FAIR Appraisal Guide
Comparable Sales Sourcing for Appraisal Reports
Comparable sales sourcing should prioritize relevance, transparency, and consistent adjustment logic rather than volume.
- Match the appraiser to the item category.
- Confirm the report purpose before pricing.
- Compare fee disclosure before outreach.
Select comps that are meaningfully similar and contextually appropriate.
- Match category, period, medium, and scale where possible.
- Screen for condition and provenance relevance.
- Use recent and context-appropriate market references.
Adjustments should be understandable to non-specialist reviewers.
- State why each comp is included or excluded.
- Document material adjustments in plain language.
- Tie final conclusion back to comp set clearly.
- Is more comps always better? No. Relevance and explanation quality matter more than count.
- Should outliers be included? Only when justified and clearly contextualized.
- How do I make comps review-friendly? Use consistent labels and clear references between comp tables and narrative.