Valuation & Appraisal

    Elements of Value (DUST)

    The four things a property needs to have value: demand, utility, scarcity, and transferability, remembered as DUST.

    For a property to have market value, four elements must be present: Demand, the desire and ability to buy; Utility, the usefulness of the property; Scarcity, a limited supply; and Transferability, the ability to convey ownership. The acronym is DUST.

    If any one element is missing, the property has no market value, regardless of its other qualities.

    On the exam

    All four DUST elements must be present. Remove any one and there is no market value.

    Exam trap

    A useful, scarce, and desired property still has no market value if it cannot be transferred.

    Tested in

    Markets and Analysis (1% of the exam)

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    This definition is Florida real estate exam-prep education, not legal, tax, or professional advice. Verify current rules against the official source before relying on them for a real transaction. Back to the full glossary.