While trying to figure out investing, I am having trouble figuring the comps for properties. Is there a formular for getting the fmv compared to asking price and the appraisel? Boy, this does take a lots ofwork.
There are a few services for that. I use Dataquick, but that is pricey for just getting started. Also you can call or visit a title company, make a friend there, to get a property profile that will show you comparable sales. You may want to call several until you find one that has a nice feeling and you can talk to them about.
Tell them you are a new investor and that you need a property profile for a specific property. They will many times NOT charge you, or a small fee. In any case this is the easiest way for not spending any real money.
There is a service called realtytrac.com that offers look ups all over the country for properties going into or having been forclosed on. In the next month so so they will be offering sales comparative reports as part of the service. It costs 29.oo per month. So if you get serious about investing, this may be a way to go because you can shop during the day and investigate right from your computer at night.
Hope this helps.