How I Source My Data

Every number on this site comes from somewhere, and I think you should know where.

Real estate data is messy. Platforms vary in their filters, their time windows, and their property type definitions, so a "median home price" on Zillow, Redfin, and Compass can produce three different numbers for the same neighborhood on the same day. None of those numbers are wrong; they are simply measuring different things.

I handle that with a few fixed rules, laid out below.

MLS Data (Accessed via Compass)

When I cite MLS data (which I access and filter through Compass), I'm pulling from closed single-family home (SFH) sales unless otherwise noted. This is my primary source for neighborhood-level analysis because it lets me filter by property type, lot size, and geography at a level of detail that public platforms don't offer.

Redfin and Zillow

When I reference Redfin or Zillow data, it typically includes all residential property types (SFH, condos, townhomes) unless I specify otherwise. I use these sources for broader market trend context and metro-level comparisons.

Miami-Dade County Public Records

Property tax data, lot sizes, permit history, and flood zone designations come from Miami-Dade County public records, accessed through the Property Appraiser's office and the county's open data portal.

How I Define These Metrics

Knowing where a number came from only gets you halfway. Two people can pull the same MLS export and publish different figures because they measured different things. Each term below means the same thing everywhere on this site, so you can hold my numbers against anyone else's on equal footing.

Median sale price

The middle closed price in the set, so half the sales came in above it and half below. I use the median rather than the average because a single estate sale can drag an average well away from what a typical buyer actually paid. On a light quarter the median still moves with the mix of what happened to sell, which is why I flag the sample size whenever a neighborhood's count runs low.

Price per square foot

Closed price divided by heated living area, calculated for each sale and then taken as the median across the set. Heated area leaves out garages, porches and open patios. A portal that divides by total area under roof will publish a lower per-foot figure than I do for the very same house.

Days on market

The count of days from a listing going active to the seller signing a contract. It stops at contract rather than running through to closing, so it measures how long the market took to produce a buyer instead of how long the transaction took to fund. Some sources call the same measurement days to contract. Where either term appears on this site, this is what it means.

Months of supply

Active inventory divided by the recent monthly closing pace, which estimates how long today's listings would take to clear if nothing new came on. Below roughly four months favors sellers and above roughly seven favors buyers, with the span between reading as balanced. I take the inventory count on a stated date, so it is a point-in-time snapshot rather than an average across the quarter.

Closed sales

A count of the sales that actually recorded inside the window. Pending and under-contract deals stay out of it until they close, so a quarter's count can tick up slightly after I publish if late recordings come through.

What is counted, and where it is counted

Unless a page says otherwise, every neighborhood figure covers single-family homes only. Condominiums, townhouses and vacant land are excluded. Each sale is assigned to a neighborhood by the mapped location of the parcel rather than by the neighborhood field a listing agent typed into the MLS. Agent-entered labels carry enough errors to move a small area's median on their own, so I reassign every sale by parcel location before anything gets counted.

Why Numbers May Differ Between Articles

If you compare my Glenvar Heights investment analysis with my spring market overview, the numbers for the same area may not always match. The cause is almost always a methodology choice: a trailing-12-month window versus year-to-date, an SFH-only filter versus all residential, or a CDP boundary versus a ZIP code. I try to note the specific filter in each article. If something still looks off, ask me. I would rather explain the data than leave you guessing.

A Note on Timeliness

Real estate data moves fast, and not every page here works the same way. The neighborhood guides and the practical modules inside them are maintained: I refresh those numbers on a regular cycle. Quarterly market reports and dated feature articles are the record of a moment and stay as published, which means a dated fact can sit alongside an updated practical section on the same page. Each page shows a "last updated" date near the market data. If you're making a buying or selling decision, the most current numbers come from a direct conversation. That's what the consultation is for.

Ready to talk numbers? Call 786-223-1117 or Schedule a Consultation.