Pulse aggregates: refreshed every 4 hours.

Every card on the site shows its own “Updated” chip. If you ever see stale data, screenshot it and email support@huthut.app.