What a Real Staten Island CMA Looks Like and What a Weak One Looks Like
Every seller who calls me has been handed a “CMA” by at least one other Realtor already.
Most of what they got was not a CMA. It was a printout. A pitch document. A spreadsheet pulled from the MLS with no adjustments, no analysis, and no reasoning.
A real CMA is a strategy document. A weak one is a sales flyer with numbers on it. The difference is $20,000 to $60,000 in your pocket at closing.
Let me show you both so you know which one you got.
I am Allison Mireau with Real Connect Group.
What CMA actually stands for
Comparative Market Analysis.
Three words. Each one matters.
Comparative — comparing your home to specific recently sold homes with specific adjustments
Market — the current market conditions, not last year’s, not next year’s
Analysis — reasoning, not just data
Most CMAs are missing at least two of those three. Usually all three.
What a weak Staten Island CMA looks like
Here is what sellers hand me from other agents, almost every week.
The one-page auto-generated printout
Pulled from MLS or Zillow with a click
Lists 3 to 6 comps
No adjustments
No reasoning
No active competition
No pending data
Suggested price in a big box at the top
Agent’s photo and contact info filling the margins
This is a flyer with numbers. Not a CMA.
The “price range” with no reasoning
“I think your home is worth $700,000 to $800,000”
No explanation of why that range
No specific price recommendation inside the range
No strategy for where to position inside the range
No reasoning for the floor or ceiling
A $100,000 range with no reasoning is a guess with a dollar sign. Not a strategy.
The comp set that doesn’t match
Comps from different submarkets
Comps from a year or more ago
Comps with wildly different conditions
Comps that are not real comps at all
The agent pulled whatever the system spit out. No judgment applied.
The “test the market high” pitch
Comp set says $720,000
Suggested price: $800,000
Reasoning: “we can always come down”
Translation: the agent is winning the listing, not pricing the home
The missing adjustments
Your dated kitchen compared to renovated comps with no adjustment
Your flat half-acre compared to sloped quarter-acre comps with no adjustment
Your new roof compared to 25-year-old roof comps with no adjustment
The number at the top is garbage because the comps are unadjusted
Weak CMAs skip adjustments. Which means the number at the top is wrong before you even look at it.
The “I’ll check and get back to you” when you ask questions
Ask the agent why Comp A was adjusted up vs Comp B
They cannot answer
Because they did not do the analysis
They printed what the system gave them
The pending-sale confusion
Lists pending sales as comps
Treats pending prices as sold prices
Pending is directional, not confirmed
Weak CMAs do not know the difference
What a real Staten Island CMA looks like
A real CMA is multiple pages and has specific sections. Here is what you should see.
Section 1: Subject property profile
Address, bed/bath count, square footage, lot size
Year built, style, construction type
Condition summary
Renovations and updates documented
Known issues flagged (open permits, deferred maintenance, flood zone, CO status)
The agent has walked the home and documented what they saw. Not what the public records say.
Section 2: Sold comp analysis
3 to 6 sold comps from the last 90 days
Each comp walked through personally when possible, or verified with the agent who sold it
Specific adjustments for condition, size, lot, location, timing, concessions
Adjusted sale price shown for each comp
Reasoning for each adjustment stated clearly
Example:
Comp A: 123 Example St
Sold $760,000 on August 15
Renovated kitchen in 2024 (subject property has dated kitchen) → adjust down $30,000
Half-acre flat lot (subject has quarter-acre flat lot) → adjust down $15,000
Same bed/bath, same square footage
Adjusted sale price: $715,000
That is a real comp. Not just a sold price with a name.
Section 3: Pending sale directional data
Lists pending comps separately
Explains why pending is directional, not definitive
Shows what the market is moving toward
Weighted but not conclusive
Section 4: Active competition analysis
What is currently for sale that your buyer will compare you against
Days on market for each
Price per square foot comparison
Condition comparison
Position of your home relative to active inventory
This is what the buyer is actually choosing from. Your price must position inside this reality.
Section 5: The adjusted range
Range built from the comp analysis
Usually 5 to 10 percent spread
Specific reasoning for the floor and the ceiling
Not a 20 percent “test the market” guess
Section 6: Strategic pricing recommendation
Specific price inside the range
Reasoning for the specific position
Expected days on market at that price
Expected offer activity at that price
What happens if we go higher
What happens if we go lower
Section 7: Net sheet
Full net sheet at the recommended price
All closing costs line-itemed
Likely concessions baked in
Realistic net to seller
Section 8: Launch strategy
Timing recommendation (day of week, week of month)
Pre-launch marketing plan
First-weekend open house plan
First 14 days expectations
Response plan if offers come fast
Response plan if offers come slow
That is a CMA. Multiple sections, specific analysis, strategic reasoning, honest math.
The specific things SI sellers should look for
Staten Island has quirks that generic CMAs miss. A real SI CMA addresses these specifically.
Open permit check
Agent has pulled permit history from the SI Buildings Department
Flags any open permits that will affect closing
Recommends resolution timeline
CO verification
Legal CO status confirmed
Any unpermitted additions noted
Impact on marketability discussed
Flood zone status
FEMA flood zone verified
Flood insurance implications flagged
Pricing impact factored in
Attached vs detached distinction
Comp set correctly matched
Attached does not compare to detached
Semi-detached is its own category
Submarket precision
South Shore vs Mid-Island vs North Shore matters
Within those, specific neighborhoods matter
Great Kills comps do not price Tottenville
School boundary notes
Specific school district noted
Boundary premiums factored
Not characterizing schools as good or bad, but noting the boundary line matters to pricing
A CMA that does not address these is not an SI CMA. It is a generic valuation.
The three questions that expose a weak CMA
Ask any Realtor these three questions after they hand you their CMA.
1. “Walk me through the adjustments on each comp.”
Weak CMA agent cannot answer specifically
Real CMA agent walks through each one with reasoning
2. “What is your pricing strategy inside this range, and why that specific number?”
Weak CMA agent gives a vague answer
Real CMA agent explains the two-buyer target, the launch window, the position vs active competition
3. “What is your plan if we are priced wrong by day 14?”
Weak CMA agent has no plan
Real CMA agent has a specific framework for signals and responses
If any of the three questions gets a vague answer, you have a weak CMA.
The CMAs you should pull from multiple sources
Before you choose a Realtor, get three CMAs. From three different agents. Compare.
CMA 1: The experienced agent who gives you the honest number
CMA 2: The experienced agent who confirms the honest number
CMA 3: The agent who tells you the number you want to hear
Two out of three will usually agree. The outlier is the agent who is trying to win the listing by pitching high.
The outlier is almost never right. The outlier is almost always the agent who shows you the pitch flyer instead of the strategy document.
The red flags on a CMA presentation
Red flag 1: The CMA has their photo on every page
Pitch document, not an analysis document
You are being sold, not advised
Red flag 2: The recommended price is in a big colored box
The agent is anchoring you to the number
Not walking you through how they got there
Red flag 3: No specific adjustments shown
They did not do the analysis
The number is a guess
Red flag 4: Range is wider than 10 percent
Too wide to be useful
Suggests the agent did not actually narrow in
Red flag 5: No active competition section
They did not analyze what the buyer is actually choosing from
Pricing in a vacuum
Red flag 6: No net sheet
The number is for the listing agreement, not your pocket
Weak CMAs stop at list price
Red flag 7: “Trust me, I know this market”
Experience is not an argument
Data is
The green flags on a strong CMA
Green flag 1: The agent walked your home before building the CMA
Not estimated from public records
Actual condition factored
Green flag 2: Each comp has specific adjustments with reasoning
Not just sold prices
Adjusted sale prices with math
Green flag 3: Active competition analyzed
Shows what the buyer is choosing from
Positions you against reality
Green flag 4: Strategic pricing recommendation inside a tight range
Not a wide guess
Specific number with specific reasoning
Green flag 5: Full net sheet included
Your dollars at closing
Not just the list price
Green flag 6: Launch strategy documented
What happens in the first 14 days
What happens if signals are strong or weak
Green flag 7: Agent can answer every follow-up question with specifics
Because they did the work
Not because they printed the output
The CMA you deserve
The CMA you deserve is the one that:
Walks you through the real adjusted comp range
Positions you inside active competition
Projects your real net to closing
Lays out the launch strategy
Lets you make a fully-informed pricing decision
Does not sell you a number, but earns one
That is a CMA. Everything else is sales material.
What this means for your decision
Before you sign a listing agreement, make sure your CMA passes this test.
Multiple pages, not one
Comps with adjustments and reasoning
Active competition section
Pending data separate from sold data
Strategic pricing recommendation with specific reasoning
Full net sheet
Launch strategy
Agent can answer every follow-up question
If any piece is missing, you got a flyer, not a CMA. Ask for the real document, or move on.
What I will not pretend to advise on
I am not an appraiser. For formal appraisals, work with a licensed appraiser. For specific tax or legal implications of your sale, work with your CPA and attorney. I can refer trusted ones on both sides of the bridge.
All of our work follows the Fair Housing Act, RESPA, the NAR Code of Ethics, and the real estate commission guidelines for New York and New Jersey.
Before you accept the first CMA you see
Ask yourself:
Did the agent walk my home?
Are the adjustments specific and reasoned?
Is the active competition addressed?
Is there a pricing strategy, not just a price?
Can the agent defend every number with specifics?
Is there a net sheet showing my actual dollars?
If every answer is yes, you have a real CMA. If any answer is no, you have a pitch document pretending to be one.
The CMA sets the entire listing in motion. A strong one puts $20,000 to $60,000 more in your pocket at closing. A weak one costs you that same money without you ever knowing it was on the table.
Have questions about selling your home or relocating? Reach out to Allison today.
Call: 646.266.0188
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.statenislandtonewjersey.com
Contact Allison today to sell your home in SI.
