Quick Answer
A comparative market analysis is an agent-prepared pricing study using recently closed, pending, and active comparable listings, adjusted for size, condition, lot, and location, plus market absorption. It is not an appraisal, and unlike an automated online estimate it accounts for condition, upgrades, and micro-location within a Davie community.
01
What goes into a proper CMA
Closed sales from the last three to six months establish value. Pending sales show current direction. Active listings show your competition. Expired and withdrawn listings show where the market refused to go.
A CMA missing expireds is only telling you half the story, and the missing half is the price ceiling.
02
Comparable selection is where skill shows
Similar community, similar age and construction, similar square footage, similar lot, similar condition. In Davie, crossing from a gated community into an unincorporated pocket a mile away can change value substantially even at identical square footage.
The highest rated realtors Davie, FL sellers hire will justify each comparable and each adjustment rather than presenting a price with no supporting work.
03
Adjustments in dollars, not opinions
A pool, an impact-window package, a new roof, a preserve view, and an updated kitchen all have quantifiable ranges in this market. Deduct honestly for deferred items too, particularly roof and AC age.
The adjusted comparable range, not the raw sale prices, is the useful output.
04
Absorption rate and timing
Divide active inventory by monthly sales to see how many months of supply exist in that specific community and price band. Under roughly four months favors sellers; over six favors buyers.
This is what should determine list price strategy, not a general statement about the Florida market.
05
How it differs from an appraisal and a Zestimate
An appraisal is prepared for a lender under strict standards. An automated estimate uses public records and algorithms with no knowledge of condition. A CMA sits between them, informed by physical familiarity with the properties.
For a public-record cross-check on any comparable, the Broward County Property Appraiser publishes parcel data, sale history, and assessed values.
06
Using a CMA as a buyer
Buyers should ask for one before offering. The same analysis that sets a list price also tells you whether the list price is defensible.
Then set your number using how much you should offer on a house.