How to Get Comps

 31 December 18:00   How to Get Comps

     by: Tim Randle

    There are primarily four means to get advice on commensurable sales (comps) if aggravating to actuate the amount of a ambition property. Those four are:
  1. Doing Your Own Research
  2. Internet Searches
  3. Service Companies
  4. Access to MLS


    DOING YOUR OWN RESEARCH

    Within this category, there are four subcategories. Those are:
  • Courthouse Searches
  • Newspaper Listings
  • Tax Appraisement Districts
  • Master the Neighborhood


    Courthouse Searches

    If you reside in a accompaniment that is discloses acreage sales information, you will accept a abundant easier time than those of us who reside in a non-disclosure state, like Texas. My compassionate for acknowledgment states is that advice on sales can be begin at the courthouse if you re accommodating to absorb the all-important time. From that advice you could devise your own alignment for free comps. Certainly, it would be benign to understand the story of a ambition acreage which you can attending up while you re there, but I anticipate this would be actual apathetic and apparently not account your efforts if the alone ambition is to get commensurable sales data.

    Newspaper Listings

    In some states the sales advice is listed in the bounded newspapers so you could get a feel that way or make your own database and amend it periodically. Again, I anticipate this is a apathetic way to get things done, but it may prove advantageous to you in some circumstances.

    Tax Appraisement Districts

    In my area, the tax adjourned ethics provided by the tax appraisement districts are frequently useless. You ll accept to get a feel for this in your breadth as you may acquisition that the adjourned ethics are abutting in some neighborhoods.

    Master the Neighborhood

    Probably the alotof authentic way is to absorb the all-important time to adept your acreage areas. By this I beggarly acquirements the ethics for assertive neighborhoods that you target. You can allege with Realtors, appear accessible houses, appearance as some floorplans as possible, etc. until you can drive by a abode at 30 mph and understand aural a reasonable ambit what the acreage will be account in acceptable condition. This advice comes in acutely accessible if talking to sellers on the phone. If a agent calls you and tells you the abode is in ABC subdivision, it s a three bedroom, two bath, two car barn abode and it s 1,500 aboveboard feet, it s nice to anon understand the bazaar amount in your head.

    INTERNET SEARCHES

    I understand some investors use online searches to actuate value. I approved this if I first started and begin the advice to be anachronous and not even abutting to what I accede a comp. For example, at the time the Austin, Texas bazaar was affectionate about one percent per month. Retrieving sales numbers that were about a year old and 5 afar abroad from my ambition acreage was useless. If you re in a acknowledgment state, this alignment may prove added helpful. I anchorage t acclimated or even looked at any of these sites for this purpose in years, but actuality s an antecedent account you could view, although accumulate in apperception that some of these may be regional-specific.
  • Realtor.com
  • Homeradar.com
  • Homegain.com
  • Yahoo.com
  • Domania.com


    I m abiding you can acquisition some added sites like these if you ll absorb the time to do so.

    SERVICE COMPANIES

    Some investors subscribe to casework that accommodate sales information. This can be in the anatomy of software in the anatomy of CD s that are beatific out periodically or it could be an online account area you login to retrieve information. I ve never acclimated any of these casework and typically, the reviews are alloyed as to their usefulness. Again, that may appear down to whether or not your accompaniment discloses sales information. Actuality s a account for you to analysis out:
  • First American Absolute Acreage Solutions ( firstamres.com )
  • Dataquick ( dataquick.com )
  • Netronline ( netronline.com )
  • CD-Data (California alone - cd-data.com )


    ACCESS TO MLS

    Having admission to Realtor s proprietary advice that is accessible in the Assorted Advertisement Account (MLS) is invaluable. In my assessment you should activate alive against this ambition behindhand of which atone alignment you plan to use or currently use. Again, there are several means to achieve this goal:
  • Ask or Appoint Anyone to Help
  • Become a Realtor
  • Obtain an Accessory Membership
  • Relationship Access


    Ask or Appoint Anyone to Help

    One way to access advice on sales is to acquaintance those who accept admission to it. For example, you could get in blow with a Realtor, Appraiser, or Appellation Aggregation and authorize a relationship. At some point adequately aboriginal on you ll accept to create it advantageous for these association to abide allowance you, so it s important to either pay them for their abetment or to get some deals done area they get paid.

    If you re traveling to go this route, I anticipate it s acutely important to accept the absolute data bedding beatific to you so that you can activate to apprentice how to appraise values. You ll anon ascertain that no one runs comps like you do. Afterwards all, a atone is alone anyone s assessment of what a acreage is worth. I ve had Realtors accommodate declared comps on backdrop that were in altered subdivisions afar away, fifty years earlier than my ambition property, with a altered amount of bedrooms and baths, altered foundation structures, awash years prior, etc. Do you absolutely wish to assurance six amount decisions to anyone abroad s judgment?

    Become a Realtor

    Although I frequently see calumniating comments about Realtors and the accountability associated with acceptable one, I anticipate this band of cerebration is way overblown. I can affiance you that if you re in absolute acreage continued enough; you re traveling to end up a ambition for someone. Whether or not you appear to accept a absolute acreage authorization is apparently irrelevant.

    Then there s the approach that you re captivated to a college accepted if you re licensed. Again, who cares? You re not traveling to accomplish your business to at atomic the standards that Realtors are captivated to?

    No, I m not accountant and I go aback and alternating on whether or not I should be, but my decision, or abridgement of one, is based on costs against allowances and getting lazy. I ve never met a acknowledged broker who aswell happened to be accountant who told me not to get my license. It s seems to be alone the association who aren t accountant who acquaint me of the "risks". So, my advancement is to not aphorism out this achievability artlessly because anyone abroad told you to or you apprehend something on a newsgroup.

    Obtain an Accessory Membership

    In some areas, the Lath of Realtors will advertise accessory or associate memberships to non-licensed individuals. For example, appraisers may authorize and I ve heard of investors getting able to access a associates as well. In my breadth anyone who wants admission to MLS haveto accept a absolute acreage authorization or anyone in their appointment who is licensed. If you don t understand if this is accessible in your area, it s absolutely account a buzz call.

    Relationship Access

    Building relationships with Realtors and additional professionals who accept admission to MLS is addition abundant way to accretion access. Granted, this alignment takes best and requires advancing efforts, but it is an able way to get comps. You may alpha out initially with accepting faxes and then advance to bound and supervised admission to the MLS during non-work hours. From there you ability accomplish non-supervised access, which then gives way to a full-fledged archetype on your home computer. Anyway, you get the picture. As the accord grows and the Realtor is adequately compensated for time spent, you ll acquisition it easier to ask for favors.

    As far as how you do this, I would advance scheduling lunches with the adapted people. If you yield ten Realtors out to cafeteria over a month, you ll acquisition anyone accommodating to plan with you. I would advance contacting agents who specialize in bartering properties. The cause is simple. Agents who plan the residential listings and buyers charge to use MLS on a circadian basis.

    Commercial agents about don t. In fact, in my breadth bartering absolute acreage deals are handled about alone through networking. In additional words, it s done by chat of mouth, buzz and faxes and MLS isn t even used. However, getting a affiliate of the Lath of Realtors still requires paying the aforementioned ante behindhand of the actuality that bartering agents may not absolutely use MLS. Is it accessible that one ability accede to let anyone abroad pay for that account that they re getting answerable for, but not using?

    Hmmm...

    If you re traveling to yield this approach, footstep lightly. In some areas acceptance non-licensed individuals admission to the MLS is beheld as a violation, thereby putting the abettor s authorization and alimentation at risk. Again, it s a accord thing. However, conceivably that abettor opened a "branch office"? Anyway, it s something to accede and I capital to let you understand that not alone is it accessible to do this, it s not even that difficult.

    Summary

    In summary, let me accompaniment that no adjustment for accepting comps will beat the accent of acquirements your bazaar and added particularly, your acreage areas. However, that takes time and I capital to let you understand there are additional means to get it done while you re accepting the ability and experience. In my assessment the aggregate of MLS admission and immediate ability is analytical in free commensurable values, but that s not consistently possible, abnormally if just starting out.

    So, it s time to get active block MLS admission and acquirements your acreage areas. Acceptable investing...

    Sincerely,

    Tim Randle

     TexasRealEstateClub.com

    (c) Absorb 2003, All Rights Reserved.

    

 


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