When you are interviewing REALTORS to market your home, you'll be introduced right away to a priceless document - the comparative market analysis(CMA.) This is one of the areas in which the real estate industry really earns its keep - by showing you in black and white what your competition is. But like a sword, it is a tool that can cut both ways. You and your agent will use the CMA, among other tools, to determine where your home will stand in comparison to others which are on the market, and those which have recently sold to determine the highest possible asking price. Your buyer will use it to find ways to reduce his or her offer.

CMA's are about facts which can be qualified and quantified. The CMA is typically designed to give quick capsules of information such as number of bedrooms and  baths, approximate square footage, size of major rooms, amenities such as fireplaces and pools, age of the home, property taxes and more.

CMA's can include homes that are currently for sale and those which have recently sold. They can go back in time as long ago as a year or a month or week ago. CMA's can cover areas as narrow as one or two streets surrounding your home, or as broad as an entire subdivision.

What is not included in the CMA are those factors that affect perception, and that is the key difference between why one home with identical features will ultimately  command a higher price than its twin. Perception alters reality, and this is a crucial consideration in understanding the buying and selling process and the value of the CMA. Much of a home's value will ultimately be determined by the emotional impact it has on buyers. These emotions are based on subjective elements such as drive-up appeal, interior decor, colors, views from the windows, light, darkness, room flow, and hundreds of other factors.