1. Closed comparable sales (most important)

Closed sales are the only transactions where both a buyer and a seller agreed on a price in current market conditions, and a lender (if applicable) confirmed it with an appraisal. They are the most reliable indicator of your home’s market value. A CMA should show closed comparables from the past 60–90 days, within a reasonable geographic radius (typically 0.5–1 mile in suburban Westchester), and within a relevant range of square footage, bedroom count, and condition. In Westchester, where submarket variation is significant, school district boundaries matter as much as physical distance. Two homes half a mile apart but in different school districts have different comp sets. For more on how school district affects value, the Scarsdale buyer guide covers the district boundary issue in detail from the buyer’s perspective.

2. Active listings (your competition)

Active listings show what buyers are currently choosing between when they consider your home. This is your real competition. If comparable homes are listed at $1.4M, pricing at $1.6M without a clear differentiation rationale means buyers who are ready to buy at $1.4M will not come through your door. Active listings also reveal how much inventory is competing with you at your price point — a useful signal for how much competition you will face from other sellers.

3. Expired and withdrawn listings (the ceiling)

Expired listings are homes that failed to sell at their asking price. They tell you where the market said “no.” This is one of the most useful data sets in the CMA and one of the most commonly underweighted. Sellers who study expired listings in their submarket before setting their price get a clear picture of where pricing attempts have been rejected by the market.

4. Price per square foot — useful, but not the whole answer

Price per square foot is a useful directional metric but not a reliable pricing formula in Westchester. A $400/sqft figure applied to an 1,800 sqft house gives a very different result than what a $400/sqft figure means for a 4,000 sqft house on a larger lot. Buyers apply non-linear valuation to square footage at both ends of the range. Use price per square foot as a sanity check, not as the primary pricing tool.

5. Days on market — what the absorption signal tells you

Average days on market for closed sales in your submarket tells you how quickly the market is absorbing comparable homes. In Q1 2026 Westchester, the average was approximately 29–35 days. If comparable homes in your area are going under contract in under 14 days, that is a signal of strong demand at current prices. If they are averaging 45+ days, pricing pressure exists and competitive positioning matters more. Days on market for your specific listing affects buyer perception: the timing mistakes guide covers why accumulated days on market reduces offer quality even after a price reduction.

Condition and presentation: Two homes with identical specs can sell for $100K–$200K different amounts based on condition, staging, and presentation. The CMA compares specs, not presentation quality. Your actual outcome will be above or below the midpoint of the CMA range partly based on how your home presents.

Future market movement: The CMA tells you what has happened. It cannot tell you where the market is going. For sellers concerned about market direction, the most recent Houlihan Lawrence Q1 2026 data and the broader Westchester supply and demand context provide the most current picture available. See the value guide for context on where submarket demand is strongest.

Buyer psychology: A home that is staged beautifully, photographed professionally, and marketed aggressively through the agent network before it goes live will attract more buyers and generate stronger offers than an equivalent home with average presentation. The CMA establishes the range; the execution determines where within that range you land.