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Affordability Index

How much local median-home ownership strains the median household income under a standard mortgage assumption.

What it measures

A public signal, not a verdict.

Payment pressure. A higher score means the median home consumes more of the median household's income.

It tends to move when

  1. 01median sale prices rise
  2. 02mortgage-rate assumptions rise
  3. 03income support lags the housing price tier

What it does not mean

Affordability stress is not a crash forecast. Premium coastal towns can remain stressed for years.

How Scout uses it

Scout uses this lens to separate lifestyle-premium markets from markets where the payment math is beginning to bite.

The public method explains the signal. Send us a property and we'll read it against the town baseline — comps, risks, and the price that changes the call.

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