Home listings are good at describing square footage and finishes. They are less useful for judging what is happening inside a home's walls, air and mechanical systems.
In its November 2026 Home Performance Gap report, Pearl surveyed 833 recent and active U.S. homebuyers. 44% ranked safety and health first among five home-performance dimensions, and 72% said they worried about hidden problems a home tour would not reveal. 55% said understanding a home's true condition was difficult.
What Buyers Cannot Easily Compare
The research points to a practical information problem. Buyers may see a new heating system or a claim about clean air, but often lack comparable data on ventilation, moisture, radon, insulation and equipment condition before making an offer. 80% said they would be very or extremely likely to trust a performance assessment recommended by a home inspector.
The survey was commissioned by Pearl, which sells a home-performance rating. It used a weighted, compensated, non-probability online panel, so it measures reported preferences and concerns, not verified buyer behavior or a demonstrated price premium.
The implication is straightforward: a high-performance home needs evidence, not just a features list. Clear, independent information could make invisible systems easier to compare alongside the familiar facts of a listing.