The process of researching and identifying comparable property sales, commonly shortened to “comps,” involves gathering data on recently sold properties that share similar characteristics with a subject property. This data, which includes sale price, location, size, age, and condition, provides a basis for estimating the fair market value of the subject property. For instance, if evaluating a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in a specific neighborhood, the analysis would focus on recent sales of similar houses in the same area.
Analyzing these similar sales is crucial in real estate valuation. It provides essential data for pricing properties accurately, securing financing, and negotiating sales effectively. Historically, real estate professionals relied on manual searches of public records. The advent of online databases and real estate platforms has streamlined this process significantly, making comparable sales data more accessible and efficient to analyze. This enables more informed decision-making for buyers, sellers, and investors alike.