Home Value Explorer Alternatives: Agile Insights Compared

Freddie Mac is officially discontinuing external access to its Home Value Explorer (HVE) automated valuation model (AVM). HVE has been a trusted tool in the industry for quickly generating property valuations. Its removal creates a gap for real estate professionals who rely on accessible estimates backed by data.

To help fill that gap, HouseCanary’s Agile Insights offers a modern alternative. Like HVE, it provides on-demand access to property valuations, but it also layers in deeper market intelligence, enhanced filtering, and the flexibility to support more complex workflows. 

Backed by proprietary models and a national dataset, Agile Insights delivers not just speed but strategic insight.

Let’s explore how Agile Insights compares to HVE, key features, and how real estate investors and lenders can smoothly transition without losing access to the data they depend on.

‍When Will HVE Be Discontinued?

As of July 31, 2025, Freddie Mac will discontinue external access to HVE. For years, lenders and originators have relied on HVE to support loan decisions and manage portfolio risk. Its seamless integration into core workflows made it a widely used and trusted valuation tool across the industry.

This change leaves many real estate professionals and partners searching for a reliable replacement to avoid disruptions in underwriting, appraisal review, and AVM-based workflows.

HVE Alternative: HouseCanary's Agile Insights

HouseCanary’s Agile Insights is the standout HVE alternative. The platform is for professionals who need fast, trustworthy property valuations backed by transparent data and modern machine learning. It delivers instant, decision-ready insights and forecasts across lending, investing, and portfolio management workflows.

Key features include:

• Confidence scores and valuation ranges: Understand the reliability of each valuation at a glance
• Collateral insights for loan assets: Evaluate property growth potential and local risk factors like crime rates for confident decision-making
• Transparent methodology: Get full visibility into how the platform calculates each property value with HouseCanary’s methodology
• User-friendly reporting: Explore comps, price trends, and heat maps in a clean, client-friendly PDF or JSON file.

With its blend of accuracy, transparency, and actionable insights, Agile Insights sets a new standard for property valuation tools.

How to Transition from HVE to Agile Insights

As Home Value Explorer phases out, it’s important to prepare your move to a reliable AVM solution. Getting started with HouseCanary is simple, and all of our plans include Agile Insights. 

We also offer multiple ways to integrate Agile Insights seamlessly into your existing workflows:

• API integration: For automated, real-time valuations directly within your platform
• Bulk uploads: Value thousands of properties at once via spreadsheet
• Dashboard access: User-friendly, on-demand reports and comps

To support a smooth migration, HouseCanary provides an API quick start guide and expert support.

Why Agile Insights Is the Best HVE Alternative

Agile Insights is more than just a home value estimator. It delivers everything users relied on from HVE and adds even more. With trusted valuation capabilities and access to familiar data, it offers a seamless transition. 

In addition, Agile Insights provides the flexibility and intelligence needed across the entire real estate landscape. It supports a wide range of use cases, such as:

• Mortgage underwriting: Instantly assess collateral value to streamline approvals and reduce appraisal dependencies
• Appraisal review: Validate or challenge valuations with transparent data and confidence scoring
• Real estate investing: Identify single-family rental opportunities and growth markets with forward-looking insights
• Portfolio and asset management: Monitor property performance and risk exposure across large holdings
• Pricing listings accurately: Use valuation ranges, comps, and market trends to support confident listing strategies

Whether you’re working with individual loans or trying to price a listing accurately, Agile Insights delivers reliable, scalable valuation intelligence that adapts to your workflow.

The Benefits of Using an Automated Valuation Model (AVM)

Even as Freddie Mac phases out HVE, the need for a reliable AVM remains critical. 

"Real estate markets move quickly and react differently at a local level.  Having an automated, bias-free process to quickly and accurately value real estate is critical in today's market. Our valuation models are rooted in machine learning, allowing us to react to market changes and utilize as much data as possible to create a trusted value."
—Ketan Bhalla, SVP of Product

Key benefits of using an AVM include:

• Speed and scale for high-volume decisions: Instantly generate valuations across thousands of properties
• Risk mitigation with transparent data: See the "why" behind each valuation, including comps and market signals
• Repeatable, audit-ready documentation: Meet compliance needs with standardized, defensible reports
• Reduced manual valuation workload: Free up analysts and appraisers for higher-value tasks
• Enhanced borrower experience: Accelerate approval timelines and reduce friction in the lending process

As the industry shifts away from older models, AVMs like Agile Insights are becoming essential for maintaining speed and confidence in every property decision.

Make the Switch to a Modern AVM Built for Today’s Market

Agile Insights isn’t just a replacement for Freddie Mac’s Home Value Explorer—it’s a major step forward. As part of HouseCanary’s broader real estate investment software, it delivers the advanced intelligence today’s real estate, lending, and investment professionals need to operate confidently across property lifecycles. 

Now’s the time to explore a modern solution built for scale and accuracy. Learn more about Agile Insights and how it fits into our full suite of property valuation tools.