Ask ValiFit
One box. Any real-estate question. The system classifies your intent across 13 categories, routes to the right data (parcels, listings, towns, agents, pipeline, methodology), and composes a direct answer with the underlying citations.
The price-to-income ratio measures the affordability of housing by comparing the median home price to the median household income in a specific area. A lower ratio indicates better affordability, meaning that homes are more accessible relative to income levels. For more detailed information, you can refer to the data from the Census ACS and active listings.
Why: The question is asking for the definition of a specific financial term, which aligns with the definition_question intent.
Definition — catalog matches
Topic: "price-to-income ratio"
appreciation.1_year_price_change · city
Appreciation
weight 40%
Source: Redfin Market Data (2026)FHA-safe
budget.rent_to_income_ratio · city
Budget
weight 30%
Source: HUD FMR + Census ACS (2026)FHA-safe
budget.price_to_income_ratio · city
Budget
weight 25%
Source: Census ACS + Active Listings (Live)FHA-safe
Data sources
Raw structured response
{
"topic": "price-to-income ratio",
"matches": [
{
"metric_id": "appreciation.1_year_price_change",
"level": "city",
"composite": "Appreciation",
"factor_name": "1-Year Price Change",
"federal_source": "Redfin Market Data",
"weight_pct": 40,
"source_year": "2026",
"fha_safe": true,
"is_roi": false,
"notes": null,
"direction": "higher_better",
"unit": "dollars"
},
{
"metric_id": "budget.rent_to_income_ratio",
"level": "city",
"composite": "Budget",
"factor_name": "Rent-to-Income Ratio",
"federal_source": "HUD FMR + Census ACS",
"weight_pct": 30,
"source_year": "2026",
"fha_safe": true,
"is_roi": false,
"notes": null,
"direction": "lower_better",
"unit": "percent"
},
{
"metric_id": "budget.price_to_income_ratio",
"level": "city",
"composite": "Budget",
"factor_name": "Price-to-Income Ratio",
"federal_source": "Census ACS + Active Listings",
"weight_pct": 25,
"source_year": "Live",
"fha_safe": true,
"is_roi": false,
"notes": null,
"direction": "lower_better",
"unit": "percent"
}
],
"anchor_url": "/trust/catalog"
}