How your estimate works

Where the number comes from

We look up your property in public records, then find recent sales of comparable homes near you — similar size, similar age, similar type, sold recently enough to still mean something. The estimate is the range those sales support.

Why it is a range and not one number

Comparable sales produce a range. Any single figure would claim a precision the data does not have. Where recent nearby sales are plentiful the range is narrow; on a waterfront lot, an estate property or an unusual home it widens, because there is less to compare against.

When you correct your home’s details

Public records are sometimes wrong: a bedroom added, a bathroom finished, a living area recorded from an old permit. On your report you can correct the property type, bedrooms, bathrooms and living area. We then ask our data provider for a second estimate using your details, and show it beside the first, labelled “using the details you confirmed”. We never replace the public-record estimate, and we never call either one the value of your home.

Living area means heated, under-air space. A county’s “total” or “adjusted” area includes the garage, porches and patios, and would overstate an estimate, so it is never used.

The second range is the first range moved by the data provider’s own answer to your details. If your details would move it by half or more, we do not show a number: that is a conversation for a broker.

What it cannot see

It has not been inside your home. It does not know your roof’s age, your kitchen, your impact windows, your view, what the last owner did without a permit, or what the house two doors down just went under contract for. Those are the things that move a real price, and they are why a broker’s opinion is worth having.

What it is not

It is not an appraisal, and it must not be used as one. An appraisal can only be performed by a Florida-licensed appraiser. It is also not a lending decision, and it is not to be used for one.

What we do with what you give us

Your address is used to run the estimate. Your email delivers it, along with a few short follow-ups from Peter about your home that you can stop at any time. Your phone number verifies that the request came from you, and reaches you only if you asked to be reached. We do not sell your information. One link ends all contact, at any time.