--- title: "CMA vs appraisal: an agent seller-page brief" description: "Explain CMA and appraisal differences on your agent website with local review, estimate labels, approved pricing wording, and seller and buyer inquiries." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/cma-vs-appraisal-agent-seller-page" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # CMA vs appraisal: what your agent website should explain A comparative market analysis, or CMA, supports a listing or offer-price discussion using comparable properties. An appraisal is a separate opinion of market value from a licensed or certified appraiser. [Zillow's CMA explanation](https://www.zillow.com/learn/comparative-market-analysis/) and the [Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's appraisal explanation](https://www.helpwithmybank.gov/help-topics/mortgages-home-equity/appraisals/appraisal.html). On your agent website, explain that distinction before asking for the visitor's address. Identify the pricing review you provide, its limits, and the next step. A CMA or broker price opinion is not an appraisal. Texas makes that distinction explicit in [TREC Rule 535.17](https://www.trec.texas.gov/agency-information/rules-and-laws/trec-rules), checked 2026.10.14. Use the brief below to specify the public comparison and its inquiry route. The website requirements are recommendations. Confirm your service description and local rules before publication. ## Compare purpose, preparer, inputs, and limitations Keep the comparison visible above the request form. Use the same names in the page title, button, confirmation, and received message. | Question | Agent CMA | Appraisal | | --- | --- | --- | | What is it for? | Discussing a proposed listing or offer price. | Providing an opinion of market value for the assignment, including mortgage underwriting. | | Who prepares it? | A real estate professional permitted under the relevant state's rules. Name your responsible broker. | A licensed or certified appraiser. Identify the appraisal service separately from your brokerage service. | | What informs it? | Comparable properties and their relevant characteristics, with adjustments for differences. | Relevant market evidence and analysis. Comparable sales and property characteristics can inform the appraisal. | | What should the page avoid promising? | A guaranteed sale price or an appraisal result. | A guaranteed sale price, lender acceptance, or a particular inspection method. | The CMA purpose and comparable-property explanation come from [Zillow's CMA guide](https://www.zillow.com/learn/comparative-market-analysis/). Appraisal preparation, underwriting use, and dated opinions are described by the [OCC](https://www.helpwithmybank.gov/help-topics/mortgages-home-equity/appraisals/appraisal.html). Comparable sales and property characteristics are covered in [NAR's appraisal guide](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/consumer-guide-the-appraisal-process). Local preparer permissions need the state review below. Describe your own process beneath the table. State what you review, whether a property visit is part of that service, and how you discuss the result. Confirm any fee and delivery commitment with the responsible broker before displaying them. If you publish an example, label it as a sample. Keep sample data separate from a result for the visitor's property. Obtain approval for the material before showing comparable records or a downloadable report. ## Ask what the visitor needs the result for Offer **Discuss my listing price** for an owner considering a sale. Describe it as a request for your pricing review. Reserve report-delivery wording for a process your team has agreed to provide. For a buyer, offer **Ask about an offer price**. Let the buyer identify the property and the question they want answered. Zillow describes CMA use for both listing prices and purchase offers. [CMA uses](https://www.zillow.com/learn/comparative-market-analysis/). For a mortgage question, direct the visitor to their lender's requirements. Banks generally order an appraisal or evaluation during underwriting. An evaluation is permitted in some situations where an appraisal is not legally required. [OCC's appraisal and evaluation guidance](https://www.helpwithmybank.gov/help-topics/mortgages-home-equity/appraisals/appraisal.html). Do not label your CMA request as a way to satisfy a lender's appraisal requirement. North Carolina prohibits substituting a BPO or CMA when an appraisal is required by law. [G.S. 93A-83(f)](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_93A/GS_93A-83.html), checked 2026.10.14. If the visitor needs a report for another purpose, ask who will use it and what that recipient requires. Avoid deciding suitability through the website form alone. ## Approve the local wording before publishing Who may prepare a price opinion, charge for it, or present it under a broker's name depends on the jurisdiction. Check the actual license category and proposed service. In Texas, a sales agent may prepare and present a CMA or BPO for the sponsoring broker, in the broker's name. The broker is responsible. TREC also requires a written estimated-sale-price statement. Written opinions must reproduce its prescribed wording verbatim in at least 12-point type. [TREC Rule 535.17](https://www.trec.texas.gov/agency-information/rules-and-laws/trec-rules), checked 2026.10.14. North Carolina's commission explains that provisional brokers cannot charge a separate CMA or BPO fee. Current G.S. 93A-83 authorizes fee work by qualifying non-provisional licensees with active licenses in good standing. Its requirements include purpose, reasoning, assumptions, dates, identity, and a disclaimer. [NCREC's October 2012 guidance](https://bulletins.ncrec.gov/new-bpo-laws-rules-adopted-effective-october-1-2012/) and [current statute](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_93A/GS_93A-83.html), both checked 2026.10.14. Treat these as jurisdiction examples. Confirm the rules with your broker or state commission before publishing a pricing service, disclaimer, or fee. Have the reviewer approve the page, form, and any report separately. Link the applicable official source and show the review date. For any valuation calculator or form, state that the result is an estimate. If the form only collects a request, say that submission requests an estimate and does not produce an appraisal. Add the jurisdiction's required wording where it applies. Do not promise a sale price or home-value result. - [Exclusive agency vs exclusive right to sell: an agent website FAQ](/articles/listing-agreement-types-agent-seller-faq) ## Keep tax assessments and automated estimates separately labeled If the comparison mentions assessed value, name the county and assessment date. Use that county assessor's explanation. Avoid applying one county's assessment method across your national website. King County, Washington, assesses residential property annually at market value. For taxes paid in a given year, most properties are valued as of January 1 of the previous year. [King County assessor guidance](https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/assessor/buildings-and-property/property-taxes/residential-property-taxes), checked 2026.10.14. Use that example to require a dated local source, rather than to calculate another owner's current asking price. Confirm how assessed value is set with the relevant assessor. Confirm the comparison wording with your broker or state commission. For an automated result, name the provider and identify it as an estimate. Zillow states that its Zestimate is an estimate rather than an appraisal. [Zillow's estimate explanation](https://www.zillow.com/learn/comparative-market-analysis/). Keep the automated output and your later review visibly separate. An appraisal may use a desktop or hybrid process without an in-person visit. NAR describes those methods in its [appraisal guide](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/consumer-guide-the-appraisal-process). Avoid defining appraisal solely by a visit to the house. ## Carry the pricing question into the received inquiry Ask for the property address, the visitor's question, and a usable reply method. Let the visitor identify whether they are considering selling, buying, or asking about an existing report. Keep required fields limited to what your recipient needs. Include the source page and selected request with the received message. Keep visitor-reported condition changes separate from verified property facts. Assign the receiving person before specifying the confirmation text. Use a confirmation that describes the actual next step. A request awaiting agent review should say it was submitted for review. Do not display a value, completed CMA, or booked appointment unless the corresponding process has produced it. ## Accept the explanation and inquiry route together Agree these checks with the website builder. Use marked test details and a receiving account you control. | Check | Evidence to retain | | --- | --- | | Public comparison | Purpose, preparer, inputs, and limitations appear before the form on phone and desktop. | | Local review | The applicable official source, checked date, approving broker, and required wording are recorded. | | Seller request | The intended recipient receives the address, listing-price question, source page, and reply details. | | Buyer request | The offer-price question stays identified in the received message. | | Estimate wording | The form and any calculator identify estimates and avoid appraisal or guaranteed-price promises. | | Appraisal question | The page directs lending requirements to the lender without promising acceptance of a CMA. | | Confirmation and failure | Success matches the observed submission. A failed request offers a usable contact route. | Save the page address, date, submitted question, and received message. Require receipt evidence before accepting inquiry-path work. Assign someone to maintain official links, review dates, service wording, and the receiving destination. ## Include the CMA-versus-appraisal comparison The seller comparison separates a market analysis request from an appraisal service. Take the approved explanation to [whole website fix: CMA comparison wording](/for/real-estate). The whole website fix includes repair and receipt testing for the website inquiry. [CMA comparison wording, published scope, checked 2026.10.14](https://scalewithsearch.com/work). - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) - [Own your real estate website: domain, hosting, editing, and leads](/articles/own-your-site) ## Related: Real estate - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) - [Own your real estate website: domain, hosting, editing, and leads](/articles/own-your-site) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. Scale With Search 2026 [scalewithsearch.com](https://scalewithsearch.com) ```