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Methodology

How the math gets built.

10-minute read

Every Walkaway Report pulls from 10 data points. Here’s exactly what they are, where they come from, and what they don’t account for.

If you ran the report and your number doesn’t match what you expected, the answer is almost always in one of the assumptions below. Hit reply on any email I’ve sent you — I read every one — and I’ll re-run with sharper inputs.

Home value inputs (4)

1. Median sale price in your zip code over the last 90 days.

A modeled 90-day median held per zip and reviewed periodically, not a live feed. Antelope Valley deals close at a different rhythm than coastal LA, so the 90-day window catches local seasonality without lagging on real movement.

2. Your address, when we can find it.

When the address resolves against our property-data provider, the estimate starts from that provider’s own valuation for your specific home — which is what carries your square footage, bed count and lot size. When it does not resolve, the estimate falls back to the zip median adjusted for school catchment (data point 4), and nothing about your individual home enters the figure. The report tells you which of the two you got.

3. Days-on-market trend (60-day window).

A modeled per-zip trend, reviewed periodically, not a live feed — the same table as data point 1. Rising days-on-market means buyers are gaining negotiation power; falling means sellers are. The trend is what selects the concession bracket below — when buyers gain power, they ask for more concessions.

4. School zone score adjustment for your specific catchment area.

A modeled, hand-authored adjustment held per zip and reviewed periodically. Material in zips with split-catchment boundaries — two houses on the same street can be in different elementary catchments and price meaningfully differently. It applies only when we could not resolve your address; when we could, the provider’s valuation already reflects the location.

Cost-of-sale inputs (4)

5. Estimated commission.

We use a 5.5% total commission as the default. Commissions are negotiable — including this one — and this is a modeled default, not a quote. Your actual commission will be in the listing agreement before you sign anything.

6. Estimated escrow + title costs.

A flat $4,500 modeled allowance for a typical AV transaction — title insurance, recording fees, escrow service. It is the same figure for every report rather than a number drawn from your transaction, because it is the steadiest line in the calculation.

7. Estimated buyer concession bracket.

This is the single biggest variable in the entire walkaway — what a seller credits back to the buyer at closing for repairs, closing costs, or a rate buy-down. The estimate does not read your neighbors’ closing statements; nobody publishes those. It picks one of three modeled brackets from the days-on-market trend in data point 3: $3,500–$7,000 when homes are moving faster, $6,500–$9,500 when the trend is flat, and $9,000–$12,000 when they are sitting longer. Treat it as an allowance to plan against, not a quote.

8. Estimated prep work bracket.

Paint, landscaping, minor repair, deferred-maintenance catch-up. A flat $3,000–$7,000 allowance applied to every report — it does not vary by the age or condition of your home, because we have not seen your home. This isn’t a quote — it’s a planning bracket. Your actual prep cost depends entirely on your home’s current condition and how aggressively the listing strategy positions it.

Your inputs from the quiz (2)

9. Your mortgage balance range (from Q4).

We use the midpoint of the range you selected. If you selected “$300,000–$400,000,” we use $350,000 in the calculation. Your actual payoff statement will be sharper — request it from your loan servicer or text it to me and I’ll re-run.

10. Your stated timeline (from Q5).

Doesn’t change the walkaway dollar number. Affects the cost-of-waiting math on your result page (Section 3 of the result) — longer timeline means more property tax + insurance creep accrued.

What we don't use

We do not use any of the following to calculate your walkaway:

  • Your name (other than first name for personalization)
  • Your specific income or income range
  • Your credit score
  • Your social security number (we don’t ask for it; we couldn’t use it if you gave it)
  • Your exact mortgage balance (only the range you selected)
  • Your filing status, except for capital gains exclusion ceiling

The math doesn’t need any of those.

What the math doesn't account for

Five things explicitly:

  • Transfer tax. Varies by city; small in the AV but nonzero.
  • HOA transfer fees. If your community has an HOA, expect $300–$800 in transfer/document fees not included above.
  • Unique property conditions. Foundation issues, septic, zoning anomalies, view easements — these can move the value materially in either direction.
  • Off-market negotiation. Cash buyers, family-to-family deals, and off-market listings price differently than MLS comps.
  • Forced-sale conditions. Pre-foreclosure, divorce-driven, estate-driven sales have different dynamics. The walkaway math assumes a normal-time-on-market sale.

If any of these apply to your situation, the report’s number is a starting point. Hit reply and I’ll run a sharper version.

Want a sharper number?

If you want me to run the math with your actual mortgage statement instead of a balance range, text the balance and rate to +1 (833) 977-2202 and I’ll have a sharper number for you in about 20 minutes. No call needed. No commitment. Your statement doesn’t get stored beyond the calculation.

When the math is wrong

If your number doesn’t match what you expected, the assumption that’s off is almost always one of three:

  1. Your home value. Maybe your zip’s median isn’t representative of your specific street. Send me your address and I’ll run a tighter comp set.
  2. Your concession bracket. If you’ve talked to neighbors who recently sold and concessions ran higher or lower than the bracket above, the difference flows straight to your walkaway. Tell me what you’re hearing locally.
  3. Your capital gains exposure. Filing status, primary residence test, and improvements all move the gains line. If any of those changed since you took the quiz, retake it — your number will update.

I read every email. The answers are usually in the assumptions, and assumptions are easy to adjust.

— Sal Bermudez

California Department of Corrections Lieutenant · Founder, de tu lado casas

Licensed California Real Estate Agent — DRE# 01850625

Real estate services conducted by Salvador Bermudez (DRE# 01850625) at Real Brokerage Technologies (DRE# 02022092). Equal Housing Opportunity.

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