Comparable sales adjustments, with every sign explained.
Adjust comparable sales toward the subject, prove the net and gross totals, and use a simple or weighted reconciliation only when the final ask calls for it.
The current Pearson VUE Texas sales outline includes Comparative Market Analysis in property valuation within the seven-item real estate math section. For adjustment questions, keep the subject fixed, adjust each comparable toward it, and follow the reconciliation method in the final ask.
The subject stays fixed. Move the comparable sale price toward the subject.
The comparable would have sold for more if it matched the better subject characteristic.
Remove the supported contribution of the comparable's superior characteristic.
Matching characteristics do not create a price adjustment.
Add positive and negative adjustments with their signs intact.
This is the comparable's indication after stated differences are applied.
Average or weight adjusted comparables only when the question supplies that method.
Keep the subject fixed. Move each comparable toward it.
Choose the final ask. Do not average or weight comparables unless the problem directs that method.
Compare each characteristic with the subject. Enter the supported value difference from the question, not automatically the feature's cost.
The amount is ignored while Same as subject is selected.
Comparable inferior, add.
Comparable superior, subtract.
The amount is ignored while Same as subject is selected.
Comparable inferior, add.
The amount is ignored while Same as subject is selected.
2 positive adjustments and 1 negative adjustment produce +$9,000.00 net for Comparable A.
The subject stays fixed. Comparable A moves from $415,000.00 to $424,000.00 after the entered differences are applied.
Comparable A gross adjustment is $25,000.00 (6.02% of sale price). This is a diagnostic, not a pass-fail limit. Adjustment amounts must be supported by the market or supplied by the exam question.
This mode answers one adjusted-comparable question. It does not pretend one sale alone is a professional appraisal conclusion.
Calculations keep full precision. Displayed money is rounded to cents and percentages to two decimal places. A result is an exam-math indication, not an appraisal or broker price opinion.
Email the adjustment proof and result.
Keep direction, signed adjustments, adjusted prices, range, and reconciliation method together.
Try five comparable-sales traps without the calculator.
The subject has a garage. The comparable does not. The supported garage adjustment is $18,000. What do you do?
A repeatable way to prevent sign errors.
Fix the comparison target
Write SUBJECT at the top and leave it unchanged. Every dollar adjustment goes on the comparable side.
Assign the sign
Inferior comparable gets a positive adjustment. Superior comparable gets a negative adjustment. Same gets zero.
Answer the final ask
Stop at one adjusted price, calculate a directed average, or apply supplied weights. Do not choose a reconciliation method by habit.
Four patterns worth knowing cold.
$415,000 comparable lacks a garage worth $18,000 to this market
Add to the comparable. Do not change the subject.
$415,000 comparable has a pool contributing $25,000; subject has none
Subtract the supported market contribution, not automatically the installation cost.
$415,000 sale with +$12,000, -$8,000, and +$5,000
Gross adjustment describes total movement. Net adjustment changes the price.
$424,000 at 50%, $416,000 at 30%, and $416,000 at 20%
Use weighting only when the scenario supplies or directs the weights.
Adjusting the subject
The subject is the benchmark. Adjust the comparable sale price to show what it might have sold for if it matched the subject.
Using cost as value
A feature's installation cost and its market contribution can differ. Use the value difference given or supported by market evidence.
Averaging automatically
A simple average is a classroom method only when directed. Professional reconciliation explains which comparables receive the most weight and why.
What professional guidance adds
Adjustment amounts should reflect market reaction rather than a universal rule of thumb. Cost, price, and value contribution can be different numbers. The best comparable is not chosen by one adjustment percentage alone.
Why reconciliation is not automatic averaging
Adjusted prices create evidence, not a mechanical appraisal conclusion. Professional reconciliation identifies which comparable sales receive the most weight and explains why. This calculator averages only when you deliberately select that exam method.
Keep building the valuation picture.
Do you adjust the subject or the comparable?+
Adjust the comparable. The subject property is the benchmark. Change the comparable sale price to reflect what it might have sold for if it shared the subject's relevant characteristics.
When do you add to a comparable sale price?+
Add when the comparable is inferior to the subject for the characteristic being compared. The positive adjustment recognizes that the inferior comparable might have sold for more if it matched the subject.
When do you subtract from a comparable sale price?+
Subtract when the comparable is superior to the subject. Remove the supported value contribution of the superior characteristic from the comparable sale price.
What is the difference between net and gross adjustment?+
Net adjustment is the signed sum that changes the sale price. Gross adjustment is the sum of the absolute adjustment amounts and describes the total amount of adjustment activity. Current professional guidance does not make an arbitrary net or gross percentage the sole test of a comparable's acceptability.
Should adjusted comparable prices always be averaged?+
No. Use a simple average only when the exam problem directs equal weighting. In professional reconciliation, the appraiser explains which comparables receive the most weight and why. The final indication should be supported by the adjusted sales data.
Is this calculator a real appraisal or CMA?+
No. It is an exam-practice calculator. A professional appraisal or broker CMA requires verified data, appropriate comparable selection, market-supported adjustments, scope decisions, competency, and reasoned reconciliation.