# Methodology and data sources

> Sources, update frequency, calculations and limitations of ImmobilScan data, for users and those citing it.

Source: https://immobilscan.it/en/methodology · By the ImmobilScan editorial team · Published October 25, 2026

Methodology updated October 25, 2026.

## In short

ImmobilScan collects judicial auctions from the Public Sales Portal (Portale delle Vendite Pubbliche, pvp.giustizia.it) and public asset sales (dismissioni) and direct sales from the Avvisi Notarili portal. PVP listings are updated four times a day and statistics recalculated nightly; notarial notices are updated daily. ImmobilScan is not a portal authorized to advertise sales: the official notice and the sale delegate govern participation.

## Where the data comes from

| Source | What we use it for |
|---|---|
| [Portale delle Vendite Pubbliche](https://pvp.giustizia.it) (Ministero della Giustizia, Italy's Ministry of Justice) | Judicial auctions of all types from all courts, with published documents and outcomes when recorded |
| [Avvisi Notarili](https://www.avvisinotarili.notariato.it) (Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato) | Public bodies' public asset sales and direct sales handled by notaries |
| Osservatorio del Mercato Immobiliare (OMI), Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency) | Price ranges per square meter by area, used in valuations |
| ISTAT and Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze | Municipality data for valuation context |
| Public property listings | Comparable properties for valuations |
| Mapping and geocoding services, including OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) | Maps, address coordinates and services near the property |

PVP auctions remain associated with their portal identifier, and each ImmobilScan listing links to the official notice. The documents (notice of sale (avviso di vendita), sale order (ordinanza di vendita), appraisal report (perizia)) are those published by the sale delegate (delegato alla vendita): we do not alter them.

## Update frequency

Public Sales Portal listings are updated four times a day, at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Italian time. Each run collects new and changed auctions of all types. Each night a longer run rechecks the catalog, detects listings removed from the portal and collects outcomes published in the meantime. A second nightly pass rechecks sales already held without an outcome. Notarial notices are updated daily at 8 p.m.

In practice, a new auction normally appears on ImmobilScan the same day, by the next morning at the latest. An outcome or correction may take until the next nightly run. Page statistics are recalculated nightly at the end of the catalog check. OMI price ranges change twice a year.

## What we calculate

### Property category

The PVP classifies each lot into five broad types (residential, commercial, industrial, sports facilities, other) and each asset with one of 84 codes. To make search usable, we group them into 19 categories, such as apartments, villas and small villas, garages and parking spaces, stores, industrial buildings and building land. These fit into 7 families: homes, garages and ancillary premises, commercial and industrial, land, buildings, special properties and other. An auction's category is that of its main asset, corrected in ambiguous cases: an apartment sold with a garage and cellar remains an apartment. In mixed lots, co-primary categories also count. Classification is automatic and may be wrong for unusual descriptions: when in doubt, the lot description governs.

### Attempt history and reduction

We reconstruct sale attempts for the same lot, ordering them by publication date, and calculate the reduction against the first starting price (prezzo base) known to us. With an account, the listing shows previous attempts with prices and outcomes; the public listing shows only the current attempt. The PVP does not always state the attempt number, and attempts absent from our archive cannot be seen: in those cases the reduction and attempt count may be lower than the true figures.

### Location

An auction's municipality is where the property is located (the main asset, otherwise the lot), not where the sale takes place, which for online sales is often the delegate's office. Coordinates come from the portal or, if missing, from converting the address using a geocoding service. An auction without coordinates appears in search and lists but not on the map (see [known limitations](https://immobilscan.it/en/methodology#known-limitations)).

### Market value assessment

The assessment is available with an account and follows two approaches. The first starts with OMI price ranges for the property's area and adjusts them for its features: area, condition, floor, exposure, energy class, age and accessory property (pertinenze). It also considers context, including nearby services and municipal ISTAT and MEF data.

The second uses comparable properties: listings of similar properties for sale nearby, searched at the time of assessment. These are asking prices, not sale prices, so we adjust them downward to account for negotiation. Comparables are not used for land, parking spaces and cellars; only OMI remains.

The two estimates are combined: comparables weigh more when numerous, consistent and similar to the property, less when few or different, and OMI always remains the baseline. The result is a value range with a reliability indicator, which widens when data is scarce or incomplete. Because listings change daily, two assessments of the same property may find different comparables and give different results.

### Auction price estimate

We derive an estimated auction price from the market estimate using a discount that increases with the sale attempt number. This is a conventional assumption, not calibrated against award prices, which are absent from the portal's public data. We estimate the attempt number by counting reductions in the history and relative to the appraiser's estimate, so incomplete history can make it lower than the true number. When a share or partial right is sold (for example 1/2 or bare ownership), the whole-property estimate is reduced proportionally, without an additional co-ownership discount. The assessment is a guide: it is not an appraisal report and has no legal value. The general method is explained in [how to value a property](https://immobilscan.it/en/guides/how-to-value-property).

### Document analysis

With an account you can request analysis of an auction's appraisal and notice. An artificial intelligence model reads the published documents and extracts occupancy, discrepancies, costs, restrictions and other information, each with the source document and page. Analysis starts only at the user's request and consumes their plan allowance. It can make mistakes or miss information: the page reference lets you check the original document. Notarial auctions do not have this analysis.

### Aggregate statistics

Court, province and region pages and the [judicial auction observatory](https://immobilscan.it/en/property-auction-statistics) use only PVP auctions, under these rules:

- active auction: published on the portal, not concluded, with a future sale date;
- new: auctions published in the last 30 days, whatever their current status;
- sales in the next 30 days: active auctions with a sale date within 30 days;
- mean and median starting price, mean minimum bid (offerta minima): active auctions only;
- mean reduction: average starting price reduction from the first attempt known to us, for active auctions with at least one reduction;
- monthly series of new auctions: how many were published each month;
- municipalities: those of the properties, as above.

Statistics are aggregated and each row states the number of auctions used. A group with few auctions produces an average close to individual auction figures: read it alongside that count.

## Known limitations

- **Incomplete outcomes.** The Public Sales Portal reports a sale's outcome only when the delegate records it, and many sales have none: a concluded auction may remain without an outcome. We therefore do not publish percentages of failed or awarded auctions.
- **Award price unavailable.** The award price field in portal data is always empty. We therefore neither show nor estimate auction savings.
- **Inconsistent dates.** Some portal auctions have impossible or contradictory dates, such as a wrong year or a bid deadline after the sale. When recognized, we show “Date to be verified” with a link to the notice history, where the delegate may have published a correction.
- **Missing coordinates.** A small share of auctions lacks coordinates because the address is missing or cannot be located: about 1% of those with a future sale as of October 24, 2026. These auctions do not appear on the map.
- **Delay relative to the portal.** During the day, three hours pass between readings; after 6 p.m. the next run is at night. A last-minute change may not yet be visible. Always check the PVP notice before bidding.
- **Comparables cannot be reproduced.** Valuation comparables are the listings found at that moment: they change between assessments and do not cover every published listing.
- **Conventional auction discount.** The discount used to move from market value to estimated auction price is not calibrated against winning-price data, which is not public.
- **OMI price ranges.** These are semiannual ranges by area, published after the half-year ends, and lag behind in a fast-moving market.
- **Notarial notices.** We collect only public asset sales and direct sales; other sales published on the Notariato portal are already on the PVP or do not concern property.

## What ImmobilScan is not

- It is not a portal authorized for legal advertising of sales under art. 490 c.p.c. or an official court website. The Public Sales Portal remains the official source.
- It is not an intermediary: it does not sell property, collect bids or bid deposits (cauzioni), or represent sellers or buyers.
- It does not provide legal, tax or technical advice. Guides, assessments and analyses are for orientation; for decisions on a specific property consult the sale delegate, a lawyer, a notary or a technical expert.

## How to report an error

If you find incorrect data (a price, date, category or municipality), write to [amministrazione@immobilscan.it](mailto:amministrazione@immobilscan.it) with the listing link and, if possible, the place in the official document that says otherwise. We check the source. If the error is ours, we correct it; if it is on the portal, the notice contains the correct information and we explain how to read it.

## How to cite the data

The [judicial auction observatory](https://immobilscan.it/en/property-auction-statistics) statistics, including the CSV file, are published under [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.it): you may reuse them, including commercially, with attribution. A suitable citation is:

> Source: ImmobilScan, based on Public Sales Portal data, updated {date} (immobilscan.it/statistiche-aste-giudiziarie).

State the update date shown on the page, because figures change daily. The license applies only to observatory data. Other pages, listings and assessments are not covered. Notices, appraisals and documents for individual auctions remain the property of their respective authors and source portal. Cite OMI price ranges as “Agenzia delle Entrate – OMI” and OpenStreetMap data as “© OpenStreetMap contributors”.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does ImmobilScan have every Public Sales Portal auction?

It collects all judicial auctions on the portal, of every type, every day. A newly published auction appears at the next reading, by the next morning at the latest. Sales of movable property alone are excluded; property lots also containing movable assets or businesses have a dedicated category.

### Why does an auction show “Date to be verified”?

The date from the portal is inconsistent: an impossible year, or a bid deadline after the sale. Instead of showing it as certain, we flag it and link to the notice history, where the delegate may have corrected it. The notice governs in any case.

### Why can't you see the auction's sale price?

The Public Sales Portal data does not contain the award price. When an auction ends we show the outcome, if recorded by the delegate, but not the price.

### Is an ImmobilScan assessment an appraisal?

No. It is an automated estimate based on OMI price ranges, similar property listings and declared features, with a value range and reliability indicator. For a bank, a court or an inheritance you need an appraisal report by a qualified professional.

### Can I use your statistics in an article or research?

Yes, those of the observatory. They are published under CC BY 4.0: you may reuse them citing “ImmobilScan based on Public Sales Portal data” with the update date and page link.