|
The
most
accessible
source
of
information
on
comparable
sales
is
the
public
record.
When
someone
buys
a
home
the
property
is
deeded
from
the
seller
to
the
buyer.
In
most
circumstances,
this
deed
is
recorded
at
the
local
county
recorder’s
office.
They
combine
sales
data
with
information
already
known
about
the
property
so
they
can
assess
property
taxes
correctly.
Provided
there
have
been
no
additions
to
the
property,
the
information
available
from
the
public
record
is
usually
correct
regarding
sales
price,
square
footage,
and
numbers
of
rooms.
This
makes
it
easy
to
use
the
public
record
as
a
source
of
data
for
comparable
sale
information.
Accessing
the
data
is
another
matter,
at
least
for
the
general
public.
Realtors
can
generally
look
up
this
information
through
title
insurance
companies.
The
title
companies
either
compile
the
data
directly
from
the
county
recorder’s
office
or
purchase
it
from
other
companies.
One
problem
with
the
public
record
is
that
it
tends
to
run
at
least
six
to
eight
weeks
behind.
Add
another
four
to
six
weeks
for
the
typical
escrow
period
and
you
can
see
the
data
is
not
current.
The
most
current
information
is
the
most
valuable. |
