Buyers and sellers both ask me some version of the same question: “how did you actually land on this number?” Whether it’s an appraiser’s report or the comparative market analysis I put together before we write an offer, the underlying method is more similar than most people expect. Here’s what’s actually happening behind that number.
It starts with a walkthrough of the home itself
An appraiser looks at the general design and condition of the home, checking for anything that raises health or safety concerns, signs of pest damage, and deferred maintenance that a casual visit might miss. They’ll note the kitchen and bathrooms, any fireplaces, upgrades like impact windows or a newer A/C system, and they’ll measure closets and rooms to confirm the home’s actual square footage — which doesn’t always match what’s listed online.
The exterior gets just as much attention
Roof condition, missing or damaged shingles, foundation cracks or signs of water intrusion, the chimney, any decks or porches, siding, the garage, lot size, and the home’s location all factor into the appraiser’s assessment — a lot of the same things a wind mitigation or 4-point inspector would flag, just evaluated for value rather than insurability.
Then comes the part most buyers never see: the comps
Once the physical walkthrough is done, an appraiser pulls comparable sales — homes similar to yours that have actually closed recently, ideally within the past six months. A home selling within a mile of yours isn’t automatically a good comp; it needs to be a genuinely similar property in a genuinely similar micro-market, not just nearby on a map.
Adjustments are where the real skill comes in
Rarely does a perfect match exist, so the appraiser (and I, building a CMA) make dollar adjustments for the differences: an extra bedroom, a renovated kitchen, a newer roof, a bigger lot, a garage versus no garage. Every one of those differences gets priced in relative to the subject property, which is why two homes on the same street can have meaningfully different values even with similar square footage.
This is exactly what I’m doing when I build your CMA
When I put together a comparative market analysis for a listing appointment or before we write an offer, I’m running the same basic process an appraiser would: pulling recent, truly comparable sales, and adjusting for the differences between those homes and yours, room by room and feature by feature — not just averaging what’s sold nearby.
Your décor and staging don’t move the number, in either direction
Personal photos, furniture, and how “put together” a home looks on a showing don’t factor into an appraisal, and a good CMA doesn’t lean on them either. What does move the number is the roof, the systems, the layout, the lot, and genuinely comparable recent sales — not how well the living room was staged for photos.
What this means whether you’re buying or selling in Tampa Bay
The appraisal and your agent’s CMA aren’t pulling numbers out of thin air, and they’re not always going to land on the exact same figure either — but they’re built from the same underlying logic. Understanding that adjustment process helps you make sense of why an offer, an appraisal, or a listing price landed where it did.
If you’d like to see how a real CMA comes together for a home you’re considering buying or selling in Tampa Bay, Clearwater, or New Port Richey, I’m glad to walk you through the comps and the adjustments myself. Schedule a consultation and let’s put real numbers behind your decision.
Appraisal process and comparable-sales methodology referenced from Redfin’s research on what appraisers look for, current as of 2026.
