Comparable sales

Recent sales of similar homes nearby, used to estimate value. Appraisers and agents both rely on them. The best comps are same neighborhood, same style, similar size, sold within the last few months.

Also called comps · Inspections & appraisals · Updated September 2026

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Part 1 of 4

Why a seller cares

A price comes from what sold nearby recently, adjusted for the differences, not from a feeling or an estimate site. The comps are the evidence, and the appraiser will use the same ones.

Part 2 of 4

A simple example

Three homes within a mile sold in the last four months: $295,000, $305,000 and $312,000. Yours has one more bathroom than the first and an older roof than the third. The adjustments land you near $305,000.

Comparable sales: a simple example
The compThe adjustment for your home
$295,000, one bathroom fewer than yoursAdd for the bathroom: about $300,000
$305,000, much like yoursNo adjustment: $305,000
$312,000, a new roofSubtract for your older roof: about $306,000

Three comps, three adjustments, one range. The price lives inside it.

Part 3 of 4

What people get wrong

That the comp is the neighbor's asking price. A comp is a closed sale; what somebody is asking is not evidence of anything yet.

Part 4 of 4 · where to read next

Where it appears in the sale

What a definition is, and what it isn't

Keighbor is a software company, not a law firm, brokerage, or tax adviser. This is general information, not legal, tax, financial, or real estate advice about your sale. Your situation may differ. Before acting on a contract, disclosure, title, tax, or pricing question, ask an appropriately licensed professional in your state.

Written and researched by Keighbor Research · drawn from the reference glossary · how we research and check what we publish

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