How to find comps that win.

⚖ What makes a good comp

A comparable property — a "comp" — is a home similar to yours that's assessed at a lower value, or that recently sold for less per square foot than your assessment. When you put these in front of the Appraisal Review Board, you're showing the county is treating your home unequally. That's the strongest argument you can make.

1. 1
   Same neighborhood or street. Location is everything. A home on your street is the gold standard. Same subdivision is excellent. Same zip code is acceptable. A different school district is usually rejected.
2. 2
   Within 200 sqft of your home. Size is the biggest driver of value. Boards discount comps that are too different in size. Ideal: within 100 sqft. Acceptable: within 300 sqft. Avoid: more than 400 sqft difference.
3. 3
   Built within 10 years of your home. Older homes depreciate differently. A 1960 home isn't comparable to a 2000 home. Within 5 years is ideal. Up to 15 years is acceptable if everything else lines up.
4. 4
   Same bedroom and bathroom count. Match bed/bath exactly when possible. One bedroom off is fine with explanation. Two or more weakens the comp significantly.
5. 5
   Assessed at a lower $/sqft than you. This is the math that wins cases. Divide their assessed value by their square footage. If that number is lower than yours, that's unequal treatment. 10%+ difference is strong. 5–10% is usable.

Did you buy your home recently?

If you bought in the past 1–3 years and the county has now assessed it higher than what you paid, your closing disclosure is your single most powerful piece of evidence. Skip the comp research and go straight to your closing documents.

Z How to use Zillow

Zillow is the most popular home search site and has excellent sold data going back several years. Here's exactly how to find comps.

1. 1
   Go to zillow.com and type your zip code in the search bar.
2. 2
   Click the "For Sale" dropdown at the top and change it to "Sold". This shows recent sales — not just active listings.
3. 3
   Click Filters and set: Beds (match yours), Baths (match yours), Home Type: House, Square Footage (your sqft ± 300).
4. 4
   Set the sold date filter to the past 12 months. Recent sales are the strongest evidence.
5. 5
   Click Apply and zoom into your street or subdivision on the map.
6. 6
   Click on each home near you. Look for the sale price and the price per square foot — Zillow shows this on every listing.
7. 7
   Screenshot every comp that sold for less per sqft than your assessed rate. Note the address, sale price, sqft, beds, baths, and sale date.

R How to use Redfin

Redfin is arguably the best platform for finding comps because it shows price trends, detailed sold data, and displays price per square foot prominently. It also pulls "Comparable Homes" automatically.

1. 1
   Go to redfin.com and search your address or zip code.
2. 2
   Click "Sold" in the top navigation to switch to sold homes.
3. 3
   Click Filter and set your criteria: beds, baths, square footage range, property type (House).
4. 4
   Under "More Filters" set Sold Date to "Past year" or "Past 2 years" for more data.
5. 5
   Switch to Map view and zoom into your street. You'll see price bubbles on every nearby sold home.
6. 6
   Click each nearby home — Redfin shows $/sqft prominently right under the price. Compare it to your assessed $/sqft.
7. 7
   Click "Price Trends" on any listing to see how prices in your area have moved. If they've dropped, that strengthens your case.

Use Redfin's "Comparable Homes" feature

Search your home's address on Redfin and scroll down to "Comparable Homes". Redfin's algorithm has already picked similar nearby homes — these are excellent starting comps. Note the sale price and $/sqft for each. Any that are lower than your assessed rate go into your protest packet.

◆ How to use Realtor.com

Realtor.com pulls data directly from the MLS — the same database real estate agents use. It often has more complete and accurate data than Zillow for recently sold homes.

1. 1
   Go to realtor.com and search your zip code or neighborhood.
2. 2
   Click "Recently Sold" in the top navigation — this is the key section for comps.
3. 3
   Use the Filter button to set beds, baths, square footage, and property type.
4. 4
   Set the sold timeframe — last 12 months is ideal. Last 24 months gives more data.
5. 5
   Switch to Map View and zoom to your street. Click homes near you to see sale details.
6. 6
   On each listing click "Property Details" — you'll see a detailed breakdown including price per square foot, days on market, and listing history.
7. 7
   Look for the "Price per Sq Ft" field. Screenshot any home with lower $/sqft than your assessed rate.

⌂ How to use your county CAD website

Your county CAD (County Appraisal District) or assessor website is the most powerful source for comps — because it shows the assessed values your neighbors are actually paying taxes on. This is direct "unequal appraisal" evidence.

1. 1
   Go to your county CAD website. For Travis County (Austin): traviscad.org. For Harris County (Houston): hcad.org. For El Paso: epcad.org. (We surface your county's link inside your tax workspace.)
2. 2
   Search by street name. Instead of your specific address, search by your street name. This pulls every property on your street so you can compare assessed values side by side.
3. 3
   Look for similar homes assessed for less. Sort by square footage. Find homes within 200 sqft of yours. Calculate their $/sqft (assessed value ÷ sqft). If they're lower than yours, that's a direct comp for unequal appraisal.
4. 4
   Screenshot the property record cards. Click into each comp's record. Capture address, assessed value, square footage, bed/bath count, and year built. Print these for your hearing packet.

✦ Using AI to find and analyze comps

AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Perplexity can dramatically speed up your research and help you build a stronger case. Copy and paste these exact prompts — replace the bracketed text with your information.

♥ Ask a real estate agent for MLS comps

One of the most powerful — and most overlooked — sources for protest comps is a local real estate agent. They have direct MLS access and can pull 3–5 real comparable sales in minutes. And here's the thing most homeowners don't know: many agents are genuinely happy to do this for free.

Why agents say yes

★ Pro tips for the strongest comps

1. 1
   Use CAD comps for assessed value, Zillow/Redfin for market value. These are two different arguments. CAD comps prove unequal appraisal. Zillow/Redfin prove overvaluation. Use both if you can — it doubles your argument.
2. 2
   Three comps is the minimum — five is better. With three the board might dismiss one or two as outliers. With five showing a consistent pattern, it's very hard to argue the data is wrong.
3. 3
   Lead with your best comp. At your hearing, lead with the comp that's most similar to your home AND shows the biggest dollar difference. This sets the tone — don't bury your strongest evidence at the end.
4. 4
   Calculate the $/sqft difference clearly. Always show the math. "My home is assessed at $195/sqft. This comp at 456 Oak Street is assessed at $162/sqft — a 17% difference on a similar home 200 feet away." Boards respond to clear math.
5. 5
   Purchase price — only powerful if you bought in the last 2–3 years. If you bought recently at arm's length and the purchase price is lower than your current assessed value, attach your closing disclosure. That's your single strongest piece of evidence.
6. 6
   Document everything with screenshots. For every comp, capture the address, sale price or assessed value, sqft, and the URL. The board will ask "where did you get this?" — screenshots with URLs answer that instantly.
7. 7
   Look for the same floor plan. In subdivisions and planned communities, many homes are built from the same builder plan. If you find homes with the exact same floor plan assessed at a lower value, that's an extremely strong comp. CAD records often show the builder plan number.

✓ Final comp research checklist

Before you submit your protest, make sure your packet has all of this.