Location:  The location of a home is more than its school district.  Location includes things such as a view of a lake compared to a view of a cell phone tower.

 

Type:  Compare your house to a house - not a condo.  Compare your condo to a condo - not a house.

 

Date of Sale:  We will attempt to look at the most recent home sales to serve as comparable homes to yours.  It's not nearly as valuable knowing the asking price for currently listed homes as it is to know what comparable homes have recently sold.

 

Size:  Your comparable square footage should be similar to yours.

 

Neighborhood & School District:  If at all possible your comparable should be within the same neighborhood and school district.

 

Number of Bedrooms & Baths:  Try to compare homes with similar bedrooms and baths.  There is some wiggle room here, but a home with three or even four more bedrooms than your house isn't a strong comparable.  

 

Age & Style:  Try to compare homes with similar styles and from the same age group.

 

Condition of Home:  Is your house a fixer-upper in need of new paint, new flooring, a new roof and some yard work, etc?

 

Remodeling & Updates:  Has your home undergone any recent improvements that would be desirable to a buyer?

 

Lot Size & Usability:  You don't want to compare a significantly large lot to a modest lot.