A seller who hears "comparable homes are selling for around this price" wants to know which homes, and why theirs compares the way you say it does. A comparative market analysis is what turns a suggested number into something a seller can actually trust — and it's a different document from a general market report, built around one specific property instead of the market as a whole.
Start with the subject property, specifically
Square footage, bedrooms, bathrooms, age, condition, and any real upgrades or issues — the same details a buyer would actually notice walking through. Vague descriptions produce a vague comparison.
Pick comparables that are actually comparable
Two or three properties, similar in size, bed/bath count, and neighborhood, that either sold recently or are currently listed. A comparable four neighborhoods over with a different school district isn't a comparable — it's a number that happens to exist.
Compare on condition and features, not just price
If the subject property has an updated kitchen and a comparable doesn't, that's not a footnote — it's the reasoning that justifies pricing above or below the raw comparable number. A CMA that just lists three prices and averages them skips the part that actually makes the recommendation defensible.
Land on a range, with reasoning attached
A single number invites a seller to argue with it. A range, backed by "here's why it's toward the top of that range" or "here's what pulls it toward the bottom," gives them something to evaluate instead of just accept or reject.
Use the template instead of building this from scratch
The CMA Template generates a real subject-property-vs-comparables analysis — not a generic market summary — from a description of the property and its comparables, in FLYNT Docs. Add your real MLS numbers, and once the listing is priced, track the deal through your pipeline with the Sales Pipeline Tracker.