Housing Property Assignment

Business Scenario

  • A US-based housing company named Surprise Housing has decided to enter the Australian market.
  • The company uses data analytics to purchase houses at a price below their actual values and flip them on at a higher price.
  • For the same purpose, the company has collected a data set from the sale of houses in Australia. The data is provided in the CSV file below.
  • The company is looking at prospective properties to buy to enter the market.
  • We need to build a regression model using regularisation in order to predict the actual value of the prospective properties and decide whether to invest in them or not.
  • The company wants to know:
    • Which variables are significant in predicting the price of a house, and
    • How well those variables describe the price of a house.

Objectives

  • We need to model the price of houses with the available independent variables.
  • This model will then be used by the management to understand how exactly the prices vary with the variables.
  • They can accordingly manipulate the strategy of the firm and concentrate on areas that will yield high returns.
  • Further, the model will be a good way for management to understand the pricing dynamics of a new market.

Details about the Data Provided

MSSubClass: Identifies the type of dwelling involved in the sale.

    20	1-STORY 1946 & NEWER ALL STYLES
    30	1-STORY 1945 & OLDER
    40	1-STORY W/FINISHED ATTIC ALL AGES
    45	1-1/2 STORY - UNFINISHED ALL AGES
    50	1-1/2 STORY FINISHED ALL AGES
    60	2-STORY 1946 & NEWER
    70	2-STORY 1945 & OLDER
    75	2-1/2 STORY ALL AGES
    80	SPLIT OR MULTI-LEVEL
    85	SPLIT FOYER
    90	DUPLEX - ALL STYLES AND AGES
   120	1-STORY PUD (Planned Unit Development) - 1946 & NEWER
   150	1-1/2 STORY PUD - ALL AGES
   160	2-STORY PUD - 1946 & NEWER
   180	PUD - MULTILEVEL - INCL SPLIT LEV/FOYER
   190	2 FAMILY CONVERSION - ALL STYLES AND AGES

MSZoning: Identifies the general zoning classification of the sale.

   A	Agriculture
   C	Commercial
   FV	Floating Village Residential
   I	Industrial
   RH	Residential High Density
   RL	Residential Low Density
   RP	Residential Low Density Park 
   RM	Residential Medium Density

LotFrontage: Linear feet of street connected to property

LotArea: Lot size in square feet

Street: Type of road access to property

   Grvl	Gravel	
   Pave	Paved

Alley: Type of alley access to property

   Grvl	Gravel
   Pave	Paved
   NA 	No alley access

LotShape: General shape of property

   Reg	Regular	
   IR1	Slightly irregular
   IR2	Moderately Irregular
   IR3	Irregular

LandContour: Flatness of the property

   Lvl	Near Flat/Level	
   Bnk	Banked - Quick and significant rise from street grade to building
   HLS	Hillside - Significant slope from side to side
   Low	Depression

Utilities: Type of utilities available

   AllPub	All public Utilities (E,G,W,& S)	
   NoSewr	Electricity, Gas, and Water (Septic Tank)
   NoSeWa	Electricity and Gas Only
   ELO	Electricity only	

LotConfig: Lot configuration

   Inside	Inside lot
   Corner	Corner lot
   CulDSac	Cul-de-sac
   FR2	Frontage on 2 sides of property
   FR3	Frontage on 3 sides of property

LandSlope: Slope of property

   Gtl	Gentle slope
   Mod	Moderate Slope	
   Sev	Severe Slope

Neighborhood: Physical locations within Ames city limits

   Blmngtn	Bloomington Heights
   Blueste	Bluestem
   BrDale	Briardale
   BrkSide	Brookside
   ClearCr	Clear Creek
   CollgCr	College Creek
   Crawfor	Crawford
   Edwards	Edwards
   Gilbert	Gilbert
   IDOTRR	Iowa DOT and Rail Road
   MeadowV	Meadow Village
   Mitchel	Mitchell
   Names	North Ames
   NoRidge	Northridge
   NPkVill	Northpark Villa
   NridgHt	Northridge Heights
   NWAmes	Northwest Ames
   OldTown	Old Town
   SWISU	South & West of Iowa State University
   Sawyer	Sawyer
   SawyerW	Sawyer West
   Somerst	Somerset
   StoneBr	Stone Brook
   Timber	Timberland
   Veenker	Veenker

Condition1: Proximity to various conditions

   Artery	Adjacent to arterial street
   Feedr	Adjacent to feeder street	
   Norm	Normal	
   RRNn	Within 200' of North-South Railroad
   RRAn	Adjacent to North-South Railroad
   PosN	Near positive off-site feature--park, greenbelt, etc.
   PosA	Adjacent to postive off-site feature
   RRNe	Within 200' of East-West Railroad
   RRAe	Adjacent to East-West Railroad

Condition2: Proximity to various conditions (if more than one is present)

   Artery	Adjacent to arterial street
   Feedr	Adjacent to feeder street	
   Norm	Normal	
   RRNn	Within 200' of North-South Railroad
   RRAn	Adjacent to North-South Railroad
   PosN	Near positive off-site feature--park, greenbelt, etc.
   PosA	Adjacent to postive off-site feature
   RRNe	Within 200' of East-West Railroad
   RRAe	Adjacent to East-West Railroad

BldgType: Type of dwelling

   1Fam	Single-family Detached	
   2FmCon	Two-family Conversion; originally built as one-family dwelling
   Duplx	Duplex
   TwnhsE	Townhouse End Unit
   TwnhsI	Townhouse Inside Unit

HouseStyle: Style of dwelling

   1Story	One story
   1.5Fin	One and one-half story: 2nd level finished
   1.5Unf	One and one-half story: 2nd level unfinished
   2Story	Two story
   2.5Fin	Two and one-half story: 2nd level finished
   2.5Unf	Two and one-half story: 2nd level unfinished
   SFoyer	Split Foyer
   SLvl	Split Level

OverallQual: Rates the overall material and finish of the house

   10	Very Excellent
   9	Excellent
   8	Very Good
   7	Good
   6	Above Average
   5	Average
   4	Below Average
   3	Fair
   2	Poor
   1	Very Poor

OverallCond: Rates the overall condition of the house

   10	Very Excellent
   9	Excellent
   8	Very Good
   7	Good
   6	Above Average	
   5	Average
   4	Below Average	
   3	Fair
   2	Poor
   1	Very Poor

YearBuilt: Original construction date

YearRemodAdd: Remodel date (same as construction date if no remodeling or additions)

RoofStyle: Type of roof

   Flat	Flat
   Gable	Gable
   Gambrel	Gabrel (Barn)
   Hip	Hip
   Mansard	Mansard
   Shed	Shed

RoofMatl: Roof material

   ClyTile	Clay or Tile
   CompShg	Standard (Composite) Shingle
   Membran	Membrane
   Metal	Metal
   Roll	Roll
   Tar&Grv	Gravel & Tar
   WdShake	Wood Shakes
   WdShngl	Wood Shingles

Exterior1st: Exterior covering on house

   AsbShng	Asbestos Shingles
   AsphShn	Asphalt Shingles
   BrkComm	Brick Common
   BrkFace	Brick Face
   CBlock	Cinder Block
   CemntBd	Cement Board
   HdBoard	Hard Board
   ImStucc	Imitation Stucco
   MetalSd	Metal Siding
   Other	Other
   Plywood	Plywood
   PreCast	PreCast	
   Stone	Stone
   Stucco	Stucco
   VinylSd	Vinyl Siding
   Wd Sdng	Wood Siding
   WdShing	Wood Shingles

Exterior2nd: Exterior covering on house (if more than one material)

   AsbShng	Asbestos Shingles
   AsphShn	Asphalt Shingles
   BrkComm	Brick Common
   BrkFace	Brick Face
   CBlock	Cinder Block
   CemntBd	Cement Board
   HdBoard	Hard Board
   ImStucc	Imitation Stucco
   MetalSd	Metal Siding
   Other	Other
   Plywood	Plywood
   PreCast	PreCast
   Stone	Stone
   Stucco	Stucco
   VinylSd	Vinyl Siding
   Wd Sdng	Wood Siding
   WdShing	Wood Shingles

MasVnrType: Masonry veneer type

   BrkCmn	Brick Common
   BrkFace	Brick Face
   CBlock	Cinder Block
   None	None
   Stone	Stone

MasVnrArea: Masonry veneer area in square feet

ExterQual: Evaluates the quality of the material on the exterior

   Ex	Excellent
   Gd	Good
   TA	Average/Typical
   Fa	Fair
   Po	Poor

ExterCond: Evaluates the present condition of the material on the exterior

   Ex	Excellent
   Gd	Good
   TA	Average/Typical
   Fa	Fair
   Po	Poor

Foundation: Type of foundation

   BrkTil	Brick & Tile
   CBlock	Cinder Block
   PConc	Poured Contrete	
   Slab	Slab
   Stone	Stone
   Wood	Wood

BsmtQual: Evaluates the height of the basement

   Ex	Excellent (100+ inches)	
   Gd	Good (90-99 inches)
   TA	Typical (80-89 inches)
   Fa	Fair (70-79 inches)
   Po	Poor (<70 inches
   NA	No Basement

BsmtCond: Evaluates the general condition of the basement

   Ex	Excellent
   Gd	Good
   TA	Typical - slight dampness allowed
   Fa	Fair - dampness or some cracking or settling
   Po	Poor - Severe cracking, settling, or wetness
   NA	No Basement

BsmtExposure: Refers to walkout or garden level walls

   Gd	Good Exposure
   Av	Average Exposure (split levels or foyers typically score average or above)	
   Mn	Mimimum Exposure
   No	No Exposure
   NA	No Basement

BsmtFinType1: Rating of basement finished area

   GLQ	Good Living Quarters
   ALQ	Average Living Quarters
   BLQ	Below Average Living Quarters	
   Rec	Average Rec Room
   LwQ	Low Quality
   Unf	Unfinshed
   NA	No Basement

BsmtFinSF1: Type 1 finished square feet

BsmtFinType2: Rating of basement finished area (if multiple types)

   GLQ	Good Living Quarters
   ALQ	Average Living Quarters
   BLQ	Below Average Living Quarters	
   Rec	Average Rec Room
   LwQ	Low Quality
   Unf	Unfinshed
   NA	No Basement

BsmtFinSF2: Type 2 finished square feet

BsmtUnfSF: Unfinished square feet of basement area

TotalBsmtSF: Total square feet of basement area

Heating: Type of heating

   Floor	Floor Furnace
   GasA	Gas forced warm air furnace
   GasW	Gas hot water or steam heat
   Grav	Gravity furnace	
   OthW	Hot water or steam heat other than gas
   Wall	Wall furnace

HeatingQC: Heating quality and condition

   Ex	Excellent
   Gd	Good
   TA	Average/Typical
   Fa	Fair
   Po	Poor

CentralAir: Central air conditioning

   N	No
   Y	Yes

Electrical: Electrical system

   SBrkr	Standard Circuit Breakers & Romex
   FuseA	Fuse Box over 60 AMP and all Romex wiring (Average)	
   FuseF	60 AMP Fuse Box and mostly Romex wiring (Fair)
   FuseP	60 AMP Fuse Box and mostly knob & tube wiring (poor)
   Mix	Mixed

1stFlrSF: First Floor square feet

2ndFlrSF: Second floor square feet

LowQualFinSF: Low quality finished square feet (all floors)

GrLivArea: Above grade (ground) living area square feet

BsmtFullBath: Basement full bathrooms

BsmtHalfBath: Basement half bathrooms

FullBath: Full bathrooms above grade

HalfBath: Half baths above grade

Bedroom: Bedrooms above grade (does NOT include basement bedrooms)

Kitchen: Kitchens above grade

KitchenQual: Kitchen quality

   Ex	Excellent
   Gd	Good
   TA	Typical/Average
   Fa	Fair
   Po	Poor

TotRmsAbvGrd: Total rooms above grade (does not include bathrooms)

Functional: Home functionality (Assume typical unless deductions are warranted)

   Typ	Typical Functionality
   Min1	Minor Deductions 1
   Min2	Minor Deductions 2
   Mod	Moderate Deductions
   Maj1	Major Deductions 1
   Maj2	Major Deductions 2
   Sev	Severely Damaged
   Sal	Salvage only

Fireplaces: Number of fireplaces

FireplaceQu: Fireplace quality

   Ex	Excellent - Exceptional Masonry Fireplace
   Gd	Good - Masonry Fireplace in main level
   TA	Average - Prefabricated Fireplace in main living area or Masonry Fireplace in basement
   Fa	Fair - Prefabricated Fireplace in basement
   Po	Poor - Ben Franklin Stove
   NA	No Fireplace

GarageType: Garage location

   2Types	More than one type of garage
   Attchd	Attached to home
   Basment	Basement Garage
   BuiltIn	Built-In (Garage part of house - typically has room above garage)
   CarPort	Car Port
   Detchd	Detached from home
   NA	No Garage

GarageYrBlt: Year garage was built

GarageFinish: Interior finish of the garage

   Fin	Finished
   RFn	Rough Finished	
   Unf	Unfinished
   NA	No Garage

GarageCars: Size of garage in car capacity

GarageArea: Size of garage in square feet

GarageQual: Garage quality

   Ex	Excellent
   Gd	Good
   TA	Typical/Average
   Fa	Fair
   Po	Poor
   NA	No Garage

GarageCond: Garage condition

   Ex	Excellent
   Gd	Good
   TA	Typical/Average
   Fa	Fair
   Po	Poor
   NA	No Garage

PavedDrive: Paved driveway

   Y	Paved 
   P	Partial Pavement
   N	Dirt/Gravel

WoodDeckSF: Wood deck area in square feet

OpenPorchSF: Open porch area in square feet

EnclosedPorch: Enclosed porch area in square feet

3SsnPorch: Three season porch area in square feet

ScreenPorch: Screen porch area in square feet

PoolArea: Pool area in square feet

PoolQC: Pool quality

   Ex	Excellent
   Gd	Good
   TA	Average/Typical
   Fa	Fair
   NA	No Pool

Fence: Fence quality

   GdPrv	Good Privacy
   MnPrv	Minimum Privacy
   GdWo	Good Wood
   MnWw	Minimum Wood/Wire
   NA	No Fence

MiscFeature: Miscellaneous feature not covered in other categories

   Elev	Elevator
   Gar2	2nd Garage (if not described in garage section)
   Othr	Other
   Shed	Shed (over 100 SF)
   TenC	Tennis Court
   NA	None

MiscVal: $Value of miscellaneous feature

MoSold: Month Sold (MM)

YrSold: Year Sold (YYYY)

SaleType: Type of sale

   WD 	Warranty Deed - Conventional
   CWD	Warranty Deed - Cash
   VWD	Warranty Deed - VA Loan
   New	Home just constructed and sold
   COD	Court Officer Deed/Estate
   Con	Contract 15% Down payment regular terms
   ConLw	Contract Low Down payment and low interest
   ConLI	Contract Low Interest
   ConLD	Contract Low Down
   Oth	Other

SaleCondition: Condition of sale

   Normal	Normal Sale
   Abnorml	Abnormal Sale -  trade, foreclosure, short sale
   AdjLand	Adjoining Land Purchase
   Alloca	Allocation - two linked properties with separate deeds, typically condo with a garage unit	
   Family	Sale between family members
   Partial	Home was not completed when last assessed (associated with New Homes)

Purpose of the Case Study

  • By identifying the factors that have the potential to determine the price of a house that is to be brought, the management can make informed business decisions based on the inferences made through the model

Contents of this repository

  • This Repository contains a Jupyter Notebook that has the code to make a model that predicts house prices through Ridge / Lasso regression.
  • It also contains a document answering questions based on the model used for the business case.