By Adam Lambert, founder of Deal Run · October 30, 2026

Zillow vs Redfin vs MLS vs Deal Run for Comps

If you comp one deal now and then, use the sold filters on Redfin, Zillow or Realtor.com and confirm each sale on the county record; if an agent will pull MLS sold comps for you, that's the most reliable free source, and in non-disclosure states like Texas it's often the only free way to confirm a price. Don't use the Zestimate or Redfin Estimate as your ARV. If you comp several deals a month and want comps, ARV, repairs and a max offer in one place, Deal Run (our product) does that from $29 a month.

Checked on each company's own site on October 30, 2026, unless a source line says otherwise. Zillow's and Realtor.com's sites blocked our checks, so we don't quote figures from them. Sources are listed at the end.

Disclosure: Deal Run is our product. It's listed last, and we say plainly when the free routes are enough.

This page compares where comps come from; our real estate comps guide covers how to pick and adjust them.

Quick comparison

Option	Price (checked Oct 30, 2026)	Sale price	Condition at sale	Non-disclosure states	Best for
1. An agent pulling MLS sold comps	Free if you have the relationship	Closed price from the listing record	Listing photos, agent remarks, days on market	Often the only free way to confirm a price	Anyone with an agent who'll help
2. Redfin sold filter	Free	Shown on sold listings	Photos if it sold through a listing	Can't be checked against the county	A fast first list of candidates
3. Zillow sold filter	Free	Shown on sold listings	Photos when available	Can't be checked against the county	A fast first list of candidates
4. Realtor.com sold filter	Free	Shown on sold listings	Photos when available	Can't be checked against the county	A second check for missed sales
5. Deal Run (our product)	Analyze $29/mo; Analyze + Sell $99/mo or $83/mo billed annually	MLS-grade sold comps	AI condition score from each comp's listing photos, where it has them	Covers all 50 states; verify like any source	Investors comping several deals a month

1. An agent pulling MLS sold comps — the most reliable free source

The MLS record has the closed price, sale date, listing photos, the agent's remarks about condition, and days on market. You don't need your own login. Each MLS licenses its data, usually to brokers and the vendors they sponsor, so an unlicensed investor can't just sign up for a feed (our property data API guide explains how MLS licensing works).

Ask for sold, pending and active listings within your radius over the last six months, and ask for the remarks, not just the prices. Our guide on using the MLS for comps covers the filters if you ever get your own access.

Watch out for: it's someone else's time. Agents who work with investors often help because you may bring them business, but asking on every deal wears thin.

Verdict: the best free source when you have a willing agent, and close to essential in non-disclosure states. Not a fit if you need comps at 10 p.m. on the day a seller wants an offer.

2. Redfin sold filter — fast and free

Redfin's data-quality page says U.S. users see records of past sales from last week to 20 years ago. Switch the map to sold homes and filter by sold date, type, beds, baths and size. When a house sold through a listing you usually get its photos, the only way a free site shows whether it sold renovated or rough.

Watch out for: in non-disclosure states you can't check the price against the county. Ignore the Redfin Estimate (more below).

Verdict: a good place to build your first list of candidates. Confirm the ones you'll actually use.

3. Zillow sold filter — the same job, different coverage

Zillow works the same way: switch the status to sold, set the window to six months, and open every result for the price, date, photos and price history. A cheap purchase resold months later for more is usually a flip, a strong ARV comp. The Zestimate on the same page is an automated estimate of value, not an appraisal and not a sale price. Zillow publishes accuracy figures for the Zestimate on its own site, but that page blocked our check on October 30, 2026, so we don't quote a number here. Our guide to getting comps without MLS access has the step-by-step for both sites.

Verdict: about equal to Redfin for comps. Use whichever shows more detail in your market, and run both when sales are thin.

4. Realtor.com sold filter — a second check

On Realtor.com the process is the same: search the area, switch to recently sold, then filter. Running the search on two sites catches sales one of them missed. Its site blocked our check on October 30, 2026, so we describe only the sold search.

Verdict: worth a pass when you're short on comps; rarely your only source.

Why the Zestimate and Redfin Estimate aren't your ARV

On October 30, 2026, Redfin's estimate page put its median error at 1.92% for homes that are for sale and 7.55% for off-market homes (its accuracy data was last updated October 29, 2026). Redfin itself calls the estimate "just a starting point" and "not an appraisal." Most wholesale deals are off-market. A median error means half of estimates miss by more: on a house really worth $250,000, a 7.55% miss is about $18,900, which can be your whole assignment fee.

There's a bigger problem. ARV is what the house should sell for after your repairs. An automated estimate doesn't see the roof or the kitchen, and it isn't estimating the after-repair value at all. Build ARV from renovated sold comps; our ARV calculator does the math once you have them.

Non-disclosure states change the answer

In some states the sale price isn't part of the public record. ATTOM's list names 12: Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri (some counties), Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. There, a sold price on a consumer site can't be checked against the county, and the county's appraised value is a tax figure, not a sale price. That's where an agent's MLS search, the title companies you close with, or a paid tool with sale-price data for your market earns its keep. Our non-disclosure states guide covers the workarounds.

5. Deal Run (our product) — comps, ARV, repairs and max offer in one place

Deal Run is web and iPhone software for wholesalers and small investors. Enter an address and it pulls MLS-grade comps, sold and rental, calculates ARV, estimates repairs from the property's photos, and works out a max offer for flip, rental and wholesale exits. It covers all 50 states. Analyze + Sell adds a ranked list of nearby buyers with skip-traced contacts; it emails the deal from your own Gmail. Text blasts go out from your own number.

Price: Analyze is $29/mo for deal analysis, with one lifetime disposition deal with up to 100 buyers. Analyze + Sell is $99/mo, or $83/mo billed annually ($999 a year), with 15 disposition deals a month and 100 skip-traced buyers per deal. Or pay per deal: $2 to analyze, $20 with 100 buyers. You can try the public demo on the homepage first: enter an address and see the comps and ARV before you pay. Details are on the pricing page, and how Deal Run works shows how each step works. Deal Run is made by Deal Run LLC in Houston, Texas; company, data, billing and refund facts are on our trust page.

Watch out for: it's a tool, not an agent's opinion. Check its comps like any source.

Verdict: worth $29 a month if you comp several deals a month and want the ARV, repairs and offer price in one place. If you comp one house a quarter and have an agent, the free routes above are enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Zillow or Redfin for comps?

Yes, for the sold prices. Switch the search to sold homes, filter it, and open each listing for the price, date and photos. Confirm each sale on the county record where your state records prices, and ignore the automated estimate.

Is the Zestimate or Redfin Estimate accurate enough to use as ARV?

No. On October 30, 2026, Redfin's own page put its median error at 1.92% for homes for sale and 7.55% for off-market homes, and called the estimate a starting point, not an appraisal. Most wholesale deals are off-market, and no automated estimate sees the condition or values the house after your repairs. Build ARV from renovated sold comps.

How do I get comps in a non-disclosure state?

County records in those states generally don't show the sale price, so a price on a consumer site can't be checked against the county. Ask an agent to pull MLS sold comps, ask the title companies and investors you work with, or use a paid tool that has sale-price data for your market.

Do I need my own MLS access to comp a deal?

No. An agent can run the MLS search and send you sold, pending and active listings with the remarks. Each MLS licenses its data, usually to brokers, so an unlicensed investor can't simply sign up.

How much does Deal Run cost for comps?

Deal Run is our product. Analyze is $29 a month for comps, ARV, repair estimates and a max offer. Analyze + Sell is $99 a month, or $83 a month billed annually and adds buyers. Or pay per deal: $2 to analyze, $20 with 100 buyers.

Sources and Check Dates

Redfin Estimate, redfin.com/redfin-estimate: median error 1.92% for homes for sale and 7.55% for off-market homes (accuracy data last updated October 29, 2026); "just a starting point," "not an appraisal." Checked October 30, 2026.
Redfin, Data Quality on Redfin, redfin.com/about/data-quality-on-redfin: U.S. records of past sales from last week to 20 years ago. Checked October 30, 2026.
Zillow Zestimate page, zillow.com/zestimate: returned an access error to our check, so no Zillow accuracy figure is quoted. Checked October 30, 2026.
Realtor.com, realtor.com: blocked our automated check; only its recently sold search is described. Checked October 30, 2026.
Sold-filter steps for Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com, and the Zestimate definition: our guide How to Get Comps Without MLS, sources checked October 29, 2026.
ATTOM, "Do You Know What Non-Disclosure States Are?" (dated October 31, 2022), attomdata.com: the 12 states, Missouri marked "some counties." Checked October 30, 2026.
MLS data licensing (IDX/VOW licenses tied to brokers): our real estate data API guide, sources checked October 29, 2026.
Deal Run plans and features: our own product and pricing page. Checked October 30, 2026.

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