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Stefano Fiorini 954374ce48 Expand property assessor documentation

2026-03-27 21:39:06 -05:00

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property-assessor

Decision-grade residential property assessment skill for OpenClaw.

This skill is for evaluating a condo, townhouse, house, or similar residential property from an address or listing URL and ending with a practical recommendation such as buy, pass, or only below X.

Overview

property-assessor is a workflow skill, not just a scraper. It is meant to:

normalize the target property across listing sources
build a baseline fact set
review listing photos before making condition claims
compare the property against nearby or same-building comps
underwrite taxes, HOA, insurance, and realistic carrying costs
identify risk drivers
produce a concise but decision-grade verdict

The skill is designed for real-world purchase decisions, especially when you need a fast read on whether a property is worth pursuing.

Accepted inputs

The skill can start from any of:

a street address
a Zillow listing URL
a HAR listing URL
an address plus user constraints such as:
- investment only
- owner-occupant
- long-term rental
- short-term rental
- target distance/location requirements

Preferred starting point is the address when available, because it makes source reconciliation easier.

Core workflow

Default operating sequence:

Normalize the address and property type.
Discover accessible listing and public-record sources for the same property.
Establish a baseline fact set from the best available source.
Cross-check the same property on other sources.
Review listing photos before making condition claims.
Pull same-building comps for condos or nearby comps for houses/townhomes.
Underwrite carry costs and risk drivers.
End with a specific recommendation and fair-value range.

Source priority

Unless the user asks otherwise, preferred source order is:

Zillow
Redfin
Realtor.com
HAR / Homes.com / brokerage mirrors
county or appraisal pages

Use high-quality mirrors to confirm facts, not to override a clearly better primary listing without reason.

Minimum data to capture

For the target property, capture as many of these as the sources support:

address
list price or last known list price
property type
beds / baths
square footage
lot size if relevant
year built
HOA fee and included services
taxes
days on market
price history
parking
waterfront / flood clues
subdivision or building name
same-building or nearby active inventory
listing photos and visible condition cues
included appliances and obvious missing appliances
flooring mix, especially carpet

Photo-review requirement

Photo review is mandatory when the listing sources expose photos.

Do not make strong condition claims from structured text alone if photos are available.

What counts as acceptable photo access

Preferred photo sources are:

a scrollable all-photos page
an expanded photo grid
a photo page that exposes the full set
a modal/lightbox only if the site does not provide a better all-photos path

Do not treat these as full photo review by themselves:

the listing hero image
a collage preview
a photo count without image access
listing shell text that mentions photos

What to inspect in the photos

At minimum, evaluate:

overall finish level: dated, average, lightly updated, fully updated
kitchen condition: cabinets, counters, backsplash, appliances
bathroom condition: vanity, tile, surrounds, fixtures
flooring: tile, vinyl, laminate, hardwood, carpet
obvious make-ready issues: paint, trim, wear, damage, mismatched finishes
visible missing items: refrigerator, washer/dryer, range hood, dishwasher
signs of deferred maintenance or water intrusion
exterior and common-area condition where visible
waterfront-facing elements, balconies, decks, sliders, and windows when relevant

If photo review is incomplete

If the agent cannot access enough photos to make a credible read:

say so explicitly
lower confidence
avoid strong turnkey claims
continue the broader underwriting work, but mark condition as limited-confidence

Zillow and HAR integration

This skill now expects the dedicated web-automation extractors first instead of fragile ad hoc gallery automation.

Zillow first

Run:

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/web-automation/scripts
node zillow-photos.js "<zillow-listing-url>"

Successful Zillow photo access means one of these happened:

the See all photos / See all X photos path opened a usable all-photos experience, or
the rendered Zillow listing shell already exposed the full direct Zillow image set and the extracted count matches the announced count

Important rule:

when the extractor returns imageUrls, that returned set is the photo-review set

For smaller listings, review the full extracted set when practical. For a 20-30 photo listing, that usually means all photos.

HAR fallback

If Zillow does not expose a reliable image set, use HAR next:

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/web-automation/scripts
node har-photos.js "<har-listing-url>"

Successful HAR photo access means:

the HAR listing opened
Show all photos / View all photos exposed the photo page
direct pics.harstatic.com image URLs were extracted

As with Zillow, the returned imageUrls are the review set for condition analysis.

Practical photo-source order

Use this action order:

Zillow extractor
HAR extractor
Realtor.com photo page
brokerage mirror or other accessible listing mirror

Do not stop after the first failed source if a fallback source can still expose the photos.

Approval-safe execution

For chat-driven property assessments, prefer file-based commands under:

~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/web-automation/scripts

Good command shape:

node check-install.js
node zillow-photos.js "<url>"
node har-photos.js "<url>"

Avoid when possible:

node -e "..."
node --input-type=module -e "..."

Why this matters:

OpenClaw exec approvals are easier to allowlist for stable file paths
inline interpreter eval is more likely to trigger approval friction
the installed approval allowlist is typically already scoped to the *.js files under the web-automation/scripts directory

Make-ready normalization

Condition should be translated into a rough make-ready range so pricing and comp comparisons stay realistic.

Use simple buckets:

light make-ready
- paint, fixtures, minor hardware, small patching
medium make-ready
- partial flooring replacement, appliance replacement, bathroom refresh
heavy make-ready
- significant kitchen/bath work, widespread flooring, visible deferred maintenance

Call out carpet separately when present, especially in bedrooms, stairs, or living areas.

Underwriting expectations

The final assessment should show a simple carrying-cost view including:

principal and interest if available
taxes per month
HOA per month if applicable
insurance estimate or explicit uncertainty
realistic carry range after maintenance, vacancy, and property-specific risk

Strong caution flags include:

high HOA relative to price or expected rent
older waterfront or coastal exposure
unknown reserve or assessment history for condos
many active units in the same building or micro-area
stale days on market with weak price action
no clear rent support

Output contract

The final answer should stay concise but decision-grade.

Recommended structure:

Snapshot
What I like
What I do not like
Comp view
Underwriting / carry view
Risks and diligence items
Verdict with fair-value range and offer guidance

The output must explicitly include:

Photo source attempts: ...
Photo review: completed via <source> or Photo review: not completed

If photo review was completed:

summarize the condition read from the photos
mention obvious finish level, flooring, appliance presence, and make-ready signals

If not completed:

mark condition confidence as limited
explain why photo access was incomplete

Example validation flow

Use these commands for a known-good regression check.

Verify extractor prerequisites

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/web-automation/scripts
node check-install.js
npm run test:photos

Zillow regression check

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/web-automation/scripts
node zillow-photos.js "https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4141-Whiteley-Dr-Corpus-Christi-TX-78418/2103723704_zpid/"

Expected shape:

complete: true
expectedPhotoCount: 29
photoCount: 29

HAR regression check

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/web-automation/scripts
node har-photos.js "https://www.har.com/homedetail/4141-whiteley-dr-corpus-christi-tx-78418/14069438"