Why is the ATTOM ID 9999999?
ATTOM ID
To help our customers match property data that comes from different sources we assign an ATTOM ID to property transactions wherever we can. This process requires us to maintain a master list of all known "properties" in the US. ATTOM IDs are static, providing a reliable way to identify a property over time.
Property Dynamics
Properties are dynamic! New properties get created on a regular basis as developers take larger pieces of land and sub-divide them into smaller units. It is also possible to consolidate existing parcels of land into a single property. In addition, local governments are known to periodically move from one number scheme for properties to another.
Property Identification
The method used to define a property varies from one source to another. Local governments usually rely on Assessor Parcel Numbers (APNs) to uniquely identify properties within their county. The postal service relies on a combination of street addresses, city names, and zip codes to identify properties to which it services. Realtors will offer to use a Listing number as a way of identifying a property. APNs and street addresses are notorious for having many different formats in which they can be stored. e.g. 123 Main Street #A versus 123 Main St Apt A. These inconsistencies can make it problematic to match a property.
Property Register
The PropertyFeature table within ATTOM Cloud is essentially a register of all the properties that ATTOM has identified and assigned an ATTOM ID.
ATTOM ID 999999999
Because property identification is dynamic and imprecise situations often arise in which data from one source cannot be matched to our property registry. When that happens ATTOM will assign 999999999 (nine 9s) as the ATTOM ID. Hopefully, only an interim measure until further research is undertaken to understand the cause for a mismatch. Often these will resolve themselves. e.g. In areas with a lot of new building development the sale and transfer of new homes may be recorded by the County Recorder but the tax assessor office has not yet processed those properties and assigned APNs. Our PropertyFeature table may not yet have a record for that new home but the sales transactions can be found in the RETransaction table. These transactions will most likely be assigned an ATTOM ID of 999999999 until an ATTOM Id is assigned to the property. When that happens the data in the RETransaction table will be updated with the ATTOM ID which will now match a property in the PropertyFeature table.
What About...?
If you encounter a particular property record that has an ATTOM ID of 999999999 and there is no obvious reason as to why the property cannot be identified, it is always possible to reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to have a data ticket generated to research the reason behind the mismatch.