What can I learn from Altos Research reports?

At-a-glance market conditions

Each week we take a snapshot of the market. Our Real-time Market Profile(TM) is the most up-to date market information available. The Profile shows you not only pricing and market numbers, but also trends in those numbers. Where are prices heading? It's right there on page 1.

All Altos Research data is accompanied by written commentary. Not just a pile of numbers, we analyze the data and organize comments that help you understand it. The commentary highlights the So What? of the data.

Watch the market in meaningful segments

It's one thing to know that the median price for Santa Clara, California is $950,000. But what if you learned that 25% of the homes are currently priced around $825,000 (and climbing) but at the top end of the market, homes are priced a little under $1,500,000 and demand is weak? By breaking the market into quartiles, we help you find the market information that is most meaningful to you.

Real-time data and smoothed market trends

The charts in an Altos Research report usually display this week's value (7-day sample) and a smoothed rolling average of the previous 90-days. This gives you the ability to see what the most current data says and a visible indication of the longer-term trends. Note in the following chart how the 90-day price line has reached a crest and is starting to decline.

Complete statistics give you the upper hand

More than just price numbers, Altos Research tracks inventory levels (number of properties listed for sale), Days on Market, value measures like Price per Square foot, and quantitative measures like property size, number of bedrooms, age, etc. The collection of data helps you understand what you get for your money, where things are headed and how to make the best decisions.

Altos Research has also developed a proprietary index, The Market Action Index^TM that gives you an at-a-glance answer to the question, "How's the market?" The higher the Index goes, the hotter the market. Like a thermometer, the measurable scales goes from zero to over 100. We set a threshold at an index value at 30 above which demand is high enough to call a "Seller's Market" and below which is a "Buyer's Market." Sometimes demand climbs really high, properties stay on the market for only a matter of days, in those instances you may see an index value over 100. In the following chart, we measure the Market Action Index in the market's four quartiles. Notice that the First and Second Quartiles (the most expensive properties on the market) have a lower Market Action Index than the rest of the market. Sometimes we'll see a relatively robust market except for Quartile 1, where the top of the market is too expensive and people aren't buying.

These insights and more are covered in every Altos Research report. This detail is not available from other sources. The insights could save you a fortune. Subscribe today and put yourself among the most informed in the market.