A comparative market analysis (CMA) is the foundation of every real estate price opinion - and it's only as good as the comparables behind it. Whether you're buying or selling, learning to read one critically is the difference between trusting the number and verifying it.
The right comps
Good comps are: within ~0.5 miles, sold in the last 3-6 months, similar in size and age (usually within 15-20% square footage), and similar in condition and lot. A CMA that pulls from a different school zone or a different housing type isn't telling you what your home is worth.
Adjustments matter
No two homes are identical, so a good CMA adjusts for differences - pool, garage, lot size, view, updates, bath count. If your agent hands you a CMA with zero adjustments and says "comps average $X," ask how the differences were handled.
Active vs sold - read both
Sold comps tell you where the market was. Active comps (your competition) tell you where it is. In a rising market you price off sold; in a softening one, the active competition anchors your ceiling. A CMA that ignores actives is incomplete.
The price-per-square-foot trap
Don't price a home by $/sqft alone - it ignores condition, layout, and lot. It's a sanity check, not a method. A 1,500-sqft pool home on a canal is not the same $/sqft as a 1,500-sqft zero-lot on a busy road.
What I do
My CMAs include sold comps, active competition, recent withdrawals/expireds (the homes that didn't sell and why), and a defensible range - not a single aspirational number.
Want a real CMA on your home or one you're considering buying? Message me - it's free.
Sandor Szabo
FLORIDA REALTOR® & MORTGAGE LOAN ORIGINATOR
License #SL3616551 • NMLS #2857504 • Serving Tampa Bay buyers, sellers, and investors with one-stop real estate & financing.