Covering Real Estate: Resources, experts

By Jonathan Lansner

A plethora of groups and companies track the real estate market. Since the math involved is part science, part art, it’s suggested you look at a range of data sets to provide your audience with the proper perspective.

There are plenty of resources to help make sense of the real estate market. Photo: Flickr user CoffeeGo

Don’t be afraid of conflicting trends, just try to do your best to explain the data differences and look at long-term trends – year-over-year stats – for a more comprehensive market view.

Try to find experts in your local community who may track the markets you watch in intimate detail. Here’s a sampling of national data providers, many of whom have regional slices of their statistics

HOME PRICES / SALES

Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller: Perhaps the most widely watched monthly price index, although it only tracks 20 major markets and is weeks behind other data reports. S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices

National Association of Realtors: Trade group that follows pricing and buying activity on a national basis (monthly) and 300-plus regional basis (quarterly). National Association of Realtors news releases

Federal Housing Finance Agency: Regulator that follows pricing on a national basis (monthly) and 300-plus regional basis (quarterly). Federal Housing Finance Agency: Latest House Price Index

CoreLogic: Private company that follows pricing on a national and regional basis (monthly). CoreLogic: Research and Trends

FORECLOSURES / DEFAULTS

RealtyTrac: Widely quoted private data tracker of foreclosure and default data on a national and regional (monthly) basis. RealtyTrac: Press Releases

Mortgage Bankers Association: Trade group that tracks delinquent mortgages on a national and regional (quarterly) basis. Mortgage Bankers Association: Press Center Online

CoreLogic: Private company that follows of foreclosure and default data on a national and regional (monthly) basis. CoreLogic: Research and Trends

BUILDERS / CONSTRUCTION

Census follows several construction-related statistics:
Guide to data sources from the U.S. Census Bureau: Construction
U.S. Census Bureau: Construction spending on national and regional basis monthly.
U.S. Census Bureau: Building permits, indicator of builders’ future intentions.

National Association of Home Builders: Trade group that survey developer optimism on a national and regional monthly basis. NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI)

Associated General Contractors of America: Trade Group that provides quick analysis of national and regional construction jobs data. AGC of America Press Room

MORTGAGE RATES / LENDING

Freddie Mac: Government mortgage investor that tracks mortgage rates on weekly basis. Weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey – PMMS

Mortgage Bankers Association: Trade group that tracks new mortgage application on a weekly basis. MBAA: Press Center

National Association of Home Builders: Trade group that tracks house shopper affordability – Housing Opportunity Index — on a national and regional quarterly basis. NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI)

Jonathan Lansner is The Orange County Register‘s business columnist and real estate blogger. Since 1986, he has covered the Orange County economy — and its real estate scene — as a reporter, editor and columnist for The Register. The “Lansner on Real Estate” blog was launched in March 2006.