How to run comps for Florida foreclosure auctions and Pennsylvania sheriff sales

Most comp tools assume they can see what properties sold for. In Florida and Pennsylvania, they can't.

Both are non-disclosure states. Sale prices are not part of the public record. Zillow's Zestimate, Resideline's ARV estimates, and most automated comp tools rely on publicly recorded sale prices to generate their numbers. When those prices aren't available, the estimates get worse or stop working entirely.

If you're investing in Florida foreclosure auctions or Pennsylvania sheriff sales, this is the first thing you need to understand. The comp tools that work fine in Ohio will give you incomplete or inaccurate results in FL and PA. You need different data sources, different methods, and you need to know what "assessed value" actually means. (Hint: in Florida, it's often half of market value.)

We track auction results across 39 Florida counties and seven Pennsylvania counties. Every week, we publish what actually sold and for how much. That gives us a view of pricing in these markets that most comp tools can't match. We're recording real transaction data from foreclosure auctions, not relying on public disclosure that doesn't exist.

What "non-disclosure state" actually means for investors

When you buy or sell a property, the sale price gets recorded with the county in most states. These are disclosure states. Comp tools, appraisers, and automated valuation models (AVMs) all pull from these records to estimate values.

Florida and Pennsylvania don't do this. The sale price is not recorded on the deed. It doesn't appear in public property records. Any third-party tool that depends on this data is working with less information than it would have in a state like Ohio, where every sale price is public.

That affects the accuracy of every automated estimate you see.

Zillow's Zestimate uses a mix of public data including recorded sale prices. In non-disclosure states, Zestimates lose one of their inputs. The estimates still exist, but they're less reliable. Zillow says so in their own methodology docs.

Resideline, an AI-powered ARV tool, is more direct about it. Their ARV estimates only work in disclosure states. Look at a Florida or Pennsylvania property on Resideline and you're getting a rental estimate (those work nationwide) or nothing.

ChatARV recently started advertising "non-disclosure state comps" as a new feature. That tells you the problem is real enough that competitors are building products around it. The fact that they're marketing it as "NEW" in mid-2026 confirms this has been a gap for a while.

For auction investors, the problem is worse. You're already buying properties where condition is uncertain and interior access may not exist. Layer unreliable comp data on top, and you're bidding with significantly less information than investors in disclosure states.

What data sources actually exist in Florida and Pennsylvania

Sale prices aren't public, but other data is. Here's what's available and how far each source gets you.

Florida: deed documentary stamps

Florida charges a documentary stamp tax on real estate transfers at $0.70 per $100 of consideration ($0.60 in Miami-Dade County). Because this tax is based on the sale price, you can back-calculate an approximate price from the doc stamp amount on the deed.

The math: if doc stamps are $700, the sale price was roughly $100,000 ($700 / $0.70 x $100).

It works, but with limits. Doc stamps are rounded, so you get an approximation. Exempt transfers (between family members, for instance) show $0 in stamps, which looks like a $0 sale. And pulling doc stamp data means accessing individual deeds through county clerk records, which is slow if you're researching several properties.

Some data aggregators collect doc stamps and back-calculate prices, but coverage is spotty and there's usually a lag of weeks to months.

Pennsylvania: transfer tax records

Pennsylvania charges a 1% state realty transfer tax (buyer and seller each pay 1%, totaling 2% in most counties). Like Florida's doc stamps, it's based on the sale price, so you can back-calculate.

PA transfer tax records are spottier than Florida's doc stamps, though. Coverage varies by county, some transfers are exempt, and the data isn't always easy to access in bulk. You can pull individual records from county recorder offices, but building a systematic comp analysis from transfer tax alone is tedious work.

Tax assessed values (use with caution)

Both states publish tax assessed values for every property. Free, easy to access through county appraiser or assessor websites. But they are not market values.

In Florida, assessed values are capped by the Save Our Homes amendment. Once a homesteaded property's assessed value is set, annual increases can't exceed 3% or the CPI, whichever is lower. In a market where actual values rose 10-15% per year for several years running, assessed values can fall 30-50% below market. A property assessed at $180,000 might sell for $300,000 on the open market. If you use assessed value as your comp baseline, you're working with a number that's potentially half of reality.

Pennsylvania assessed values have a different problem. Many PA counties haven't done a countywide reassessment in decades. Assessment ratios vary wildly. The relationship between assessed value and market value is inconsistent even within the same county.

Assessed values can tell you something about relative property values within a jurisdiction, but they won't tell you what a property would sell for today.

MLS data (if you have access)

The MLS contains actual sale prices for properties listed and sold through agents. In non-disclosure states, it's one of the most reliable comp sources.

The catch is access. MLS requires a real estate license or a relationship with a licensed agent. Most investors who aren't agents work with one to pull comps. It's an extra step.

MLS also has a gap for auction properties specifically. Foreclosure auction sales don't go through the MLS. Neither do most investor-to-investor transactions. So MLS comps tell you what retail buyers paid for similar properties (useful for estimating ARV), but they won't show what other investors paid at auction for comparable distressed properties.

AuctionScout's auction result data

We record actual sale prices from foreclosure auctions across 39 Florida counties and seven Pennsylvania counties. Every week we publish what listed, what sold, sale rates, average prices, and average discounts.

This doesn't depend on disclosure laws. We capture outcomes directly from the auction platform. When a foreclosure auction in Broward County closes at $147,000, that number is in our data regardless of whether it shows up in public property records.

For comp purposes, you can see what similar auction properties actually sold for in the same county. Actual sale prices from actual auctions, not estimates or back-calculations.

How to build a comp analysis for a FL or PA auction property

Here's the process, step by step.

1. Start with AuctionScout's county data

Pull up the county recap page for your target county. For Florida, that might be Miami-Dade County or Broward County. For Pennsylvania, try Lancaster County.

Look at recent auction results in the same area. What are similar properties selling for at auction? What's the average discount from estimated value? This tells you what the distressed market looks like in that county right now.

2. Pull MLS comps for ARV

Work with a licensed agent to pull comparable sales from the MLS. You want recently sold properties (last six months) similar in size, age, and location to the subject property after renovation.

MLS comps tell you what the property could sell for after repairs. They don't tell you what to bid. The gap between ARV and your max bid is where renovation costs, holding costs, and profit margin live.

3. Cross-reference with doc stamps (FL) or transfer tax (PA)

Check the county clerk's records for documentary stamp amounts (FL) or transfer tax amounts (PA) on recent comparable sales. Back-calculate the prices.

This is mostly a sanity check. If MLS says similar properties sold for $250,000 to $280,000 and your doc stamp math on nearby non-MLS sales shows $240,000 to $270,000, your range is solid.

4. Look at assessed values for relative comparison only

Pull the assessed value for the subject property and your comps. Don't use these as price estimates. Use them to compare relative positions. If the subject is assessed 20% lower than your comps, that might signal a smaller lot, older construction, or something else worth looking into.

In Florida, check whether the property has a homestead exemption. Homesteaded properties will have suppressed assessed values that tell you almost nothing about current market value.

5. Factor in condition and access limitations

At foreclosure auctions, you typically can't inspect the interior. Your comp analysis has to account for that. Build a renovation range (best case, worst case) and calculate your max bid at both ends.

AuctionScout's AI valuation tool pulls in comparable sales data, Zestimate, Redfin, and Realtor.com estimates to generate a price prediction even in non-disclosure states. One more data point for your analysis, and it doesn't depend on public sale price records.

Common mistakes when running comps in non-disclosure states

Using assessed value as market value. We keep coming back to this because we see it constantly. Florida's Save Our Homes cap means assessed values can be 30-50% below market. PA assessments are decades old in some counties. Neither tells you what a property is worth today.

Trusting a single automated estimate. In disclosure states, Zestimates have reasonable accuracy. In FL and PA, they're working with less data. Treat them as one input among several, not the answer.

Ignoring the gap between retail comps and auction comps. MLS sales tell you what renovated properties sell for to end buyers. Auction sales tell you what distressed properties sell for to investors. Your bid should be based on ARV minus your costs and margin. But knowing both numbers helps you calibrate whether a deal makes sense.

Carrying over Ohio comp habits. If you invest in Ohio, you're used to seeing every sale price in public records. The sheriff's appraisal gives you a market value estimate right on the listing. FL and PA don't work that way. Budget more time for comp research, use more data sources, and expect wider ranges on your estimates.

Skipping doc stamp or transfer tax research. It's tedious to pull individual deeds and run the math. But in non-disclosure states, this is one of the few ways to verify transaction prices outside the MLS. A few hours of research can keep you from overbidding by $30,000.

Frequently asked questions

Why don't Florida and Pennsylvania disclose sale prices?

State law. Some states require the sale price to be recorded on the deed or in a transfer document. FL and PA don't. Attempts to change these laws come up periodically but haven't passed.

Are Zestimates useless in non-disclosure states?

Less accurate, not useless. Zillow uses tax assessments, listing prices, physical characteristics, and neighborhood data to generate Zestimates even without recorded sale prices. The error margins are just wider. In disclosure states, Zillow reports median error around 2-3%. In non-disclosure states, expect higher.

Can I get MLS access without a real estate license?

Not directly. MLS access is restricted to licensed agents and brokers. Your best bet is working with an investor-friendly buyer's agent who pulls comps as part of their service. Some flat-fee MLS services offer limited comp access too.

How does AuctionScout get auction sale prices if they're not publicly disclosed?

We record results directly from the auction platforms where Florida foreclosure auctions and Pennsylvania sheriff sales happen. These are public auctions, and sale prices are announced when they close. We capture that data and publish it in our weekly county recaps.

Is running comps harder in PA than FL?

Yes. Florida's doc stamp method gives you a fairly reliable back-calculation, and Florida has more auction volume across our 39 covered counties. Pennsylvania has fewer data points (seven counties, lower volume per county) and the transfer tax back-calculation is less consistent. PA also doesn't publish any valuation on auction listings the way Ohio does with the sheriff's appraisal. All the more reason to use multiple sources.

See what FL and PA auction properties actually sell for

AuctionScout tracks auction results across 39 Florida counties and seven Pennsylvania counties. Real sale prices, updated weekly. Check your target county at auctionscout.app/counties and try AuctionScout free for 14 days.

This guide is for educational purposes. Real estate comp analysis involves professional judgment. AuctionScout provides auction data and analytics, not appraisals or legal advice.