Real time valuation

The purpose of this paper is to stimulate thinking as to how we might produce timely and more reliable estimates of changes in the value of portfolios, price indices based on a portfolio of properties, and other aggregate measures of trends in property values. It is argued that a traditional market value appraisal of each individual property may not be necessary or optimal when the objective is to value portfolios or get a leading indicator of shifts in market value at an aggregate level. Rather, it is more important to use a critical mass of current market data that captures systematic movements in property values. Although a traditional market value appraisal is always more likely to capture the unique unsystematic characteristics of an individual property, automated valuation models using a database of valuation data may provide the best way to get real time interim updates of real estate portfolios and create more timely real estate indices.