Comparable sales adjustment calculator, built for appraisal math traps.
Practice the sales comparison approach by adjusting comparable sales for superior and inferior features, then estimating the subject property's indicated value.
In comparable sales adjustment problems, adjust the comparable, not the subject. Add when the comparable is inferior. Subtract when the comparable is superior. Then use the adjusted comparable prices to estimate the subject's value.
The subject property stays fixed. Adjust the comparable sale price toward the subject.
If the comparable is worse than the subject, add value to the comp sale price.
If the comparable is better than the subject, subtract value from the comp sale price.
Adjusted comparable prices create the value range for the subject.
Adjust the comparable sale price toward the subject.
Always adjust the comparable, not the subject. If the comparable is inferior, add. If it is superior, subtract.
The adjustment is the value difference for that feature, not the cost to install it unless the question says so.
A simple average is a classroom shortcut. Real appraisal work may weight the best comparable more heavily.
The exam may describe the subject as better or worse, but your math still adjusts the comparable sale price. Keep asking: what would this comparable have sold for if it were more like the subject?
What this comparable sales calculator is built to answer
Use it for sales comparison approach questions where the comparable property has a better or worse feature than the subject. The calculator keeps the adjustment direction visible so the common add-subtract reversal does not happen.
Why comparable adjustment questions get missed
Students often know the value of the feature but adjust the wrong property. The exam is usually testing direction, not difficult arithmetic.
Three comparable adjustment patterns.
Comparable sold for $415,000 but lacks a $12,000 feature the subject has
Add because the comparable is inferior.
Comparable sold for $415,000 and has an $8,000 feature the subject lacks
Subtract because the comparable is superior.
Adjusted comps are $412,000, $416,000, and $418,000
Do not average unadjusted sale prices.
Adjusting the subject property
The exam wants you to adjust the comparable sale price. The subject is the standard you are adjusting toward.
Subtracting for an inferior comparable
If the comparable lacks something the subject has, add to the comparable. You are making the comp more like the subject.
Using cost when the question gives value
Use the adjustment amount the problem gives. A feature's cost and market value are not always the same.
What to review next.
Do you adjust the subject or the comparable?+
Adjust the comparable. The subject property is the benchmark. You change the comparable sale price to show what it would have sold for if it were more like the subject.
When do you add to a comparable sale price?+
Add when the comparable is inferior to the subject. For example, if the subject has a garage and the comparable does not, add the garage value to the comparable sale price.
When do you subtract from a comparable sale price?+
Subtract when the comparable is superior to the subject. For example, if the comparable has a pool and the subject does not, subtract the pool value from the comparable sale price.
Is this a real appraisal tool?+
No. It is a Florida real estate exam study calculator. Real appraisal work requires professional standards, market support, and appraiser judgment.