How ARV Comps Are Selected

When you run a comp analysis in Deal Run, the platform searches for recently sold, active, and pending properties near your subject property and ranks them by similarity. This guide explains exactly how that search works, what data sources are used, how properties are scored for condition, and how adjustments are applied so you can understand and trust the ARV number you see on your analysis page.

The MLS-first search approach

Deal Run uses a two-tier data strategy to find comparable properties. The primary source is the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), which contains the most complete and current transaction data available. When you enter a subject property address and navigate to the comp analysis page, Deal Run queries the MLS database first because it provides richer data at no additional credit cost to you.

The MLS search returns detailed information that property records alone cannot provide: listing photos, days on market, listing and selling agent information, public remarks from the listing description, and the actual sold price as reported by the closing agent. This data is critical for accurate comp selection because it tells you not just what a property sold for, but why it sold for that amount.

If the MLS search returns fewer results than needed, or if there is an error with the MLS data source, Deal Run automatically falls back to a property data search through public records. This fallback uses deed data and tax records to find comparable sales. You will never see this switch happen in the interface. The system handles it silently, and the comp results appear the same way regardless of which data source was used. You can check which source was used by looking at the data source indicator on each comp card.

Default search filters

When your comp search first runs, Deal Run applies a set of default filters designed to return the most relevant comps for a typical wholesale deal analysis. These defaults are based on appraisal standards and adjusted for the speed that wholesalers need.

• Radius: 0.5 miles from the subject property. This captures the immediate neighborhood and typically stays within the same subdivision, school zone, and market segment. In dense urban areas this may return 30 or more comps. In rural areas it may return very few, and you may need to expand the radius manually.
• Date range: 12 months. The search looks back 12 months from today for closed sales. More recent sales are weighted more heavily in the ranking, but including a full year ensures you have enough data points even in slower markets. Deal Run enforces a maximum lookback of 12 months. Comps older than one year introduce too much market-shift risk to be reliable.
• Property type: same as subject. If your subject is a single-family residence, the search only returns single-family comps. Townhouses, condos, and multi-family properties are excluded by default because they serve different buyer pools and have different valuation dynamics.
• Status: sold, active, and pending. Sold comps form the foundation of your ARV because they represent completed transactions. Active and pending listings are included as market context. They tell you what sellers are asking and what buyers are willing to go under contract for right now.

You can adjust every one of these filters. See Adjusting Comp Filters for a detailed walkthrough of each filter and how changes affect your ARV confidence.

Comp markers on the map

When comps load on the map view, each marker is color-coded by status so you can quickly identify the type of data point you are looking at.

• Green markers represent sold (closed) properties. These are your primary ARV data points. The sold price on a green marker is a confirmed transaction recorded in MLS and/or county records.
• Blue markers represent active listings. These properties are currently on the market. Their list price tells you the current asking price in the area, which establishes a ceiling for your ARV. If your ARV is higher than every active listing in the neighborhood, something is likely off.
• Yellow markers represent pending sales. These properties are under contract but have not yet closed. Their list price (and sometimes the contract price if available) tells you what buyers are willing to pay right now. Pending comps are the most current signal of market direction.

Your subject property is marked with a distinct red marker at the center of the map. Clicking any comp marker opens a detail card showing the property's address, sold or list price, square footage, bed/bath count, lot size, year built, and condition assessment if available.

Condition evaluation

One of the biggest sources of error in traditional comp analysis is ignoring the condition of comparable properties. Two houses on the same street with the same floor plan can sell $40,000 to $60,000 apart depending on whether one was recently renovated and the other has deferred maintenance and original finishes from 1992.

Deal Run helps you evaluate condition on every comp by providing listing photos, property data, and MLS descriptions. You can categorize each comp's condition based on what you see.

• Good condition indicates a property that sold in renovated or retail-ready shape. Updated kitchen and bathrooms, modern flooring, fresh paint, good curb appeal. These are the comps you want for your ARV if your subject will be fully rehabbed.
• Fair condition indicates a property with average finishes. It may have some updates but also some original elements. Functional but not move-in perfect. Use these for a moderate rehab ARV or to set a range.
• Poor condition indicates a property that sold as-is or with significant deferred maintenance. These comps are useful for determining your as-is value but should be excluded from your ARV calculation because ARV assumes the property will be in renovated condition after repairs.

You can filter comps by condition using the filter toolbar to show only "Good" condition comps for a pure ARV analysis, or only "Poor" condition comps if you want to understand the as-is market.

How similar properties are ranked

Not all comps within your search radius are equally useful. A property that is two blocks away, sold last month, and has the same bed/bath count as your subject is far more informative than one that is 0.9 miles away, sold 11 months ago, and has an extra bedroom and bathroom.

Deal Run ranks comps by a composite similarity score that considers multiple factors, each weighted by its importance to valuation accuracy.

• Distance from subject is the most heavily weighted factor. Comps in the same subdivision carry the most weight. Properties beyond 0.5 miles receive progressively lower similarity scores. Properties near the edge of your search radius are included for context but contribute less to the recommended ARV.
• Recency of sale matters because markets move. A comp that closed 30 days ago reflects current buyer behavior. A comp from 10 months ago reflects a market that may have shifted. The similarity score decreases as the sale date gets further from today.
• Size match compares the comp's square footage to your subject's square footage. A comp within 100 sqft of the subject scores higher than one that is 300 sqft larger or smaller. Large size differences require larger dollar adjustments, which introduce more uncertainty into the final number.
• Configuration match looks at bedroom count, bathroom count, garage type, and stories. An exact bed/bath match scores highest. Each mismatch reduces the similarity score because it requires an adjustment.
• Condition match compares the comp's condition to what your subject will look like after repairs. A renovated comp is a better match for an ARV analysis than one that sold in poor condition.

The ranked list appears in the grid view with the highest-similarity comps at the top. The top 5 to 7 comps carry the most weight in the recommended ARV calculation.

Adjustments for beds, baths, sqft, and condition

After ranking, Deal Run applies dollar adjustments to each comp to account for the differences between the comp and your subject property. These adjustments are always applied to the comp, not the subject. If a comp has something your subject does not, the comp's price is adjusted downward. If the comp is missing something your subject has, it is adjusted upward.

These adjustment ranges are calibrated per market and updated regularly. When you view a comp in the grid, you can see the raw sold price and the adjusted price side by side. The adjusted price is what is used in the weighted ARV calculation.

The total adjustment on any single comp should ideally be less than 15% of its sold price. If a comp requires more than that in adjustments, it is flagged as a lower-confidence comp. You can still include it, but the system will give it less weight in the final ARV.

What the recommended ARV means

The ARV number displayed at the top of the comp analysis page is a weighted average of the adjusted sold prices of your selected comps. Comps with higher similarity scores carry more weight. The result is a single number that represents Deal Run's best estimate of what your subject property would sell for on the open market after all repairs are completed.

This number is a starting point, not a guarantee. Local knowledge, recent unreported sales, and property-specific factors (view, lot position, HOA restrictions) can move the actual market value in either direction. You can override the recommended ARV if you have information the algorithm does not. See Manual ARV Override for details on when and how to do this.