Purpose of Addressing Listing Visibility
This page explains why residential listings visible on digital platforms cannot be interpreted as a comprehensive representation of residential real estate in Addis Ababa. It establishes clear boundaries between what is observable through listings and what remains structurally unobserved.
The objective is not to critique listing platforms, but to prevent misinterpretation of visibility as completeness.
Listings as an Exposure Layer
Platform-visible residential listings represent a layer of exposure shaped by publication decisions, intermediary rules, and time-bound availability. They indicate that a property was presented through a specific channel at a specific moment, not that it defines the underlying housing stock.
Listings may appear, change, or disappear without corresponding changes in residential supply, use, or existence.
Structural Sources of Incompleteness
Large segments of residential housing in Addis Ababa are not captured by listing platforms. This includes properties exchanged through informal networks, long-occupied residences, housing without digital presence, and units not actively marketed.
As a result, any dataset derived from listings reflects selective participation rather than systematic coverage.
Misinterpretation Risks
Equating listing presence with availability, scale, or significance introduces a false sense of completeness. Absence of listings does not imply absence of housing, and presence of listings does not imply persistence or relevance.
Listing visibility should therefore be read as a partial signal constrained by platform behavior, not as a proxy for residential conditions.