How our AI home estimate works
Our AI estimate is an automated estimate of a home's price, built from what nearby homes sold for. It sits beside the asking price on MLS listings. On a listing, the figure shows once you have a free account. It is an estimate, not an appraisal: it has never been inside the home.
Shawn Hinchey
Broker, Hinchey Homes Real Estate Team
RECO registered, TRESA compliant, serving Durham Region since 2013
Published: November 1, 2026 · Last updated: November 2, 2026
What it uses
- What nearby homes sold for: recent sales of homes near this one.
- The home's own details from its listing: where it is, the type of home, its size, and its bedrooms and bathrooms.
- When we have the day it was made, it shows beside the figure.
What it cannot see
It has never been inside the home. It cannot see:
- Condition, updates and finishes: a new kitchen, a tired roof, a damp basement.
- What the street and the lot are like: the view, the traffic, the backyard.
- Sales that have not been reported yet, so a market that turned in the last few weeks shows up late.
- How a deal is shaping up: other offers, the seller's timing, the conditions.
That is why it is an estimate, not an appraisal. Before you make an offer, ask Shawn for his price opinion.
Why it is the same for every home
- Same math for every home.
- Nobody on our team moves an estimate up or down. If a requested estimate falls outside our limits for that type of home in that town, search cards leave the figure off.
- Not adjusted by an agent.
- We never edit a figure, for a buyer or for a seller.
- No listing to win.
- We are not pitching the seller, so there is no reason to flatter the price. It never shows on our own listings.
- Our rules.
- We decide where it shows, how it shows and when it stays hidden. Those rules are below, and they are the same for every home.
How it shows on a listing
This table is for the estimate tile on a listing page. There, how the figure shows depends on how tight its range is, the type of home and its price. The exclusions for leases and vacant land below apply to this tile. Other surfaces have different rules: when search cards, saved homes and the sold-home panel show an estimate, they show the range only.
| When | What you see |
|---|---|
| The estimate's range is tight | The estimate leads, with its range beneath it. |
| The range is wider | The range leads, with the midpoint inside it. |
| The range is at its widest | The range leads, with the midpoint inside it. Search cards and saved homes leave the figure off. The sold-home panel can still show the range for a past client's own home with no active listing. |
| A townhouse, a semi, or a home under $600,000 | A note says estimates vary more for these homes. |
| A past client's own home when its listing has no estimate | The range leads, with the midpoint inside it. |
| Vacant land | No estimate shows. |
| Our own listings, and leases | No estimate shows. |
The tile carries "Estimate, not an appraisal.". When we have the day it was made, it shows beside the figure.
How we will check it
We will score each estimate against the price the home sells for. We publish no accuracy figure until then.
Sales scored so far: 0 of 100. Accuracy publishes once 100 sales are scored. No date is set.
Where to see it
Open any MLS listing on our search. On a listing, the figure shows once you have a free account.
Search listingsQuestions about our AI estimate
Is the AI estimate an appraisal?
No. Estimate, not an appraisal. An appraiser visits the home, usually for a lender. Our AI estimate is automated and has never been inside the home.
How do I see the AI estimate on a listing?
Open any MLS listing on our search. On a listing, the figure shows once you have a free account.
Why do some homes show no estimate?
The estimate tile on a listing page shows no figure for our own listings, leases or vacant land. When the range is at its widest, search cards and saved homes leave the figure off.
How close does the estimate land to the sale price?
We do not publish a figure yet. Sales scored so far: 0 of 100. Accuracy publishes once 100 sales are scored. No date is set.
Do you send the asking price into the estimate?
No. We do not send the asking price into the estimate. Read the figure beside the asking price, and ask for a price opinion before you make an offer.
Hinchey Homes Real Estate Team, Shawn Hinchey, Broker, eXp Realty, Brokerage.