Allen Markel, REALTOR® · Texas Premier Realty

Deal EvaluatorExclusive Data

The Deal Evaluator: how our Deal Rating compares an asking price with recent sales

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Short answer

The Deal Evaluator checks whether a home's asking price sits below, inside or above a range we build from recent sales of similar homes nearby. It shows up as the Deal Rating beside the price on a listing. It is our estimate from comparable sales, not an appraisal, and it cannot see a home's condition. Treat it as a reason to look closer, then compare the home yourself or with me.

See newly listed homes with a Deal Rating

What is the Deal Evaluator?

It is a check on price. For each home for sale with enough data, we work out a likely range for what it would sell for today, then set the asking price beside that range. The result is a plain label next to the price: priced below our estimate, priced in line with our estimate, or priced above our estimate.

You will meet three names for the same thing. The Deal Evaluator is the feature, Deal Rating is the label on a listing, and Value Rating is the name on the gold data badge.

What do I get on a listing?

  • A Deal Rating beside the asking price, shown with an icon and words so it never depends on color.
  • Our likely range for the home, visible to everyone. Registered visitors also see our single-number estimate.
  • A High, Medium or Low confidence level and a note on which sales the range rests on.
  • A "less certain" warning where the math is thinner: homes over $1 million, homes with few recent similar sales, condos, duplexes and manufactured homes.

A real example. In mid-September 2026 a Cypress home was listed at $489,990 (address left out). Our range was $420,000 to $560,000 with High confidence, from recent sales in its subdivision. The price fell inside it, so the label read priced in line with our estimate.

Why did we build it, and who does it help?

An asking price is a seller's opinion, and buyers rarely have a quick way to test it. Pulling comparable sales by hand takes hours. The Deal Evaluator does the first pass instantly, from the same MLS sales I would pull myself.

Buyers can decide where to spend tour time, spot a price that deserves a closer look and negotiate with a range in hand. Sellers can see how a price reads to buyers who are comparing homes, and can check nearby listings before choosing their own price.

How is the rating worked out?

First we find recent sales of similar homes of the same type. We start in the same neighborhood and go out to about a mile, widening the search only when there are too few sales. Each sale is adjusted for differences from the home in question, such as size, age, lot, pool and garage, and for how prices in the county have moved since that sale closed.

The closest matches are blended into one estimate. The range around it is not a guess. We size it from how far our past estimates missed real sales, and we re-test that every month. In our back-tests on sales closed from March through September 2026, ranges built this way held about 8 in 10 of the sales.

Two inputs are left out on purpose: the asking price and the county's tax value. Keeping them out gives an independent view to compare the asking price against.

The sales come from our MLS database, loaded from the Houston Association of REALTORS MLS, with five-plus years of history.

Sources

  • HAR MLS sales and listings in our database, five-plus years of history, checked September 25, 2026.
  • Our back-tests of the ranges, sales closed March to September 2026, re-run monthly.

What does a rating not tell me?

It is not an appraisal, a promise about price or advice to buy or skip a home. It cannot see condition, repairs, upgrades, layout or views, which can move a price either way. A "below" rating can mean an opportunity or a problem the data cannot see.

In our March to August 2026 testing, homes priced below our range still sold a median of about 1% under asking, and homes priced above it sold a median of about 3% under asking. Those are past results, not a forecast for any one home.

Over $1 million the ranges are wider and errors were larger in our testing, about 13% on a typical sale, so those homes are marked less certain.

Free with registration

Do I need an account to use it?

Registration is free. The rating and likely range appear without signing in. Signing in adds our single-number estimate and details MLS rules limit to registered visitors.

Why do we ask you to register?

Some of what we share, like recent sold prices, a home’s sales and listing history, and our home value estimate, comes from or is built on data from the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR) MLS. MLS rules let us share that information only with registered visitors. Allen is a REALTOR® licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC), and he follows those rules because he values his license and your trust. Registration is free.

What else do people ask?

Is the Deal Rating an appraisal?
No. An appraisal is a licensed appraiser's opinion, usually ordered by a lender. The Deal Rating is our automated estimate from comparable sales.
Does a rating of "below" mean the home is a bargain?
Not by itself. It means the asking price is under our range. The home may need work our data cannot see, so walk it with me first.
Why do some homes have no rating?
When too few similar homes sold recently, or the range would be too wide to help, we show no rating. We also do not estimate property types we have not tested.
How often does a rating change?
Each estimate shows its update date, and it moves as new sales close and as the listing price changes.

Ask Allen about the Deal Evaluator

Have a question about the Deal Evaluator? Browse the short answers other buyers and sellers have asked, or send me your own. I read every question myself.

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Want the numbers on your own home or the one you are eyeing?

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Schedule time with Allen Call (832) 709-2540

Written by Allen Markel, REALTOR®, Texas Premier Realty, TREC #0658294. Last updated September 25, 2026. Next review December 2026.

This page is educational information, not an appraisal, legal, tax or financial advice. Figures come from the sources named above and can change.

Questions about Deal Evaluator

What it is

  • Where do I see the Deal Rating on a listing?

    It sits beside the asking price, shown with an icon and words so it never depends on color alone. The label reads priced below our estimate, priced in line with our estimate, or priced above our estimate. Next to it you will find our likely range and a confidence level, with a note on which sales the range rests on.

  • What is the difference between the Deal Evaluator, the Deal Rating and the Value Rating?

    They are three names for one thing. The Deal Evaluator is the feature, the Deal Rating is the label you see on a listing, and the Value Rating is the name that appears on the gold data badge. If you see any of the three, the same estimate sits behind it.

Reading the results

  • What does a rating of priced in line with our estimate actually mean?

    It means the asking price falls inside the range we built from recent sales of similar homes nearby. It does not say the price is fair for that particular house, because we cannot see condition or upgrades. Use it as one data point and compare the home yourself or with us.

  • What do the High, Medium and Low confidence levels mean?

    They describe how well the recent sales support the range for that home. High means the range rests on solid nearby evidence, and a lower level means the math is thinner, so the range is less certain. Each estimate also carries a note on which sales it used, so you can see the evidence.

Where the data comes from

  • Which sales does the Deal Evaluator compare a home with?

    It looks for recent sales of similar homes of the same type. It starts in the same neighborhood and goes out to about a mile only when there are too few sales. Those sales come from our own listing database, so they are the same sales we would pull by hand.

  • Does it adjust for differences between homes?

    Yes. Each comparable sale is adjusted for differences from the home in question, such as size, age, lot, pool and garage. It is also adjusted for how prices in the county have moved since that sale closed. The closest matches are then blended into one estimate.

  • Why does the estimate leave out the asking price?

    If the asking price fed the estimate, the estimate would just agree with it. Leaving out the asking price, and the county's own number for the home, gives an independent view to hold the asking price against. That independence is what makes the comparison worth looking at.

  • How do you know the ranges are any good?

    We size each range from how far our past estimates missed real sales, and we re-test that every month against sales that have closed. In those back-tests, ranges built this way held most of the sales. That is a record of past results, not a forecast for any one home.

Limits

  • Why do some homes show no rating at all?

    We leave a rating off when too few similar homes sold recently, when the range would be too wide to help, or when the home is a type we have not tested. Showing nothing is more honest than showing a number we do not trust.

  • Why are condos, duplexes and manufactured homes marked less certain?

    Those types tend to have fewer close comparable sales, and the math is thinner, so the range is less certain. Very high-priced homes get the same warning, because there are fewer matches and errors were larger in our testing. The warning is there so you lean on your own judgment more.

  • What can a rating not see about a home?

    It cannot see condition, repairs, upgrades, layout or views, any of which can move a price either way. That is why a below rating can mean an opportunity or a problem the data cannot see. Walk the home, get an inspection, and then decide.

  • Can a lender use the Deal Rating instead of an appraisal?

    No. An appraisal is a licensed appraiser's opinion, usually ordered by the lender for a loan. The Deal Rating is our automated estimate from comparable sales. It can help you set expectations before you offer, but your lender will order its own appraisal if it needs one.

Using it when buying

  • How can I use the rating to decide which homes to tour?

    Use it to spend your tour time where a price looks worth a closer look, and to slow down on a price that reads above our range. It will not replace seeing the house, but it filters a long list quickly. Talk to us if you want help sorting your shortlist.

  • Can I use the rating when negotiating an offer?

    It can help you walk in with a range in hand instead of a hunch. We can pull the actual comparable sales and talk through how they apply to this home, including what the data cannot see. The right offer still depends on your budget, the condition and your timeline.

Using it when selling

  • How can a seller use the Deal Evaluator?

    Sellers can see how a price reads to a buyer who is comparing homes, and can check nearby listings before choosing their own price. It is a first look, not a listing price. For a number built around your own home, ask us for a personal market analysis.

  • If my home reads above our range, should I lower the price?

    Not automatically. The rating cannot see your upgrades or condition, and the right price depends on your goals and your timeline. It is a signal worth taking seriously, because buyers compare homes this way. Talk to us and we will go through the comparable sales together before you change anything.

Next steps

  • What do I see without an account, and what does registering add?

    The rating and the likely range appear without signing in. Registering is free and adds our single-number estimate and details that listing data rules limit to registered visitors. One registration also covers the rest of the site.

  • Which other tools go well with the Deal Evaluator?

    The Home Report puts the value range beside yearly costs, flood zone and schools. The Property Tax Lookup shows what the home costs to hold, and the Flood Zone Lookup shows the map zone. Together they cover price, carrying cost and risk before you tour.

  • When should I ask you for a personal market analysis instead?

    When the decision is big enough that an automated first pass is not enough: before you list, before you make an offer, or when the rating seems to disagree with what you see. We can account for condition, upgrades and timing in ways the data cannot. Do not wait until after you have committed.

Using the tool

  • Is the Deal Evaluator an appraisal?

    No. It is an estimate from comparable sales, not an appraisal. An appraisal is done by a licensed appraiser for a lender. Use the evaluator to compare a price to nearby sales and ask better questions. A confidence level is shown with the range so you can see how much to lean on it.

  • What is a comparable sale?

    A nearby home, close in size and condition, that sold recently. Buyers, sellers, agents and lenders price a home by what similar homes sold for. The evaluator draws on those sales to build a range. A personal market analysis adds the details a tool cannot see, such as condition and layout.

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