How the Index
is compiled.
This page documents exactly where the Market Intelligence Index comes from: the public sources used, the definition of every metric, how the figures are combined, and when they are refreshed. The goal is transparency. Every number on the Index page should be traceable back to a named, public source.
Public data sources.
The Index draws only on publicly available data published by government, industry, and national real estate data sources. No proprietary MLS membership data is required to read it. Figures are compiled from the most recent public readings available at each monthly refresh.
Every metric, defined.
Nine metrics appear on the Index, in both the city table and the ZIP table. Here is what each one means and how it is measured.
Median Sale Price
The midpoint of closed sale prices in the period, meaning half of homes sold above it and half below. The metro figure comes from GAMLS. City figures come from the monthly 37-city table published in the market updates hub.
Median Days on Market
The midpoint of the number of days between listing and contract across homes that went under contract in the period. A lower median means homes are being absorbed faster.
Months of Supply
Active listings divided by the monthly rate of closed sales. Roughly 5 months is considered balanced. Below roughly 3 months favors sellers; above roughly 6 months favors buyers.
Sale-to-List Ratio
The median final sale price divided by the final list price. Above 100% means homes typically sell over asking. The metro reading stood at 98% in the most recent public data, with almost 7 in 10 metro sales closing below original list price in 2025.
Price-Cut Rate
The share of active listings that have had at least one price reduction. Public readings for metro Atlanta have run near 40% (approximately 39.9% per HousingWire entering December 2025, 34% per Redfin in February 2026). The Index applies the ~40% metro figure at city level where no consistent city-specific figure is published.
Pending-to-Active Ratio
Pending contracts divided by active listings. It is a measure of market momentum. The metro reading of roughly 23% comes from GAMLS pending and active listings. At city level the Index estimates the ratio as the inverse of months of supply, because pending contracts run close to one month of closed sales.
Seller Concession Rate
The share of closed sales where the seller contributed to buyer closing costs, rate buydowns, or repairs. Redfin put it at 68.7% of Atlanta metro sales in the three months through May 2026, among the highest of the large metros it tracks. The Index applies the metro figure at city level.
Cash-Buyer Share
The share of purchases made without a mortgage on the deed. Redfin recorded Atlanta at 32.0%, above the national average. Cash share runs higher at lower price points, where investors are most active. The Index applies the metro figure at city level.
Fastest-Moving Price Tier
The price band where a city or ZIP is absorbing homes fastest, derived as the tier containing the median sale price, because that is where transaction volume concentrates. Tiers: Under $300K, $300K-$400K, $400K-$500K, $500K-$650K, $650K-$800K, and $800K+.
A clear disclaimer
The Market Intelligence Index is an educational public-data analysis compiled by Tommy Williams (License 287291, Georgia). Figures come from public sources and may differ from official or MLS-published numbers. They are designed to show market direction and relative speed, not to value any specific property. For a property-specific opinion, request a comparative market analysis (CMA) or a licensed appraisal.
How the figures come together.
City base data
The 37-city table starts with the monthly figures already published on the market updates hub: median sale price, median days on market, and months of supply for each city. Those figures are the anchor for the whole Index.
City-level sale-to-list
The list-to-sale ratio for each city comes from that city's monthly market report published on this site, which compiles its own public-data readings (Redfin, Atlanta REALTORS, GAMLS, and Movoto).
Metro ratio metrics
Price-cut rate, seller concession rate, and cash-buyer share are metro-level public figures applied consistently across all cities and ZIPs. City-specific versions of these metrics are not published consistently in public data, so a uniform metro value with a footnote marker is the honest choice.
Derived metrics
The pending-to-active ratio is estimated at city level as the inverse of months of supply, since pending contracts typically run close to one month of closed sales. The fastest-moving price tier is derived from the median sale price. Both derivations are disclosed on the Index page and defined above.
ZIP table
The top 25 ZIP codes are selected from the fastest-selling cities in the tracked set, plus ZIPs explicitly named in published metro reports (11Alive's fastest-moving ZIP list and the agent's hot-ZIP research). Each ZIP row carries its city's tracked figures, so no ZIP-level number is presented that is not traceable to a published base.
First week of each month
The Index is refreshed monthly in the first week of each month, using the most recent public readings available at that time. The data vintage on the Index page names the month it reflects.
37 cities, 25 ZIPs
The same 37 cities tracked in the monthly market updates hub, and the top 25 fastest-selling ZIP codes within them.
Differences by source
Public figures vary by data provider, geography definition, and measurement window. Figures in this Index may differ from official or MLS-published numbers, and medians can shift with the mix of homes sold.
See the numbers in action.
The methodology exists so the data can be trusted. Read the full 37-city and top-25 ZIP tables on the Index page, then bring your questions to a conversation about your specific situation.