Frequently Asked Questions: Data

Commercial Real Estate

Q: Does NAR have any data on commercial real estate?
A: Yes. All links to commercial data can be found here.

 

Foreclosures

Q: Does NAR have data on foreclosures?
A: NAR does not collect information on foreclosures at this time. The Mortgage Bankers Association collects this information and you can find it on their site here.

 

International Real Estate

Q: Does NAR have any international information?
A: Yes. All links to international data can be found here.

 

Labor Statistics

Q: Does NAR have labor statistics?
A: Labor information is covered by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. You can access this information here.

 

Local Market Reports

Q: Where can I find information on my local market?
A: Research has local information on markets, state taxes and fiscal conditions, wealth gain by metro area, subprime ARM performance, mortgage conditions, the economic impact of real estate, and existing home sales and prices. All of these local reports can be found here.

Q: Does NAR have a directory of all state and local association websites?
A: Yes. You will need your NRDS ID and password to log in and view this information, as this is provided for members only. You can access this information  here.

 

MLS Economic & Market Watch Report

Q: How do I interpret the local market reports?
A: NAR has compiled a PDF on how to read the local market reports which require a member log in, and can be accessed here.

Q: What factors are taken into account in each report?
A: The health of the local job market, foreclosure rates, housing inventory, debt-to-income and mortgage-servicing-costs-to-income ratios are all taken into account when compiling each report. You can find the reports here.

 

Month's Supply

Q: What methodology is used to calculate months' supply?
A: The month's supply for March is the inventory at the end of the month of March divided by seasonally adjusted annualized closed sales in March divided by 12.
E.g., using hypothetical figures:

• 4.2 million homes for sale
• 4.9 million seasonally adjusted closed sales
• Adjust back to month's pace by dividing by 12
• Month's supply = 4.2million/(4.9 million sales/12) = 10.3 months supply

Q: Is it based on pending or closed sales?
A: Month's supply is based on closed sales.

 

Relocation Reports

Q: What are relocation reports and how do I find them?
A: The relocation reports are annual movements between county to county. The reports are free to our members and $75 for non-members. Go to this page and login. Among the list under "Shop by Interest", click "Research" and scroll down and find "Relocation Report" icon.

 

State & Local Market Info

Q: Where do I find data on home prices for (state/county/MLS)?
A: We have median home price data, but historical data is not publicly available. You can purchase historical data by contacting TJ Doyle at tdoyle@realtor.org. You can also access state and local information online here.

 

State Economic Impact on Housing

Q: What factors are taken into account when deriving a state's impact on housing?
A: NAR looks at home construction, real estate brokerage, mortgage lending, title insurance, home appraisal, and renting and leasing when compiling each state report. You can find a link to the report here.