By Jonathan Smoke | realtor.com
Once upon a time, all across this great land, consumers lacked information and insights into the housing market. If you wanted to know how home prices were trending, you had to find an expert local Realtor® or some other real estate pro, and quiz them about market conditions.
Today, we have tons of real estate data at our fingers, thanks to the Internet and Websites like this one. In fact, maybe we have too much, considering that we’re also being bombarded by news stories, blog posts, tweets, and financial talking heads blathering away on TV.
“Complicating the matter is the significant variations in quality of the data report and methodologies used in collecting the data reported. Some ‘journalists’ are just looking for a ‘soundbite’ for a story, and they don’t know much about the source they are quoting in their story; they don’t even sometimes know the quality or methodology. Finding a reliable source that you trust with information you understand is key to understanding what is going on with housing supply, demand and pricing in your area.
~ Jim Belfiore
