Weekly Data That Transforms Your Real Estate Game

By Chip Free

Chip Free is a seasoned real estate advisor with Lake Realty, a locally established firm in Lake Norman that his father founded over 30 years ago.

Have you ever felt lost trying to make sense of real estate market data? Here’s the truth: most of what you hear is national, and it doesn’t match what’s happening in your own neighborhood. Real estate is local. Really local. And if you don’t keep up with hyperlocal trends, you’re missing out.

Let me show you something different. I’m excited to share a tool that gives you real-time, hyperlocal data updated weekly—covering every zip code in the country. Why settle for outdated stats when the market moves fast? The traditional data from the National Association of Realtors or the Case-Shiller index is already 30 days old by the time you see it. In today’s market, that’s ancient history.

With our reports, you’ll have the freshest, most relevant data at your fingertips. Want to track trends in your neighborhood or around Lake Norman? No problem. Just type a city or zip code into the search bar, and you’re set.

Here’s how it works: the first thing you’ll see is the Market Action Index. This score tells you if the market favors buyers or sellers. A score under 30 means buyers have the edge. Over 30? Sellers have the advantage. In my example of Huntersville, North Carolina, the current score is 39—slightly favoring sellers but shifting closer to neutral. And the dark gray bar underneath shows last month’s score, so you can see if the market’s changing.

Want more? You’ll find a real-time market profile that shows the median list price, days on the market, and inventory trends over the past three months. You can hover over and explore each point for more detail. This isn’t just a static snapshot—it’s an interactive dive into your market’s health.

For the deep divers, there’s a line graph tracking median list prices over the last four years. Real estate is seasonal, so this feature helps you compare today’s market to the same period in past years. Plus, you can switch views to check properties with price reductions or median days on the market. You’ll see which price segments are moving and which ones are feeling the pinch of interest rates.

And it gets even better—you can break down the market into four segments: top 25%, bottom 25%, and two middle brackets. This helps you spot trends within specific price points. For example, in Huntersville, the top segment’s median price is around $949,900. But in Davidson, it’s $1,750,000. Different segments, different stories.

Getting your own report is easy. Subscribe to receive updates for your chosen zip code, or go to chip.lakerealty.com, pick multiple zip codes, and hit submit. Don’t stay in the dark. Take charge, access your report, and keep up with real-time data that actually matters to you. The market changes fast—make sure you’re ahead of it. If you have any real estate-related questions, feel free to call or text me at 704-806-2410.