From seven nearby records to four explainable candidates
This fictional example demonstrates the method used by Ammax Home. The addresses and values are invented for education and do not describe actual properties or sales.
Written and reviewed by Ammax Home Editorial · Updated August 23, 2026 · 8 min read
The subject and initial criteria
Assume the subject is a 2,000-square-foot detached single-family home built in 1988. Its district record shows $430,000 total market value, including $150,000 land and $280,000 improvements. Market-value PSF is therefore $215, and improvement-value PSF is $140.
The first screen uses a one-half-mile radius, the same single-family class, plus or minus 15 percent living area, and plus or minus ten years built. The acceptable living-area range is 1,700 to 2,300 square feet. The acceptable age range is 1978 through 1998.
The broad nearby set
| Record | Distance | Living area | Year | Market value | Land value | Market PSF | Improvement PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | 0.00 mi | 2,000 | 1988 | $430,000 | $150,000 | $215 | $140 |
| Maple A | 0.12 mi | 1,910 | 1986 | $401,000 | $146,000 | $210 | $134 |
| Maple B | 0.19 mi | 2,120 | 1991 | $456,000 | $158,000 | $215 | $141 |
| Oak C | 0.27 mi | 1,760 | 1984 | $382,000 | $152,000 | $217 | $131 |
| Oak D | 0.34 mi | 2,270 | 1989 | $475,000 | $147,000 | $209 | $145 |
| Bayou E | 0.41 mi | 1,980 | 2007 | $512,000 | $225,000 | $259 | $145 |
| Market F | 0.46 mi | 2,030 | 1987 | $535,000 | $285,000 | $264 | $123 |
All six candidates are within one-half mile and near the subject's size. That does not make all six equally useful. The next step is to apply the criteria consistently and investigate the value components.
Age removes one record for the initial analysis
Bayou E was built in 2007, nineteen years after the subject. It falls outside the predefined ten-year range, so it is removed from the primary set. This is not a judgment that Bayou E has no information. It is a decision to keep the first analysis focused on the subject's construction era. A later sensitivity check could turn the age filter off and show how the result changes.
Location context removes another record
Market F passes the numeric screens but sits beside a commercial corridor on a smaller, differently modeled site. Its $264 market PSF looks high, while its $123 improvement PSF is the lowest in the group. The split suggests land—not the building—is driving much of the total ratio. Because the subject is interior to the subdivision, Market F is removed from the primary group and retained as a separate location reference.
This is why a market-PSF ceiling alone would be an incomplete tool. It would remove Market F because its market PSF exceeds the subject, but the improvement ratio tells a different story. The exclusion should be based on the documented location and land difference, not merely on which side of the subject's PSF it falls.
The four-property primary set
Maple A, Maple B, Oak C, and Oak D remain. Their market PSF values are $210, $215, $217, and $209. The average is $212.75 and the median is $212.50. Their improvement PSF values are $134, $141, $131, and $145. The average and median are both $137.75.
The subject's $215 market PSF is slightly above the group's center, while its $140 improvement PSF is also modestly above the center. Those observations do not establish that the subject is overvalued or undervalued. They identify where the subject sits within this filtered appraisal-record set and show which records deserve closer verification.
The process produced a small, transparent group and exposed why two nearby records were treated separately. It did not manufacture a sale estimate or erase inconvenient evidence.
What must be checked next
Before relying on the group, a researcher should open each official account and confirm tax year, living area, class, land size, value status, and building characteristics. Map review should confirm the claimed location differences. Reliable information about renovations, condition, flood history, or extra features should be added when relevant.
If the question concerns sale prices, the work is not finished. These figures are appraisal values. Verified closed-sale data would need to come from an authorized source and be analyzed with transaction dates and property differences.
Try the same workflow
- Record the subject's official fields and tax year.
- Set location, size, type, and age criteria before reviewing PSF.
- Compare market and improvement components separately.
- Inspect average, median, and outliers.
- Document every material inclusion and exclusion.
- Verify each candidate on the responsible district website.
Open the Ammax Home comparison tool or review the complete comparable-selection guide before starting.