Location, location, location – it is one of the key criteria in real estate trading.

The ViertelCheck creates transparency in this area and provides real estate buyers with a neutral, data-based analysis of all relevant location factors – for every address in Germany. All relevant data from a large number of different sources is consolidated, processed and clearly presented. In addition, scores make it easier to compare different objects and to classify them in relation to the average values of the city and the district. The aim is to offer real estate buyers an objective and comprehensive location analysis in order to make the purchase decision easier.

The ViertelCheck analysis is currently connected to several hundred sources, which would be very tedious to evaluate by hand. The technology used draws on methods to deal with a wide variety of data structures and granularities (e.g. crime statistics from the police as PDF, population data from the Federal Statistical Office as an extensive Excel file, and much more.)

The information is not only presented, but also combined in a meaningful way to enable conclusions to be drawn and comparisons to be made between different districts. This process is often referred to as data analytics.

A ViertelCheck location analysis consists of various aggregated scores and raw data. These are supplemented by extensive maps in which the user receives information about, among other things:

• aircraft and road traffic noise
• green spaces and recreational opportunities
• transportation
• “waalkability” – What can I achieve on foot or by bike and how quickly?
• parking situation

There is also information regarding:

• age structure of the population
• income of residents and unemployment rate
• large employers nearby
• crime statistics
• election results
• infrastructure data
• sources of noise
• risk assessment for flooding and other environmental risks
• and more

In the SKYLINE ATLAS, a location assessment is carried out by ViertelCheck for all objects in the database. The determination of this location assessment consists of a total of six sub-assessments: local supply, transport links, cultural offerings, social infrastructure, gastronomy and green spaces. Each individual category is classified on a scale from 0 to 100 and then included in the overall score with a weighting – the data is always up-to-date and can be adjusted thanks to the use of a common interface.

Using the example of “gastronomy”, the analysis steps behind the evaluation are to be shown here:

ViertelCheck first analyzes (based on sources such as Open Streetmaps, Google Maps, and others) how many gastronomic facilities there are in the vicinity of the queried address. These are then differentiated according to the type of facility (cafe, fast food, restaurant, bar, etc.): If there are more than five corresponding facilities within reasonable walking distance (less than 10 minutes walking time), the maximum number of points of 100 is awarded in this category . Using a mathematical function, the more distant facilities are also included with exponentially decreasing weighting. If there is no facility in the category within a radius of 1.5 kilometers, the value is 0.

In the next step, the values of the individual categories are also weighted, combined with each other and summarized to form a common score.

This in turn can be upgraded or downgraded in a final step – depending on the diversity of the gastronomic offer as well as the price level and customer ratings. For this purpose, the neighborhood is compared with the regional metropolitan area.

For example, a neighborhood that has a lot of dining options but has been rated below average by customers cannot get 100 points.