Property Scan for Massachusetts real estate agents
Send any Massachusetts address and get a CMA back in minutes, built from recorded sales, with every adjustment shown.
Where the sales come from in Massachusetts
Every deed recorded at the county registry of deeds must state the full price paid (M.G.L. c. 183, § 6). The law defines it as 'the total price for the conveyance without deduction for any liens or encumbrances assumed by the grantee or remaining thereon', and 'No register of deeds shall accept a deed for recording' that leaves it out. The state deed excise is figured on that price, so sale prices are public record.
Deed excise tax (M.G.L. c. 64D): By statute, "two dollars" for each $500 of the price, or "one dollar and fifty cents for each five hundred dollars" in Barnstable County. A state surcharge is added on top. The Barnstable County Registry lists $6.48 per $1,000 there: "$3.42 per $1,000.00" state plus "$3.06 per $1,000.00" county.
Massachusetts has 14 counties. Property Scan covers any of them, pulled on demand.
Every comp in a Property Scan report is a closed sale with a recorded price, adjusted for market time with the FHFA House Price Index for Massachusetts, which rose 3.6% in the four quarters to the second quarter of 2026 (how comps are chosen and adjusted).
Works alongside your MLS
Keep your MLS for everything else. MLSs that serve Massachusetts include:
- MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN)All of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, plus much of New Hampshire
- Cape Cod & Islands MLS (Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS)Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
- Berkshire County MLS (Berkshire County Board of REALTORS)Berkshire County (Pittsfield-based)
Pricing opinions under Massachusetts rules
Agents can give a price opinion for a listing, purchase or sale without an appraiser license, as long as they don't call it an appraisal.
“The provisions of sections one hundred and seventy-three to one hundred and ninety-nine, inclusive, shall not apply to a real estate broker or salesperson or to a certified public accountant or business broker who, in the ordinary course of business, gives an opinion of the price of real estate for the purpose of a prospective listing, purchase, sale, or business valuation, provided, however, that such opinion of the price shall not be referred to as an appraisal.”
Every Property Scan report says it's a comparative market analysis, not an appraisal. Not legal advice.
Sources
Facts checked October 30, 2026.
- M.G.L. c. 64D, § 1 (deed excise rate)malegislature.gov
- M.G.L. c. 183, § 6 (deed must recite full consideration)malegislature.gov
- M.G.L. c. 112, § 174 (appraiser law exemption for broker price opinions)malegislature.gov
- M.G.L. c. 13, § 54 (board of registration of real estate brokers)malegislature.gov
- Barnstable County Registry of Deeds: Fee Schedule & Recording Procedurescapecod.gov
- MLS PIN: Aboutmlspin.com
- Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORScciaor.com
- Berkshire County Board of REALTORSberkshirerealtors.net
- Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersonsmass.gov
- FHFA House Price Index (purchase-only, seasonally adjusted, by state)fhfa.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb: Counties (January 1, 2026 vintage)tigerweb.geo.census.gov
The best test is a Massachusetts home you know. Your first 3 reports are free, with no card.
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