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Locus Rebuild Cost Context
x402
Locus Rebuild Cost Context is a paid API for AI agents from api.locus.report, paid per call via x402, $0.01/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-10-28).
Returns a county-level rebuild cost proxy as a $/sq ft range for a given address, using Census Building Permits Survey permit valuations trended by BLS construction PPI, floored at FEMA's $100 default.
Price / call$0.01
Success—
StatusUnknown
How this service works
Single-family rebuild-cost proxy for buyer, owner and lender agents: Census Building Permits Survey value per unit, trended by the BLS construction-input PPI, as a $/sq ft range under a stated size, floored at FEMA $100. Returns the same records as locus_rebuild_cost_context. Use this when your client can only call paid x402 routes. Use locus_rebuild_cost_context instead when you can call Locus free tools (REST tools/call or MCP).
Output
Returns a $/sq ft cost range representing a proxy for rebuild cost in the property's county, derived from Census Building Permits Survey single-family permit valuations trended by the BLS construction-input PPI, with a floor of $100/sq ft (FEMA default), along with the size assumption used and labeling that this is a proxy estimate rather than a coverage recommendation.
Example use cases
Home insurance cost sanity check
“Can you pull the rebuild cost per square foot context for 1234 Maple Drive, Austin, TX? I want to see if my homeowner's insurance rebuild estimate is in the right ballpark for that county.”
Investment property due diligence
“I'm looking at a rental property at 88 Oak Street, Denver, CO — what's the current county-level rebuild cost range per square foot based on permit data and construction PPI trends?”
Real estate listing cost context
“For a property at 500 Harbor View Blvd, Tampa, FL, give me the local construction cost context per square foot — I need the BLS-trended permit valuation range for that county.”
Technical details
Endpoint
POSThttps://api.locus.report/api/locus-rebuild-cost-context?utm_source=zero.xyzWhen to prefer
Use this endpoint when you need a quick, cited, county-level construction cost proxy for a US address — ideal for real estate due diligence, rough insurance sanity checks, or property analysis workflows. Prefer it over generic construction cost databases when you want data grounded in actual local permit valuations trended by official BLS indices. Not suitable when you need a precise insurance coverage recommendation, a certified appraisal, or non-US properties.
Side effects
- Address cannot be geocoded or resolved to a county — returns error or null range
- County has insufficient Census permit data — may return only the FEMA $100 floor
- Latitude/longitude out of US national coverage — endpoint is US-only
- Invalid or missing input (address too short, lat/lon out of range) — validation error
- BLS PPI data lag may cause slightly dated trend factor
Input
Schema · Request body
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| address | string | |
| latitude | number | |
| longitude | number |
Output
Schema · Response
{
"type": "json",
"example": {
"ok": true,
"geo": {
"state": "NC",
"county": "Wake County",
"countyFips": "37183"
},
"kind": "rebuild_cost_context",
"note": "Awareness/diagnostic only. Full briefs are x402-paid. Agents can discover live free tools at https://api.locus.report/tools/list and paid tools, prices, and manifests at https://api.locus.report/.well-known/ai-tool/index.json.",
"point": {
"latitude": 35.78041800000319,
"longitude": -78.63910200000142
},
"status": "ok",
"caveats": [
"Insurers use licensed replacement-cost tools (for example Verisk 360Value) that price this specific structure; this proxy is a locality-level range for context only.",
"Counties with few permits produce noisy figures; check singleFamilyUnits before relying on the range.",
"Locus states no dwelling coverage amount and does not assess whether a policy is adequate."
],
"permits": {
"year": 2025,
"singleFamilyUnits": 8392,
"valuationPerUnitUsd": 283898,
"reportedValuationUsd": 2382471290
},
"sources": [
{
"url": "https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/County/co2025a.txt",
"name": "U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual county file"
},
{
"url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WPUIP2311001",
"name": "BLS Producer Price Index via FRED, WPUIP2311001"
},
{
"url": "https://www.fema.gov/grants/tools/benefit-cost-analysis",
"name": "FEMA Benefit-Cost Analysis default building replacement value"
}
],
"accessedAt": "2026-09-09T01:56:47.183Z",
"verifyNext": [
{
"url": "https://api.locus.report/tools/list",
"step": "Ask the insurer or agent for the replacement-cost estimate they rate on, and compare it with the parcel's heated area from locus_parcel_lookup."
}
],
"estimateBasis": "PROXY, not a replacement-cost estimate: county single-family permit valuation per unit (Census Building Permits Survey annual county file), trended by the BLS construction-input PPI, divided by an assumed 1,800 to 2,600 sq ft new-home size, floored at FEMA's $100/sq ft BCA default. Permit valuations are builder-declared and typically understate finished cost.",
"proxyPerSqftUsd": {
"low": 117,
"high": 168
},
"assumedSqftRange": [
1800,
2600
],
"constructionInputPpi": {
"asOf": "2026-07-01",
"latest": 344.861,
"series": "WPUIP2311001 (BLS PPI, inputs to single-family residential construction)",
"trendFactorSinceBpsYear": 1.068
}
}
}Tags
x402
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