How MLSBot Scores Comparable Sales (And Why It Matters)

When you pull comps manually, you’re making judgment calls. Which sold properties are “most similar” to the subject? How much weight do you give to proximity vs square footage vs age? Every agent does this differently, and the results vary wildly.

MLSBot uses a systematic scoring engine to rank comparable sales. Here’s how it works.

The Scoring Factors

Every potential comp is scored on a 0-100 scale across these dimensions:

Location (Highest Weight)

• Distance from subject — closer is better, with a steep dropoff beyond 1 mile
• Same subdivision — significant bonus for matching subdivisions
• Same ZIP code — moderate bonus for matching ZIP

Physical Characteristics

• Square footage — how close is the comp’s sqft to the subject? ±10% is ideal, ±20% is acceptable
• Bedrooms and bathrooms — exact matches score highest
• Year built — newer comps are penalized less if the subject is newer
• Lot size — proportional scoring, with tolerance for typical lot variation
• Pool — having or not having a pool is tracked and adjusted

Market Timing

• Days since sold — recent sales score higher. 0-90 days is ideal, 91-180 is acceptable, 180+ is penalized
• Market conditions at time of sale — adjustments for shifting markets

Why Scoring Beats Manual Selection

The problem with manual comp selection isn’t that agents are bad at it. It’s that:

1. Confirmation bias — you might unconsciously pick comps that support the price you already have in mind
2. Recency bias — you might default to the most recent sale even if an older sale is a better match
3. Inconsistency — your criteria for “good comp” might shift from one CMA to the next
4. Time pressure — when you’re rushing before a listing appointment, you take the first 3-5 that look reasonable

Automated scoring applies the same criteria every time, weights them consistently, and evaluates every potential comp in the database — not just the ones you happened to notice.

The Output

The top 5 highest-scored comps make it into your report. Each one includes:

• The comp score (so you can see why it was selected)
• Full MLS data (price, sqft, beds/baths, DOM, etc.)
• MLS photos (hero exterior + interior shots)
• Adjustments for differences from the subject

You’re still the expert. The scoring just makes sure you’re starting from the best possible data.

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MLSBot scores comps automatically from 1.17M+ ACTRIS listings. See it in action or sign up for early access.