Everyone starts with the same point budget
Each participant scores the inventory using the same 10,000-point budget. Higher scores mean an item matters more to that person. Because everyone has the same budget, the system compares relative preferences instead of who is willing to speak the loudest.
"Don't want" is different from a low score
A low score means the participant is willing to receive the item, but does not value it highly. "Don't want" means the participant does not want the item assigned to them. If everyone marks an item as "Don't want," Estate Divvy separates it as a donation, sale, disposal, or family-decision item.
Scores stay private
Participants do not see one another's private point values. Final reports show the proposed distribution of items, rooms, and estimated values, but not each person's private scoring details.
The calculation uses maximum Nash welfare
Estate Divvy uses a maximum Nash welfare (MNW) computation to divide estate items among family members based on the private scores they submit. In plain language, the calculation searches for a distribution where each person receives a strong bundle according to their own preferences, while avoiding outcomes where one participant receives most of what they value and another participant receives very little.
For goods with additive preference scores, maximum Nash welfare is known for strong fairness properties. In particular, MNW allocations are envy-free up to one good, often shortened to EF1. That means a participant would not envy another participant's bundle after removing a single item from the other participant's bundle.
Why final calculation can take time
Maximum Nash welfare is strongly NP-hard. The practical meaning is that calculation time can grow very quickly as the number of items and participants increases. Estate Divvy runs the final division as a background calculation and will notify participants when results are ready. Larger estates may take longer to finalize and may need to be divided into smaller estate workspaces if they exceed current calculation limits.
Why this is useful for families
The result is not based on seniority, pressure, or whoever claims an item first. It is based on the preferences participants submitted under the same rules. That gives the family a clear proposed distribution and a written report they can review together.
Estimated dollar values are optional context
Estimated values can help families understand the approximate dollar value assigned to each person, but Estate Divvy does not provide appraisals. Unless otherwise stated in the product, the fair-division calculation is driven by participants' preference scores, not by appraised market value.
What Estate Divvy does not do
Estate Divvy does not replace a will, trust, executor, probate court, mediator, attorney, tax advisor, or appraiser. It provides an organized process and proposed distribution for personal property based on the information participants enter.