Ahmadreza SamadiNext door is not always comparable
Fictional buyer Mina places two neighbouring flats on a comparison rail. One card is an asking price; the other records an older agreed sale. Neither card becomes identical evidence merely because the doors are close. No actual property, price or valuation is represented.
English animated explainer with synthetic narration and English captions. Mina, the folding street, both flats and the comparison rail are fictional. This is a visual analogy for assessing comparable evidence, not a real property, price, sale, dataset or valuation. No RICS affiliation or professional valuation credential is claimed.
The situation
Fictional buyer Mina places two neighbouring flats on a comparison rail. One card is an asking price; the other records an older agreed sale. Neither card becomes identical evidence merely because the doors are close. No actual property, price or valuation is represented.
What makes useful evidence
RICS explains why transaction timing, relevant property differences and evidence quality matter. Its first-edition guidance cautions that asking prices may differ from agreed prices and that adjustments require judgment. Historical evidence can still be useful in context. [RICSPDF]
Evidence, match, gaps
Our original three checks are evidence → match → gaps. Evidence: what happened, when, and how was it verified? Match: compare location, size, condition and terms. Gaps: record what is missing and what needs professional adjustment. Do not invent a fixed uplift for a feature.
Keep uncertainty visible
A nearby listing can help frame questions; it cannot alone prove value. Keep uncertainty visible and request the evidence behind an estimate rather than selecting the closest map pin.
Source date and limits
The RICS landing page reviewed on 21 October 2026 said the first edition should still be adopted pending publication of the final second edition; a consultation draft is not that final publication. [RICSLANDING] Mina and the comparison rail are fictional. This machine-assisted explainer is general education, not a property valuation, investment, legal or mortgage recommendation, or a claim of RICS affiliation.
About the author
Ahmadreza Samadi — https://a-samadi.com