Estimating ARV is the first step in almost every wholesale deal calculation, and doing it manually means logging into MLS or public records, pulling comps by hand, and adjusting for condition, size, and location — for every single lead. Offr AI's ARV estimator automates that first pass so you get a workable number in seconds instead of an hour of comp pulling.
What the ARV estimate outputs, field by field
Every property that runs through the estimator returns:
- Estimated ARV — a single dollar figure representing the property's likely value once fully renovated to a market-standard finish.
- Comp set summary — the count and general characteristics (distance, sale recency, size) of the sold comps used to build the estimate.
- Adjustment basis — the factors the estimate weighted, primarily square footage, bed/bath count, and proximity, so you can see roughly why the number landed where it did.
- ARV-to-comp spread — an implied range showing how tightly or loosely the comps clustered around the final number.
- Downstream MAO — once rehab is added, the deal analysis page shows the resulting Maximum Allowable Offer built on top of this ARV.
Inputs required
The estimator needs a property address at minimum — from a buy box search result or pulled in through the Chrome extension while browsing Zillow or Redfin. No manual comp entry, square footage lookup, or condition notes are required from you; the system pulls property characteristics and recent sold data itself. The one input you control indirectly is your buy box's location and price range, since narrower, more local searches tend to have denser comp coverage than wide, rural, or unusual-price-point searches.
How the comp-matching works, step by step
- A property is identified through a search or the extension, and its basic characteristics (bed/bath, square footage, lot size, year built) are pulled from public records.
- Offr AI queries recently sold comparable properties within a reasonable radius of the subject property.
- Comps are filtered for recency and relevance, then weighted by similarity — properties closer in size, bed/bath count, and distance carry more weight than distant or dissimilar sales.
- The weighted comps are blended into a single ARV figure for the subject property.
- That ARV is displayed on the property record and passed into the rehab estimate and MAO calculation inside deal analysis.
Worked example
A 3-bed/2-bath, 1,450 sq ft single-family home comes back from a search in a mid-size suburban market:
- Four comps sold in the past 4 months within a half-mile: $198,000 (1,400 sq ft), $205,000 (1,500 sq ft), $189,000 (1,380 sq ft, needed cosmetic work), and $221,000 (1,600 sq ft, fully renovated).
- Weighting the two closest-in-size comps most heavily, and adjusting the renovated comp down for its size premium, the estimator lands on an ARV of roughly $203,000.
- That $203,000 then flows into rehab and MAO: if rehab comes back at $30,000, MAO at 70% of ARV minus rehab is ($203,000 × 0.70) − $30,000 = $112,100.
- If your search area instead had only one comp from eight months ago in a fast-moving market, treat the resulting ARV as a rougher starting point rather than a tight number.
Where it's uncertain, and how to verify by hand
- Thin comp coverage in rural areas, new-construction-heavy neighborhoods, or markets with few recent sales will widen the real margin of error even when the tool returns a confident-looking single number.
- Unique property features — a view, an oversized or irregular lot, an addition not reflected in county square footage, or a nonstandard layout — aren't fully captured by size and location adjustments alone.
- Fast-moving or fast-declining markets can make even a 60-90 day old comp stale; check whether local list prices have moved meaningfully since the comps sold.
- Pull your own 3-5 comp list from a local agent, MLS access, or a paid data provider before finalizing a purchase price, especially on higher-value or unusual properties where a pricing error has bigger consequences.
How it fits the rest of the workflow
ARV is the anchor number for deal analysis: it combines with the rehab cost estimator to produce MAO, and both feed into lead scoring so a batch of leads can be ranked automatically. Once you've settled on a number you trust, skip tracing gets you the owner's phone number and the CRM carries the deal through to contract. See pricing to get started.