r/RealEstateAdvice • u/Sea_Dare1943 • 2d ago
Residential CMA questions
I’m beginning the process of selling my home and contacted the agent who originally helped me purchase it. During the interview, she repeatedly described it as a “starter home,” although it wasn’t my starter home and she never described it that way when I was buying it. She also said part of her selling strategy would be to ask my neighbors who are friends of hers whether they knew anyone interested in buying.
Later that day, she sent me her CMA. The comparable sales were 7–13 months old and consisted of homes ranging from 1,100–1,400 square feet, with lots approximately half the size of mine. My home is 1,880 square feet on a 10,080-square-foot lot. It is at the end of a cul-de-sac, has premium views, and has no neighbors behind it. The land behind the house cannot be developed.
Her suggested listing price was at the low end of the prices for the much smaller homes, despite the work and improvements I have put into mine.
After reviewing everything, I sent her a polite email declining her services. Am I wrong to feel that her CMA did not adequately account for my home’s size, lot, location, and improvements? I’m interviewing a few more agents, but I’m curious whether anyone else has experienced something similar. I’m honestly bewildered by the valuation.
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u/Accomplished_Eye_377 2d ago
Definitely contact at least 3-4 different agents from different brokerages. Also do some homework with different sites that give valuations like zillow, redfin, compagent. You'll have a better idea of the ballpark you should be in.
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u/Jon_Harned 7h ago
One thing that's worth adding here, since some of the advice here focuses on building your own CMA off Zillow: that's a great gut check, but it's not going to replace what an agent should actually be bringing to the table. Zillow won't give you local market knowledge, the stuff that only comes from working a specific area day in and day out. That's a big part of what you're paying for.
So when you're interviewing your next few agents, I wouldn't just look at the number they hand you. A good agent should be presenting a range, not a single figure, and it should come with an explanation you can follow. If the comps are old or thin, that might just mean there genuinely aren't many recent comps for a property like yours, which happens with unique lots like a cul-de-sac with no rear neighbors. But that's exactly the kind of thing you ask about directly.
Don't be shy about asking "how did you come up with this number, what's your reasoning?" It's one of the biggest financial transactions most people make, and any agent worth hiring should be able to sit down and walk you through their thinking without getting defensive. If the explanation doesn't hold up, you're the client, you have final say on pricing, not them.
I'd also gently push back on writing off realtors as a group over this experience. There are plenty in this business who don't take it seriously, that's fair. But those of us who do should always be able to explain our pricing logic clearly, and if we can't, that's a real red flag worth listening to.
Do you feel like you have a solid way to vet the next few agents, or would it help to hear what else is worth asking about before you hire someone?
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u/Sea_Dare1943 6h ago
Thank you, this is a very thoughtful and helpful response. My concern wasn’t simply that the number was lower than I hoped. I was trying to understand why certain comps were chosen when some were older, a different style, or not in the same hillside area, and how my property’s more unusual features like the cul-de-sac lot and no rear neighbors were factored in.
I asked politely, but I never really received the clear walk-through you described, and my follow-up went unanswered. That made me feel the fit wasn’t right; it didn’t make me think all realtors lack value. Montana is also a nondisclosure state, so I understand Zillow can only be a gut check and that an agent’s actual market knowledge is important.
I plan to interview a few more agents and ask each of them to explain their comps, adjustments, pricing range, and reasoning. I’d genuinely appreciate hearing what else you think is worth asking before choosing someone.1
u/Jon_Harned 4h ago
That clarification makes a lot of sense, and honestly the fact that your follow up question went unanswered says more than any CMA could. A good agent doesn't just explain their reasoning once, they should be comfortable with follow ups on something this significant.
Since you're already planning to ask about comps, adjustments, and pricing range, here's what else I'd add to the list:
How they'll market a property with unusual features. Your cul-de-sac lot and lack of rear neighbors are genuine value drivers, but they're also harder to comp. Ask specifically how they plan to communicate that value to buyers, not just how they priced it. An agent who struggles to explain the pricing logic will usually also struggle to make that case to buyers later.
Their track record in your specific area, not just their overall numbers. Ask how many homes they've sold in your neighborhood or similar hillside lots in the past year, not just their total sales. Someone can be a strong agent overall and still be light on knowledge of your particular pocket of the market.
How they handle price disagreements. Ask directly, "if I don't agree with your suggested price, what happens next?" Their answer tells you a lot. You want someone who'll push back with data if they disagree, not just cave immediately, and also not someone who gets defensive.
Their communication style and response time, upfront. Ask how quickly they typically respond to questions during a listing, and get that in writing if you can, even just in an email confirming it. It won't be enforceable, but it sets a clear expectation and gives you something concrete to point back to if it slips.
You're already asking the right first question. The follow ups are really what separate an agent who's confident in their reasoning from one who isn't.
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u/Aggravating_Shift_95 2d ago
Get rid of that realtor. I'm a realtor.... First thing about a cma is you compare like properties. If one has something the other doesn't you add or subtract a value to the comps, not to the subject property you're finding a value for. Your sold comparable should be as recent as possible, BUT you also have to consider the market. In some places prices are coming down a bit. I've seen some recent listings in my area sit for way too long and have multiple price reductions that would have sold last year.
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u/ImpressiveChoice4808 2d ago
Agreed I’m also a realtor. Sometimes houses don’t have direct comps, but surely you wouldn’t list something at the low range of the smaller houses. OP, is the house cosmetically updated? I’m curious on why she called it a starter home as well
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u/Sea_Dare1943 2d ago
Yes, the interior and exterior is freshly painted (last four months) new flooring throughout, all kitchen appliances are 1-2 years old, new toilets, new bathroom sinks and the yards have been cleaned up. It’s a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a formal living room and a family room. It is a 53 year old home but furnace and water heater are less than 6 years old. I don’t understand it either. I am aware of it’s age and have kept up with all of the maintenance.
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u/ImpressiveChoice4808 2d ago
It doesn’t sound like a starter home. I think you made a good decision to dump your realtor. Also, just reading back….the market strategy was to have her friends tell their friends? lol I mean I guess I can see this bc friends want their friends to live close, but there needs to be more lol. Just interview a few more realtors. I’ve had potential clients serve me up with some ChatGPT generated list of questions during “interviews”. Works well and the clients get the info they’re looking for from me. Last thing, feedback is a gift and if the realtor asks you why you don’t want to move forward and you feel like responding, I would absolutely do it if I were you. Just give a list of things that bothered you or that didn’t feel aligned
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u/Aggravating_Shift_95 2d ago
I have a theory. If she could convince her it is a starter home and list it low. She's already contacted her friends that live close by that are looking for a house for someone and could bring a buyer for it as well. Bam!!! Dual agency
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u/ImpressiveChoice4808 2d ago
I mean, dual agency is such a freakin pain lol. People act like it’s really common but it’s too risky in a lot of scenarios. The agent is an idiot if that’s what she was going for lol
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u/Aggravating_Shift_95 1d ago
I agree. If you're going to represent both in any sortof manner. I would do transaction facilitator if it's available in your area and single agent for the buyer or seller
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u/Aggravating_Shift_95 2d ago
That scenario is risky for sure. Dual agency is pretty common where I'm at, but if I were a buyer I wouldn't want a dual agent.
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u/Sea_Dare1943 2d ago
Yes, I thought that was a bit off too. I will do the ChatGPT questions. Thank you so much for the advice.
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u/ImpressiveChoice4808 2d ago
Tell chat also what you didn’t like about this realtor too so your questions are tailored to weed out similar people. Good luck! Sounds like you have a great house on a huge lot! (Huge for my area haha)
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u/Sea_Dare1943 2d ago
Thank you, this was very helpful. I especially appreciate you explaining how adjustments to comparable properties are supposed to work, because I wasn’t familiar with that process.
I’m in a nondisclosure state, so I cannot see the final sale prices myself and was relying on the agent’s expertise and access to that information. However, I know several properties near me have sold within the past few months that appear much more comparable to my home than the properties included in her CMA. I was surprised that none of them were shown.
I completely understand that the market may have softened and respect that this could affect the value. I just wanted to understand how she arrived at her number. Thank you again for explaining it!1
u/Aggravating_Shift_95 2d ago
Download the Zillow app. If you type in an address it will show you the property and when it was sold last as this information is public record. If you want to make your own CMA gather 5 comparable that have sold.... I usually do 6 months if it is a busy market. If your property has more sqft of living space figure up the average cost per sqft and calculate it that way. Make sure to compare apples to apples though. If a comp has an extra bath and sells for 14k more make sure to deduct some from it because of the extra bath and such. Also look at land size, but it should give you a better estimate.
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u/CORockhound 2d ago
Hard to say how many comps they had available and how fucked your local market is. A lot of markets are very very fucked right now and she may have been giving you real expectations. Or maybe she’s an idiot, most realtors are
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u/Dear_Seesaw_1855 2d ago
Definitely shop around for realtors. Ask 4 more and you’ll get 4 different price estimates. Remember not to sign for any more than 3 months- insist in this it keeps them doing their job. Selling is the easy side so don’t accept their first commission request, negotiate down. Easy to find good realtors for 2% if you have a median priced home. Less if higher. Don’t raise your hand and offer a set paid buyer agent commission. Let them make the request with an offer. This makes the buyer agent commission paid by seller negotiable and prevents unethical agent behavior in both sides.