Mortgage Market Share Report January 2011

We?re not looking at cute metrics anymore. ~ Safa Rashtchy

What?s your favorite indicator of where the market it going? Each month I publish a variety of Monroe County statistics hoping to lend perspective to our local real estate and mortgage finance markets. Mortgage and deed recordings, transfers, foreclosures started and finished just to name a few. I slice them, dice them and try to put them in meaningful relationships with a cool graph or two.

The Monthly Mortgage Market Share report reflects my unfulfilled desire to find the holy grail of market indicators. The one stat that above all others would tell me when the market would turn, how vigorous it would be and when it would end. Were I able to find such a metric, I?d be forever free from the anxiety of living or dying with daily order counts?a curse I?ve endured for over thirty years.

My job would be easy. My confidence would soar. I?d know exactly what decisions to make and I?d always be right. Staffing, capital expenditures, expansion would all be easy considerations. Alas, my search continues. I do know if asked that ?Well, we?re busy in the summer, and slow in the winter.? But that?s about it. Anything else I can add is history; what happened last month, quarter or year.

So I still form my opinions about the future from anecdotal evidence that over the years I?ve learned to trust. For example, I mentally track the number of new for-sale signs between home and the office every week. Before email and Adobe? attachments became common place, I could tell how things were going by how much fax paper we used every day. More than a ream and I knew that we?d be rocking soon.

One of my favorite market predictors is the weekend parking lot indicator. It?s quite simple. On any Saturday or Sunday, I just look out my office window and across the street to Re/Max Professionals? parking lot. When it?s empty, I know that few of my friends are schlepping buyers around looking for dream houses. When it?s full though, especially with cars I don?t recognize, get ready. The market will be turning soon. Make sure there?s paper in the fax. Right now this indicator is pretty darn bullish.

What?s your favorite market indicator? I?ve posted this commentary on my blog here:? https://www.johnbtitle.com/category/blog/

Leave a comment and let the world know. You?re probably more insightful than you give yourself credit for.

~John Bethell