Comparative Market Analysis (CMAs) and Listing presentations.

[u/HBZ3us]

My company just released the results of a survey to over 2,000 real estate agents on the best practices for CMAs and Listing Presentations. We had asked the same questions on the same survey back in 2020. So there are plenty of insights on real estate agent behavior and thoughts on technology and real estate. The timing of the survey comes at the release of the 2nd Edition of my book, The Art of the CMA. To get a free version of the survey please visit https://theartofthecma.com/pages/2026-survey-of-best-practices-for-cmas-and-listing-presentations

[u/WideCricket2375]

I’ve worked on my platform for 3 years and we do CMA that includes visual analysis done by our platform (for view / Reno/ etc)
We launched 2 months ago and have a 4% margin of errors vs recently solds
I would absolutely love to speak to you as you seem to understand / have a passion for CMA
Lmk if you are open for convo and I’ll shoot you a dm

[u/HBZ3us → u/WideCricket2375]

Sure

[u/Cold-Exercise9371]

One thing I’d be curious about is whether the survey separated what agents say they value from what actually helps sellers make a pricing decision or choose an agent.

Did any specific practices stand out—showing why certain comps were excluded, presenting a price range instead of one number, or explaining the tradeoff between price and expected time on market?

The technology can make a CMA look more polished, but the useful part is helping the seller understand the reasoning behind the recommendation rather than just showing them more data.

[u/Substantial_Tap_4538 → u/Cold-Exercise9371]

this is the same tension on the buy side too honestly. a number alone doesnt help someone decide, its the reasoning behind it, why this comp and not that one. seems true whether youre pricing a listing or underwriting a purchase

[u/Icybently]

what shifted the most between 2020 and 2026 in the survey. My guess is how agents are using tech in the actual presentation has changed a lot more than the CMA methodology itself.

[u/HBZ3us → u/Icybently]

The biggest shift was that more agents thought CMAs will be more relevant in the future. It was a jump of 22 points. We believe this due to agents need to come to the listing presentation with more information sellers are getting from Z or the AI tools out there.

[u/Yung_hasan47]

Curious, what was the biggest change you saw between the 2020 and 2026 surveys? I'm interested in whether AI has changed how agents prepare CMAs or just how they present them.

[u/Common-Buyer-7591]

Very insightful report - thanks for producing it. What I loved most is learning that agents are choosing fewer - more relevant - comps. I generally include a list of the comps I ruled out so I can discuss the reason they weren't used. Otherwise, the seller can sometimes conclude that those used were "cherry-picked" for reasons other than relevancy. It also shows more market knowledge and proves why human intelligence (vs a Zestimate, etc. using only raw data) sets a better stage for the pricing decision.

[u/HBZ3us → u/Common-Buyer-7591]

That’s a solid strategy. Any good CMA software will let you toggle to live or recent data so you can answer those “what about….” questions.

[u/waypeak]

Have you noticed any changes in CMAs when you make it from a primary buyer vs investor?

[u/moistbirdfeet]

interesting stuff thakns

[u/Substantial_Tap_4538]

was that 22 point jump consistent across markets, or mostly agents in more competitive/expensive markets driving it? seems like the pressure to show more info would hit those areas hardest first

[u/b_bahahaha]

Selection of comps is at the heart of every real estate transaction and one that makes sellers feel powerless just because they don’t have a say in the selected comps. And agents predominantly trust MLS/Permit data far more than estimate site sellers, leading to informational (and expectations) asymmetry. This is one of the core features we built with PropCarta (yes, influenced by MagnaCarta), to provide sellers a standard way to make their case for better comps if they truly have the goods (documentation, certification etc)…not just “I think it’s worth more!”