Property Scan for Washington real estate agents

Each sale is reported to the county treasurer on a Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit showing the selling price, and the excise tax is paid on that price, usually by the seller. County assessors then use and publish these sales.

Real estate excise tax (REET): State graduated rates on the portion of the selling price: $525,000 or less 1.10%; $525,000.01 to $1,525,000 1.28%; $1,525,000.01 to $3,025,000 2.75%; $3,025,000.01 or more 3%. For sales beginning January 1, 2027, the thresholds become $551,000 / $1,551,000 / $3,051,000 at the same rates. Agricultural land and timberland pay a flat 1.28%. "The local REET must be calculated and added to the graduated state rate for the total tax due." (RCW 82.45)

Washington has 39 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 Washington, which fell 0.9% in the four quarters to the second quarter of 2026 (how comps are chosen and adjusted).

Keep your MLS for everything else. MLSs that serve Washington include:

• Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS)Washington state; based in Seattle
• Spokane REALTORS MLSSpokane area, Eastern Washington
• RMLSOregon and Southwest Washington; based in Portland

Washington law lets a licensed broker issue a brokers price opinion, and lets licensees be paid for it. If the BPO is written, or given as evidence in a legal proceeding, and the only intended user is not a prospective seller, buyer, lessor or lessee, it must state that it is not an appraisal. It can't be used as an appraisal in a federally related transaction. RCW 18.140.010 treats a "comparative market analysis" as a brokers price opinion.

A Property Scan report prints “Comparative market analysis. Not an appraisal.” It doesn't print the statement this Washington rule sets out, so where the rule applies, add that statement before you give the report to anyone. Not legal advice.

Facts checked October 30, 2026.

• WA Dept. of Revenue: Real estate excise taxdor.wa.gov
• RCW 18.140.020: brokers price opinions by real estate licenseesapp.leg.wa.gov
• Chapter 18.140 RCW: definitions of "brokers price opinion" and "comparative market analysis"app.leg.wa.gov
• Chapter 18.85 RCW: real estate brokerage services include "Issuing a broker's price opinion"app.leg.wa.gov
• WA Dept. of Licensing: Real Estate Commissiondol.wa.gov
• About NWMLSnwmls.com
• Spokane REALTORSspokanerealtors.com
• RMLS (RMLScentral)rmlscentral.com
• 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