Are you interested in finding out how much a house sold for in your neighborhood? If so, you’re not alone.
Many folks pay attention to the market values of similar homes whether they plan on selling.
If you plan on buying, you may also want to know what houses are selling for in a particular area. Real Estate agents are often asked, “How much did a house sell for?”
There are various ways to determine how much someone paid for a house. Some are simple ways to find out how much a home sold for quickly and easily.
Working as a real estate agent for the past three decades one of the most popular questions home sellers ask me is what did the house in my neighborhood sell for. Homeowners inquire because in their minds they are comparing the sale price to what their property could be worth.
I will review the best five methods so you can investigate the information you’re looking for. You’ll see the exact steps needed to determine house values.
Let’s dig in.
Common Reasons to Find Out The Sale Price of a House
Potential buyers and sellers might want to know how much a house sold for. Knowing the sale price can be crucial to negotiating offers and counteroffers in real estate transactions.
When you’re getting ready to sell your home, you may want to see the prices of recent comparable sales in your neighborhood. The sales prices of other similar properties will be a good gauge of the correct listing price for your home.
Real Estate agents will use comparable homes in the local area to create a comparative market analysis for a property. The analysis will be the basis for determining property values.
Obtaining a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) from a trusted real estate agent or appraisal from a licensed appraiser can ensure your asking price aligns with the current market conditions.
If you’re considering buying a home, you might want to know the median selling price of homes in your area. This could help you decide on an offer price.
Knowing a home’s previous sale price can tell you how much it has appreciated. Your buyer’s agent likely will also provide a CMA.
The sales prices beforehand will help make the CMA report more sense when presented.
There are several ways to determine how much a house sold for, regardless of why you want to know. We’ll review the best ways to find out to make the process more straightforward.
Ways to Find Out How Much a House Sold For
Major real estate websites offer databases of current homes for sale and historical sales data. This information can be helpful in your search for a sale price.
All you need is the home’s exact address to start your search for sales prices.
When you want to find out what a property is sold for quickly, one of the best methods is to go online to one of the popular real estate sites. The two most popular are Zillow and Realtor.com.
Search For Your Address on Zillow
You can search for your address on Zillow. Use the address lookup tool to enter your address, including the city and state. You will then see a property record for your home or someone else’s.
If the home was for sale at some point, you’ll see its sales history. Zillow will give you the dates when the house sold and the sales price.
Remember that you’ll also see a “zestimate of value” when visiting Zillow. Zillow home values should be ignored as they are rarely accurate. The accuracy of Redfin is also questionable and should not be used to price houses.
Search For Your Address on Realtor.com
You can also search for a home’s previous sale price on Realtor.com. Like Zillow, you enter the property address for which you want a sale price. If I were an agent without access to the MLS, I would use these sites.
Compare Sales Prices on Multiple Sites to Verify Data
When gathering information from real estate websites, your best bet is to visit several sites and compare the data.
If the prices of the items vary significantly from one company to another, you may have to do further research to determine which prices are most accurate. Usually, there is uniform, accurate information.
In a small percentage of cases, the data will not be accurate because it comes from third-party sources.
Understanding the Role of Automated Valuation Models (AVMs)
Many homeowners turn to Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) for a quick estimate of their property’s worth. However, consulting a professional for a more precise valuation is wise.
Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) are sophisticated algorithms many online real estate platforms use to estimate property values.
To generate property value estimates, these models analyze vast amounts of data, including historical sale prices, current market trends, property characteristics, and local market conditions.
While AVMs offer a quick and easy way to understand what a home might be worth, it’s crucial to remember that these estimates are just that—estimates. They can serve as a starting point in your research but should be supplemented with other methods for a more accurate picture of a home’s value.
A home value estimator should not be used for vital real estate decisions. The accuracy is limited and could cause bad decisions.
Use Google to Find a Home’s Sale Price
You can also visit Google and type the property’s full address into the search bar. If the property has sold recently, there will be a strong possibility of finding the sales price.
Online tools are a terrific way to determine what a home sells for. It’s similar to looking for who owns a property. The search will provide you with public information on house prices of previous owners in many circumstances.
You can also glean other excellent information about a property by doing a Google search, including detailed information like property taxes, square footage, and the number of bedrooms and baths.
Use The Local Newspaper
The local newspaper can be a useful tool for finding sold data, but it’s much more challenging to locate a specific property.
Valuable tools such as online resources make it much more straightforward to find house prices.
Visit The Tax Assessor’s Office at City Hall
One of the more accurate ways to find out a property’s sale price is to visit the local assessor’s office. They will have a property “field card” that shows the previous sales prices of homes.
It’s also possible to search for house sales prices online. Most counties have their tax information on a public website. You can begin your search once you know what town the house is in.
You can visit their website for information on sales for a particular address. The website usually doesn’t charge a fee, but sometimes, when visiting the tax assessor’s office, there will be a minimal charge for information. The small fee will be worth it to get the sale price information you’re looking for.
The Public Records Online Directory is a portal to the offices of tax assessors, treasurers, and recorders that have developed websites for the retrieval of public records over the Internet.
Search at The Registry of Deeds as a Last Resort
The local registry of deeds or county courthouse will have the sales price information for any house you want to research. However, unless you live near the registry, it is more work for most folks.
A real estate attorney or title company could also perform a title search for you. Conducting a title search is a thorough method to uncover a property’s financial history, including previous sale prices and any outstanding liens or encumbrances.
A title search will provide a document containing the information you need about the home. The fee they charge is probably not worth it unless you have looked in other places without any luck.
If you are looking for the previous sale price of your own home, you could kill two birds with one stone and ask to check for a clear title.
A deed of abstract usually includes:
- Property sale prices
- Mortgages, liens, and any tax debts
- Easements and rights of way
Check Sales Prices of Homes By Speaking to a Local Real Estate Agent
The easiest way to determine the price a house sells for is to speak with a local Realtor. Real Estate agents have access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), a database of properties for sale, pending sale, and sold homes.
Real estate agents can do simple searches by giving an address to see the complete sales history of a house. Agents can see the sold price and date for any property. It is the best way to get sales prices of homes in a given area. The MLS has property information for the local market, including recent home sales.
Real Estate professionals can access property records through affiliation with the local MLS board.
Even if you are not friendly with a real estate agent, they will gladly provide this information. Most real estate agents love meeting new people and helping them out.
Doing so can lead to future business for a top real estate agent. Give an agent the address you want the sale price for, and they will do the rest.
How Do You Find Out What a Home Sold for That Has a Sold Sign?
If you want to find out the sale price of a house that has a sold sign or pending rider in your neighborhood, the agent will not be able to tell you until the property closes.
If the real estate agent is a member of the National Association of Realtors, strict rules must be followed to protect the owner’s interests.
It is against the Realtor Code of Ethics for the listing agent to reveal the sale price of a property before it closes. Unethical behavior could result in the loss of a real estate license.
So, with contingent sales and pending sales, the real estate agent cannot reveal the price to anyone. If the sale falls through, other people know the home’s sales price could hurt the seller.
Once the property closes, the real estate agent can reveal the sale price.
You could also find out the sale price the old-fashioned way by calling the seller or visiting their house.
The Importance of Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)
A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is an invaluable tool Realtors use to determine a property’s value by comparing it to similar properties in the area that have recently sold, are currently on the market, or are pending sale.
This analysis considers various factors, including location, property size, condition, and features,. The data provides an accurate estimate of a property’s market value.
A CMA can help sellers set a competitive listing price, while buyers can use it to make informed offer decisions. Using a real estate agent to conduct a CMA can provide insights crucial for strategic real estate decisions.
Property tax assessments should not be used to determine value. Their accuracy to current market value is usually far off.
Are House Sale Prices Always Made Public?
In some states, a home’s sale price is not a public record. The following states do not require disclosure of property sale prices. These are the non-disclosure states:
- Alaska
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Mexico
- Texas
- Utah
- Wyoming
There Are Also States With a Gray Area For Sales Price Disclosure
There are states that fall into a sale price disclosure gray area. In these states, no disclosure laws exist, and sale prices are only made public if the seller submits them.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Louisiana
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
In states with non-disclosure laws that don’t release sales data to the public, you’ll need to speak with a realtor. Researching home prices in non-disclosure states requires more creativity, which is why speaking with a seasoned real estate agent is worthwhile.
Legal Considerations in Non-Disclosure States
In non-disclosure states, the sale price of a home is not required to be made public. This poses a unique challenge for determining a property’s market value. It affects how real estate professionals, buyers, and sellers operate, restricting access to accurate sale prices.
Suppose you’re researching property values in one of these states. It’s essential to understand the legal landscape and consider alternative strategies for gathering information. As mentioned, I recommend consulting with a local real estate agent with access to private databases like the MLS.
Final Thoughts
Finding out what a house sold for is common among buyers and sellers. A CMA is helpful when you are interested in determining the value of your home or making an offer on a property.
Real Estate agents will provide a comparative market analysis for free. By getting a CMA done, you’ll find out the likely sale price for your home.
About the Author: Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provided the above real estate information on how to find out how much a house sold for. Bill has expertise in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications in which he has been featured. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. For the past 38+ years, Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge Massachusetts.
Great options for those interested in home sale prices. Though, one does need to keep in mind that certain private party sales (ie: FSBO, neighbor to neighbor, relatives, etc.) will often not accurately reflect the true sales price. Some folks like to play games to try and beat the tax man.