codebook.txt

Fomat: Each column in the dataframe is documented in 3 consecutive rows (column label, description, data type).
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PIN
Unique Permanent Identification Number for each property. All PINs are 14 digits: 2 digits for area + 2 digits for sub area + 2 digits for block + 2 digits for parcel + 4 digits for the multicode
Plain Text


Property Class
Property class. For a list of property classes, see https://www.cookcountyassessor.com/assets/forms/classcode.pdf
Number


Neighborhood Code
Neighborhood code as assigned by the Assessment office. An interactive map is available at https://maps.cookcountyil.gov/cookviewer/
Number


Land Square Feet
Square feet of the land (not just the building) of the property. Note that land is divided into 'plots' and 'parcels' - this field applies to parcels, identified by PIN
Number


Town Code
Township code as assigned by the Assessment office. An interactive map is available at https://maps.cookcountyil.gov/cookviewer/
Number


Apartments
Number of apartments in the building - 2 = Two, 3 = Three, 4 = Four, 5 = Five, 6 = Six, 0 = None
Number


Wall Material
Exterior wall material - 1=Wood, 2=Masonry, 3=Wood&Masonry, 4=Stucco
Number


Roof Material
Roof construction material. 1 = Shingle/Asphalt, 2 = Tar & Gravel, 3 = Slate, 4 = Shake, 5 = Tile, 6 = Other
Number


Basement
Basement type - 1 = Full, 2 = Slab, 3 = Partial, 4 = Crawl
Number


Basement Finish
Basement finish - 1 = Formal rec room; 2 = Apartment; 3 = Unfinished
Number


Central Heating
Central heating type - 1 = Warm air, 2 = Hot water steam, 3 = Electric, 4 = Other
Number


Other Heating
Other heating type - 1 = Floor furnace, 2 = Unit heater, 3 = Stove, 4 = Solar, 5 = none
Number


Central Air
Is central airconditioning present? - 1 = yes, 2 = no
Number


Fireplaces
Number of fireplaces, counted as the number of flues one can see from the outside of the building.
Number


Attic Type
Type of attic - 1 = Full, 2 = partial, 3 = none
Number


Attic Finish
Finish of attic - 1 = Living area, 2 = Apartment, 3 = unfinished
Number


Design Plan
Plan of Design - 1 = architect, 2 = stock plan
Number


Cathedral Ceiling
Cathedral Ceiling - 1 = yes, 2 = No. (Note: the column name comes from a variable that is no longer used, but the column name was not changed to reflect Cathedral Ceiling)
Number


Construction Quality
Construction quality - 1 = Deluxe, 2 = Average, 3 = Poor (There is one 4 in this dataset, but no 3. In general, this column is not useful for analytical purposes)
Number


Site Desirability
Site desirability - 1 = Beneficial to Value, 2 = Not relevant to Value, 3 = Detracts from Value. This field lack sufficient variation to be useful for modeling.
Number


Garage 1 Size
Garage 1 size - 1 = 1 car, 2 = 1.5 car, 3 = 2 car, 4 = 2.5 cars, 5 = 3 cars, 6 = 3.5 cars, 7 = none, 8 = 4 cars
Number


Garage 1 Material
Garage 1 construction - 1 = Frame, 2 = Masonry, 3= Frame/Masonry, 4 = Stucco
Number


Garage 1 Attachment
Is Garage 1 attached? 1 = Yes, 2 = No
Number


Garage 1 Area
Is Garage 1 physically including within the building area? 1 = Yes, 2 = No. If yes, the garage area is subtracted from the building square feet calculation by the field agent.
Number


Garage 2 Size
Garage 2 size - 1 = 1 car, 2 = 1.5 car, 3 = 2 car, 4 = 2.5 cars, 5 = 3 cars, 6 = 3.5 cars, 7 = none, 8 = 4 cars
Number


Garage 2 Material
Garage 2 construction - 1 = Frame, 2 = Masonry, 3= Frame/Masonry, 4 = Stucco
Number


Garage 2 Attachment
Is Garage 2 attached? 1 = Yes, 2 = No
Number


Garage 2 Area
Is Garage 2 physically including within the building area? 1 = Yes, 2 = No. If yes, the garage area is subtracted from the building square feet calculation by the field agent.
Number


Porch
Enclosed porch - 1 = Frame, 2 = Masonry, 3 = None
Number


Other Improvements
Other improvements - if not 0, they contain a code. The definitions of these codes are maintained by the field workers. Unfortunatly, the way this data is entered makes it impossible to distinguish between a 1 & 2 and a 12, making this field mostly useless.
Number


Building Square Feet
Building square feet, as measured from the exterior of the property
Number


Repair Condition
State of Repair - 1 = Above average, 2 = Average, 3 = Below average
Number


Multi Code
Variable that indicates that more one building exists on the PIN. 2 = one building, 3 = two buildings, etc… through 7 = 6 buildings.
Number


Number of Commercial Units
Number of commercial units (the vast majority are for properties with class 212).
Number


Estimate (Land)
Board of Review final estimated market value of land from the prior tax year.
Number


Estimate (Building)
Board of Review final estimated market value of building from the prior tax year.
Number


Deed No.
Deed number for sale
Plain Text


Sale Price
Sale price
Number


Longitude
Longitude coordinate of the property's location, as defined by the centroid of the parcel shape in GIS.
Number


Latitude
Latitude coordinate of the property's location, as defined by the centroid of the parcel shape in GIS.
Number


Census Tract
Census tract identifier - full map available through the Census Bureau, https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/maps/2010ref/st17_tract.html
Plain Text


Multi Property Indicator
Indicator for a property with multiple improvements on one PIN, e.g. a main house and a coach house. NOT to be confused with a property which was part of a multi-pin sale.
Number


Modeling Group
Modeling group, as defined by the property class. Properties with class 200, 201, 241, 299 is defined as "NCHARS", short for "no characteristics", which are condos and vacant land classes. Properties with class 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 235, 278, and 295 are "SF", short for "single-family." Properties with class 211 and 212 are "MF", short for "multi-family."
Plain Text


Age
Age of the property. If missing, this defaults to 10. This field is a combination of original age and effective age where original age refers to the oldest component of the building and effective age is a relative judgement due to renovations or other improvements. For instance, if a property is completely demolished and built up again, the age resets to 1. But if portions of the original structure are kept, it may be more complicated to determine the age.
Number


Use
Use of property - 1 = single family, 2 = multi-family
Number


O'Hare Noise
Indicator for the property under O'Hare approach flight path, within 1/4 mile.
Number


Floodplain
Indicator for properties on a floodplain, defined as a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area
Number


Road Proximity
Indicates whether the property is within 300 ft of a major road.
Number


Sale Year
Year of sale
Number


Sale Quarter
Quarter of sale
Number


Sale Half-Year
Half-year of sale
Number


Sale Quarter of Year
Quarter of year of sale
Number


Sale Month of Year
Month of year of sale
Number


Sale Half of Year
Half of year of sale
Number


Most Recent Sale
Indicator that this sale is the most recent sale of the property.
Number


Age Decade
Age in decades
Number


Pure Market Filter
Indicator for pure market sale
Number


Garage Indicator
Indicates presence of a garage of any size.
Number


Neigborhood Code (mapping)
Unmodified neighborhood code that can be used for mapping.
Number


Town and Neighborhood
Combination of town and neighborhood used to uniquely neighborhoods across townships.
Number


Description
Short description of the household.
Plain Text