Local is not a marketing word here
In a large metro, an agent can work from data alone and do fine. Cedar City is small enough that the data runs out. Some months a handful of sales set the tone for an entire neighbourhood. When your comparable set is three houses instead of thirty, somebody who has walked those three houses is worth considerably more than somebody reading a report.
Questions worth asking
- Which county did this comparable come from, and when
- What has sold on this street in the last year
- What is the difference between this subdivision and the one behind it
- What does this drive look like in winter
- Who else is likely bidding on this
What to be careful of
The most common mistake in this market is importing St. George numbers. Cedar City is its own statistical area covering Iron County only. If an agent cannot tell you which county a figure came from, treat the figure as decorative.
Cost is not the differentiator
Commission structures across Cedar City are broadly similar. What differs is who answers when something goes wrong at nine at night in week six, and whether the person who listed your house is the person who shows up to the inspection.