Think Like an Appraiser: A REALTOR®'s Guide to Comparable Sales
About this Event
If your listing wasn't available tomorrow, what would a buyer purchase instead?
That simple question is the foundation of every credible appraisal—and it's the question that will shape our discussion throughout this class.
Most real estate professionals think of comparable sales as properties that look similar. Appraisers begin somewhere else. We identify the homes that truly competed with the subject property in the minds of typical buyers. Once you understand that shift in thinking, the appraisal process begins to make sense in an entirely new way.
This isn't a lecture filled with appraisal jargon or a checklist of arbitrary rules. It's an interactive discussion designed to challenge assumptions, explore real-world scenarios, and examine why some sales provide stronger evidence of market value than others.
Together we'll explore questions such as:
- What truly makes a property comparable?
- Why isn't the closest sale always the best comparable?
- What really drives value in today's market?
- How do appraisers decide which sales deserve the most weight?
- Why do appraisers sometimes overlook the sale everyone expects them to use?
- How do lender requirements influence the appraisal process?
- What information can real estate professionals provide that genuinely helps an appraiser?
Using examples from the Phoenix metropolitan market, we'll examine the Principle of Substitution, the economic forces that influence value, and the mindset appraisers use to identify a property's true competition.
Whether you're a new REALTOR® or a seasoned professional, you'll leave with a practical framework you can immediately apply when pricing listings, communicating with clients, and working alongside appraisers.
Because when you stop asking, "What's the closest comp?" and start asking, "What would the buyer have purchased instead?" you'll begin thinking like an appraiser.
About Your Instructor
Aaron B. Chonka is a licensed residential real property appraiser and owner of Metes & Bounds Home Valuation Services. Drawing from years of appraisal experience throughout the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area, Aaron has helped thousands of homeowners, lenders, attorneys, and real estate professionals understand market value through practical, evidence-based analysis. His teaching style emphasizes discussion, real-world examples, and challenging participants to see the market from a different perspective.
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