Begin with the boundary
A report labeled Eastern Shore is not automatically a report about Fairhope city limits. A postal location, municipality, subdivision and MLS reporting area can describe different groups of properties. Read the report's definition, then decide whether that population answers your question.
Baldwin REALTORS' September 2026 report defines its broad markets and warns that changes to area definitions and the MLS platform can affect comparisons with older publications. Keep those notes with any figure you save.
Read these terms together
| The measure | What it tells you | What to ask next |
|---|---|---|
| Asking price | The advertised price at the time observed. | When was it collected, and is the listing still available? |
| Closed sale price | The recorded price for a completed transaction in the dataset. | Which sales and dates are included? |
| Median | The middle value in an ordered set. | How many observations were used, and what kinds of homes sold? |
| Average | Usually the total of the values divided by their count. | Does the publisher use that definition, and did the property mix change? |
| Days on market | A time measure governed by the report's rules. | What starts and stops the clock, and how are relisted homes handled? |
Compare like with like
Keep the geography, property type, price range and time period visible. Comparing one month's condominium sales with a year of detached-home sales can obscure the question you meant to answer. Even consistent categories can contain a changing mix of properties.
A higher average does not, by itself, show that every home gained value. It could also reflect which homes sold. Read the number of transactions alongside the price measure, and investigate the underlying group before assigning the trend to a particular address.
Save a note with every number
Record the publisher, report link, reporting period, boundary, property types, measure and sample count when supplied. If a definition or count is missing, keep it marked unknown. That makes the next comparison easier to explain.
Turn a broad report into a better question
For a purchase, ask which recent transactions are relevant to the home you are considering and why. For a sale, ask how the comparison accounts for condition, features, location and timing. A broad market report provides context for that discussion; the property comparison needs its own evidence.
Should I use current listings or completed sales?
They answer different questions. Current listings show advertised alternatives in your search. Completed sales describe recorded transactions in a past period. Keep both dates and purposes visible instead of treating the two groups as interchangeable.
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