How Can You Tell If the Housing Industry Is Healthy?

The percentage of people moving in America fell to an all-time low of 9.2 percent in 2019. For the housing industry, that is not a good sign. Though the percentage of homeowners is steady, the fact that people are not moving indicates that there may be long-term issues at hand, according to business strategist Mary Frances Coleman. After all, when people are not moving, they are not buying houses. But Coleman cautions people from trusting all sources of data: Even though the numbers do not lie, the analysis can fall flat.

As the industry ponders the effects of iBuyers and whether or not the consumer can be trusted to make informed decisions on their own, it is important to look at the health of housing in general.

The housing industry in every aspect, from real estate to lending to title, is generally dependent on one thing and one thing only: People need a place to live.

The selling and purchasing of homes is the foundation of our business. Whether the home is owner-occupied or a rental, the data and information about if and when people are moving can show us a lot about the health of the industry.

The spin doctors are hard at work interpreting the numbers and applying them to the sustainability of the industry in general, but in my experience, the numbers themselves don’t lie.

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