What is MarketViewer?

MarketViewer is a powerful real estate data tool. The dynamic interface enables you to explore real estate data and trends in the geographical areas and market segments you choose. MarketViewer data is the most comprehensive, accurate real estate data available in Texas.

 

Who has access to MarketViewer?

MarketViewer is a member benefit available exclusively to Texas REALTORS® and local REALTOR® associations in Texas.

 

When is new data released?

New market analytics are generally available to Texas REALTORS® via MarketViewer on the 15th of the month for the previous month. For example, March monthly analytics are available to Texas REALTORS® on April 15.

 

What geographies are available in MarketViewer?

MarketViewer currently reports on monthly, quarterly and residential real estate data for the following geographies in Texas:

  • Statewide
  • Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) – Multi-county geographic areas of economic interest as specified by the U.S. Office of Management & Budget.
  • Countywide
  • City/Market Area – Generally resemble city limits as provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, but also includes custom market areas defined by local associations to sometimes better reflect a city’s market area as it is generally known.
  • ZIP Code
  • Neighborhood – Provided by Maponics© and in many, but not all, areas of the state.
  • School District
  • U.S. Congressional District
  • Texas House of Representatives District
  • Texas Senate District
  • Local Political District – Such as city council or county commissioner precinct (available to associations which requested and provided district boundaries.

 

The tooltip boxes are blank when I hover over the statistics. What is wrong?

Sometimes the tooltips features will be slow to react or non-responsive, especially upon first view of the dashboard. There is a tremendous amount of data powering these visualizations, and the tool, based on the query and your internet connection, can take some time to load. Often, this will resolve itself in a few seconds or can be resolved by clicking again on the specific metric you wanting to see.

 

Why is apartment data not available in my area?

Apartment rent and vacancy data is provided under license by Reis, Inc., a leading national commercial market research firm. Market coverage is limited to 26 key markets around the state, mostly resembling key markets within the state’s 25 metropolitan statistical areas.

 

Why can’t I see under-construction and vacant-finished data in my county?

New construction data is provided under license by Metrostudy, a leading authority on the residential construction real estate. Metrostudy acquires under-construction and vacant-finished data via their own manual survey process, which only occurs in counties around larger metro areas.

 

This data does not match my MLS’s market stats. Which is right?

The stats for MarketViewer and your MLS are based on many different factors. MarketViewer stats come from an aggregation of MLS data across the state and are based on the geospatial properties (latitude and longitude) of listing data.

Often, listings within any particular market area appear in multiple MLSs. All data related to a geographic area are utilized to compute analytics, regardless of the MLS from which they came. Your MLS will only consider those listings in your MLS.

Another consideration that leads to differences is that the geographical boundaries in MarketViewer are constant and based on set lines, or shape files. Market analytics are based solely on listings whose latitude and longitude fall within those boundaries. Often, MLS analytics are based on address information. For example, a property with an address in Austin, Texas would be included in an MLS report covering the city of Austin. The same property would not necessarily be included in a MarketViewer statistic unless it actually falls within the set boundaries of Austin. Want to see the boundaries for all geographies in MarketViewer? Choose Geography Viewer under the Menu tab on MarketViewer.

Numerous other variables could lead to slight differences, such as input error, using average versus median, late entry of sales, etc.

 

How is MarketViewer data calculated?

MarketViewer obtains data directly from every MLS in the state. Through a research agreement, the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University computes comprehensive analytics covering thousands of geographies statewide, and calculates analytics based on ALL listings data for a given geography, regardless of which MLS it was entered into. Then, duplicate listings are identified and removed (created when listings are marketed through multiple MLS systems) and common data entry errors (such as mistyping a sales price) are detected and removed from calculations. The resulting statistics are the most comprehensive and accurate available for markets within the state of Texas.

 

What is the history and purpose of MarketViewer?

In 2015, the Texas REALTORS® launched the Texas REALTOR® Data Relevance Project, a partnership among local REALTOR® associations and their multiple listing services (MLSs), the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University (Real Estate Center), and TAR. The project has provided local REALTOR® associations access to more comprehensive, localized housing market data, including data at the state, metropolitan statistical area (MSA), county, local market area (city), ZIP code, political district, school district, and neighborhood levels.

MarketViewer launched in April 2018 to give local associations and Texas REALTORS® a powerful and intuitive tool for practical use that harnesses the powerful data and analytics of the Texas REALTOR® Data Relevance Project while also providing access to useful tools like the Infographic Generator and data on other areas affecting the industry such as apartment rents and vacancies, new construction, and mortgage rates.

MarketViewer helps Texas REALTORS® and their clients quickly understand market statistics in a vast array of market areas across the state, positioning Texas REALTORS® as the authoritative Voice of Real Estate.

MarketViewer is intended to enhance, not replace, the business purposes that MLSs serve. The larger, more in-depth local dataset MarketViewer provides helps Texas REALTORS® set accurate expectations among buyers and sellers in their local markets.

 

How does MarketViewer data differ from other data sources, such as REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR) and data sourced directly from the MLS?

MarketViewer is a direct partnership with Texas MLSs and provides market analytics based on data aggregated from all Texas MLSs, thereby capturing all listings for a specific geographic area, regardless of which specific MLS listings are entered into. Statistics calculated from within one MLS or through RPR will only report on listing data from one particular MLS in any given area, potentially leaving out numerous listings from other MLSs.

In addition, MarketViewer eliminates duplicate listings (caused when listings are marketed through multiple MLS systems or multiple times within the same MLS); and minimizes errors through the standardized process used to obtain and analyze the data. In short, MarketViewer provides the most comprehensive and accurate picture available for market conditions in Texas.

 

Where can I submit a question, comment or suggestion?

We’d love your feedback. Please email us at marketviewer@texasrealtors.com.