Campbell Surveys and Inside Mortgage Finance announce a unique survey series tracking both home sales and mortgage usage patterns. Respondents to the survey are real estate agents and brokers—a group with unparalleled insight into rapidly changing local real estate markets and homebuyer mortgage preferences.

 

Inside Mortgage Finance is a leading publication in the mortgage industry and a data source recognized for its accuracy by major media outlets. Campbell Surveys has conducted syndicated research for the mortgage and real estate industries since 2001. The research products resulting from their continuing survey collaboration have been purchased by nearly every major financial institution, including mortgage originators accounting for more than half of current United States mortgage production.

 

This timely tracking survey is conducted the first week of each month and covers data points and trend extensions from the prior month. Compiled survey data is released to subscribers by the 15th calendar day of each month, or by the first business day following the 15th if that day falls on a weekend or federal holiday.

 

The Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance Monthly Survey of Real Estate Market Conditions has several advantages over alternative information sources on home sales and mortgages. Foremost, the survey results, released only days after the close of the observation period, are more timely than any other nationally representative source—including surveys of local Multiple Listing Services, public-records data (also commonly called “Registry of Deeds” data), and aggregate data derived from mortgage servicing portfolios. Second, key indicators of housing market conditions─such as proportion of damaged Real Estate Owned (REO) and percent of first-time homebuyers─are not available from non-survey sources. Third, the survey results are delivered in both aggregate and individual respondent formats, allowing analysts to perform their own proprietary analysis.

 

The survey and associated deliverables were designed with the needs of the sophisticated economic researcher or financial analyst in mind.  Monthly deliverables include:

 

• A database of buyer-side transactions with data elements for location of respondent, time period, property category, homebuyer type, financing method, sales price and buyer-side commission
• A database of listing-side transactions with data elements for location of respondent, time period, property category, homebuyer type, sales price, listing price, time on market, number of offers and listing-side commission
• Individual index responses on monthly changes in home prices, number of closed transactions, REO inventory, short sale inventory, and non-distressed inventory, with each response coded by location of respondent and time period
• Textual comments from survey respondents on local market conditions that can be sorted by both time period and location of the respondent

 

Individual respondents to the survey typically exceed 3,000, providing data that is representative of national and regional trends. Survey respondents are obtained from Campbell Surveys’ proprietary solicitation database of real estate agents and previous survey respondents. In an industry characterized by high turnover and declining numbers, the Campbell Surveys respondent solicitation database is constantly cleaned, updated, and enhanced to maintain geographic representation. This database has been built over the span of eight years of continual real estate agent surveys.

 

To aid in analysis without the need for custom-programming, all data is delivered in an Excel spreadsheet format. Additionally, more than 20 pre-programmed pivot tables are included to speed initial analysis of the data.

 

Pivot tables may be used to compare trends across 10 pre-formatted regions. These regions were designed to include states that are geographically adjacent and share similar drivers of economic performance. Pivot table data is geographically weighted to account for any monthly variation in response rates.  

 

In order that survey subscribers retain a significant competitive advantage, distribution and dissemination of survey data is carefully controlled and sequenced. Survey subscribers are given access to the complete set of survey deliverables before release to media outlets. Any release of data to the media is limited to a small set of top-line statistics, augmented by incomplete regional data and qualitative, not quantitative, analysis. And a private teleconference with subscribers to discuss survey results is always conducted before any news conferences or press releases.

 

In summary, this unique tracking data allows researchers and analysts to gain substantially greater insight than would be available from aggregation of public records, referencing top-line information sources, or compiling anecdotal information from news reports and interviews of individual real estate agents.

 

To subscribe to the tracking survey or obtain further information, contact: 

 

John Campbell at john@campbellsurveys.com or (202) 363-2069.