DOMI Score™ is a composite property intelligence metric built from six verified data sources. We believe buyers deserve to know exactly how their risk score is calculated.
// DOMI Score calculation (0–100)
DOMI = Disaster(30%) + Operational(25%)
+ Market(25%) + Infrastructure(20%)
// Crime score adjusts final output ±3 points
DOMI_final = clamp(DOMI_composite + crime_adj, 0, 100)
DOMI Score → Grade Conversion
Evaluates exposure to natural disasters — primarily flood risk via live FEMA NFHL zone classification and NFIP insurance requirement. Earthquake and wildfire risk are scored from real USGS and NIFC historical event data; hurricane and tornado risk are modeled from state-level climatology, disclosed as estimated.
Scoring Factors
Data Sources
Quantifies the ongoing financial burden of property ownership beyond the mortgage. Factors include a modeled insurance premium as a percentage of home value, effective property tax rate, HOA fee (where reported), and deferred maintenance signals from permit history.
Scoring Factors
Data Sources
Measures price trajectory and market liquidity using recent comparable sales and rental data. Signals include 1-year and 5-year price appreciation, days-on-market (DOM) velocity, and list-to-sale price ratio — all key indicators of demand strength.
Scoring Factors
Data Sources
Assesses the physical condition and system health of the property based on permit history. Open or unfinaled permits are a significant negative signal. System replacement dates for roof, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing are parsed from permit descriptions to estimate remaining useful life.
Scoring Factors
Data Sources
FEMA NFHL
Federal DatasetUpdated: Quarterly
Official US government flood zone maps. Used to determine flood insurance requirements and parcel-level flood risk.
Property Records
Government / Public RecordsUpdated: Varies by county
Assessed value, recorded sales, and property facts from county recorder data (NYC ACRIS, FL DOR, NY ORPTS) and public tax rolls, with Zillow Research (ZHVI/ZORI) for ZIP-level value and rent trends.
FBI Crime Data
Federal DatasetUpdated: Annually
Violent and property crime rates by law enforcement agency, normalized per 100K residents — reported at the agency level, not per incident.
NCES
Federal DatasetUpdated: Annually
School enrollment, staffing, and test-proficiency data (Common Core of Data + EDFacts) — not GreatSchools.
Municipal Permit Records
Government RecordsUpdated: Varies by city
Real permit records from 48 live city and county sources via the BYB data network. Outside them the report states that permit history is unavailable for the address — it is never estimated.
Insurance Model
BeforeYouBuy ModelUpdated: N/A
Estimated annual premium from flood zone, climate risk, crime score, and property age — not a live carrier quote or regulatory filing.
Every BeforeYouBuy Homes report includes a Confidence Score (0–100%) that reflects data availability and freshness. Reports with more complete data receive higher confidence ratings and more granular AI analysis.
Base confidence (always present)
Geocoding + FEMA zone + basic crime
FEMA historical events data
Specific flood event record found
Full permit history (1+ records)
County permit records available
Year-over-year crime trend
FBI UCR historical comparison available
Last sale date on record
Recorder deed transfer data confirmed
Full FEMA + permit + school data
All primary sources returned real data
BeforeYouBuy Homes narratives are generated from structured property data using a template-based language engine — not a live large language model. They are designed to help buyers understand complex data — not to replace professional judgment.
DOMI Scores and AI recommendations are informational only and do not constitute professional real estate advice, legal advice, financial advice, or insurance advice. Scores reflect publicly available data at the time of report generation and may not reflect conditions at the specific parcel level.
Always consult licensed professionals — a certified home inspector, real estate attorney, licensed insurance agent, and a qualified real estate agent — before making any property purchase decision.
BeforeYouBuy Homes is not affiliated with FEMA, HUD, or any government agency. DOMI Score™ is a proprietary BeforeYouBuy Homes metric and trademark.