Why I Started Making Real Estate Market Reports (And Why You Should Too)

In the fall of 2008, just days after Lehman Brothers collapsed, I found myself sitting in a quiet real estate office with one persistent question on my mind: What now?

The phones had stopped ringing. Buyers and sellers had frozen. The market had shifted overnight—and like so many others, I was looking for clarity in the chaos.

Rather than sit idle, I did something that, in hindsight, shaped the trajectory of my career: I logged into my MLS and started digging into the data. I wanted to know—really know—what was happening.

What I found stunned me.

As I sifted through the numbers, it became black-and-white clear that the supply-and-demand imbalance didn’t start with the financial crisis. It started three years earlier, in 2005. That realization hit me hard.

At that moment, I made a vow: I will never be caught off guard again. I will study this market relentlessly.
And I did.

From that point forward, I began producing quarterly housing reports for my local market—studying trends, interpreting shifts, and sharing insights with clients, colleagues, and fellow agents. It became a cornerstone of my business, not just as a tool for understanding, but as a commitment to leadership and transparency.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years:
📊 Numbers tell the story before the headlines do.
🧭 Data builds confidence when the market feels uncertain.
🏡 Clients trust you more when you understand your market better than anyone else.

If you’re in real estate today—especially in uncertain or volatile markets—make the effort to understand your local numbers.
Dive into the MLS. Track months of inventory. Watch the absorption rate. Study what’s selling, what’s sitting, and what’s shifting.

Because when you know the story the numbers are telling, you’re not just reacting to the market…
You’re guiding others through it.