A useful comparable sale is more than a nearby address with a price. It should help explain what similar property transferred under relevant conditions and at a relevant time. Public records can support that investigation, but the selection and limitations matter as much as the final figures.
Which properties belong in the first comparison?
Start with the same basic property type and intended use, then consider size, parcel characteristics, location and condition. A two-family building, condominium and single-family house should not be combined without explaining the differences. Recorded living area and lot size below show useful comparison fields, but individual records can differ from listing measurements. Check substantial alterations and unusual features. A simple price-per-square-foot calculation can conceal differences in condition, land, layout or the rights included in the transaction.
What are the limits of the public sales record?
The site's parcel-derived sales data records each parcel's most recent deed, not a complete transaction history. Older periods therefore narrow toward properties that have not sold again. Do not treat that changing sample as a reliable market trend. Also distinguish ordinary sales from transfers whose prices or circumstances make them unsuitable comparisons. The site's filters help organize the record but cannot reproduce every professional judgment about the transaction. Read the sale date, record source and limitations before using a figure.
How should the comparison inform an offer?
Use the evidence to ask why a candidate differs from the selected properties, then investigate those differences rather than applying arbitrary adjustments. The assessed medians below are tax-record context, not comparable sale prices. A lender appraisal and a buyer's inspection provide additional evidence for different purposes. Keep asking prices separate from completed transactions and avoid calling an estimate a guaranteed value. A transparent comparison identifies its selected records, their dates and the important facts that remain uncertain.
Massachusetts Department of Revenue: determining property values.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: inspections and appraisals.
What does the local record show?
These towns provide local context for the decision in this article. The figures describe the published records and survey periods identified below. Compare the same measures across places, then confirm the details of any actual home before using them in a budget or offer.
Local Figures for This Decision
Download CSV, same columns, same definitions
Selected municipalities, shown alphabetically. Definitions below distinguish assessments, administrative benchmarks and survey estimates from current market quotes.
| Town | Single-family Assessment | Median Year Built | Median Living Area | Median Lot Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfield | $264,600 | 1940 | 1,482 | 0.32 |
| Pittsfield | $256,500 | 1950 | 1,450 | 0.26 |
| Springfield | $267,900 | 1951 | 1,320 | 0.17 |
What These Columns Mean
- Town
- Municipality; follow its record below for the full data and address check.
- Single-family Assessment
- Median assessed value of single-family parcels. This is a tax-roll statistic, not an asking price, appraisal or median sale price. Assessment years are identified in the sources.
- Median Year Built
- Middle recorded construction year of single-family homes in the assessment data. It describes building age, not renovation date, condition, lead status or energy performance.
- Median Living Area
- Recorded median single-family living area in square feet. Floor-area definitions can differ from listing measurements; verify the actual building's record and measurements.
- Median Lot Acres
- Median recorded single-family parcel acreage. Lot area is not a measure of buildable, dry or accessible land and does not establish a surveyed boundary.
Cite: RE413. “Local Figures for This Decision.” Updated September 19, 2026. https://www.re413.com/news/how-to-compare-home-sales-western-mass/, underlying sources at https://www.re413.com/sources/.
Greenfield's town record. Single-family assessment: $264,600. Median year built: 1940. Median living area: 1,482. Median lot acres: 0.32.
Pittsfield's town record. Single-family assessment: $256,500. Median year built: 1950. Median living area: 1,450. Median lot acres: 0.26.
Springfield's town record. Single-family assessment: $267,900. Median year built: 1951. Median living area: 1,320. Median lot acres: 0.17.
What should you check next?
- Select similar property types and check area, land, condition and the rights included in each transaction.
- Read the source limitations and keep last-deed records separate from a complete historical sales series.
- Explain material differences and combine current transaction evidence with the appropriate property-specific reviews.
Keep the address, document date and source alongside each answer. If records disagree, identify which period and property each describes before treating the difference as a change. A missing result leaves a question open; it does not establish that a property has no problem or no cost.
Where can you continue the comparison?
- Reading the published recent-sales record
- Understanding comparison fields
- How valuation and condition reviews differ
Browse all housing guides by subject.
Open the linked town records for the wider context, including sources and dates. Use the property-specific records to narrow a decision, and keep current quotes separate from the historical figures used to explain it here.
Which official guidance supports this article?
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue: determining property values. Guidance checked 2026-09-05; confirm current requirements for your transaction.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: inspections and appraisals. Guidance checked 2026-09-05; confirm current requirements for your transaction.
Sources
- MassGIS and municipal assessors. single-family assessment, median year built, median living area, median lot acres. Figures through Greenfield: FY2025; Pittsfield: FY2025; Springfield: FY2026. Checked 2026-08-21.
"Figures through" is the period the publisher's data describes; "checked" is only when we last asked. The full sourcing: sources and method.