Address Quest™ uses the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), a widely recognized real estate dataset that tracks typical home values across U.S. postal codes.
ZHVI represents the estimated value of a “typical” home in a region. Rather than using a simple median, Zillow calculates this as a weighted average of the middle third of homes in a given area. This approach reduces distortion from extreme high or low property values and provides a more stable view of market conditions.
Zillow often publishes smoothed and seasonally adjusted versions of this data to highlight long-term trends. However, Address Quest™ uses the raw ZHVI data directly, without smoothing or adjustment. This means scoring reflects actual month-to-month market movement as it occurs.
Because of this, changes may sometimes appear more volatile, but the scoring remains fully transparent and directly tied to real-world market performance.
To see how this data is applied in gameplay, visit How Address Quest™ scoring works.