Before you call a city "hot", read four numbers together: price, registrations, unsold stock and affordability.
Every few months, a city is declared "hot" because asking prices went up. Prices are the easiest number to report and the easiest to misread.
A price can rise because a handful of premium launches pulled the average up, because sellers are holding out, or because the mix of what's on sale changed. None of those mean more people are buying.
The better question is not "what is it worth?" but "who will buy it from me, and when?"
So before you call a market strong, look at three things together: how many deals are registering, how long unsold stock would take to clear, and whether people on local salaries can still afford to get in.
If prices rise while those three hold steady or improve, that's a market. If prices rise while they weaken, that's a headline.
We'll keep showing you all four numbers side by side in The Numbers.
This is opinion. It is labelled as such and kept separate from our reporting. Educational, not financial advice.
