Week of December 29, 2025 | Market SnapshotAs we close out the year, housing data delivered a surprisingly strong finish.

CRE transaction volume hit $185.8 billion in Q4 2025—a 30% jump from the same period last year—bringing full-year volume to $545.3 billion and marking a second consecutive year of growth.A $23 billion data center forward sale grabbed headlines, but the recovery extends well beyond that single trade.

In the wholesaling/investing space, the standard benchmark most people shoot for is a 0.5% to 1% response rate (so 5–10 calls for every 1,000 pieces sent).In terms of closings, the 'rule of thumb' is usually 1 deal per 3,000–5,000 mailers, depending on how competitive your market is and how aggressive your follow-up is.That said, I found that the 'cost per deal' was getting eaten up by bad data (returned mail).

That realtor will never know the data at the level that STR Search does, but they are part of the process.

s question on the local data for investors. 

Week of January 26, 2026 in ReviewThe Fed hit pause at its first meeting of the year, President Trump named his pick for the next Federal Reserve chair, and new housing data showed buyer demand continues to prop up home prices.Here’s what matters and why it’s relevant right now.Trump Names Kevin Warsh as Next Fed Chair PickPresident Trump announced plans to nominate Kevin Warsh as the next chair of the Federal Reserve, set to replace Jerome Powell when his term expires in May.Warsh previously served on the Fed’s Board of Governors from 2006–2011 and has long been vocal about inflation risks.

We have some competition on posting the detailed smokies data!

I’ve successfully built a stack that automates the intake and skip-tracing process for approximately $0.15–$0.30 per lead (API costs only).The Strategic Flow:Data Integrity: Using Google Address Autocomplete to ensure zero-error data entry from the start.Instant Valuation: Pulling real-time market data to provide the seller with a custom offer range immediately.Automated Skip Tracing: The system automatically pulls legal owner names, mobile numbers, and emails the second the form is submitted.Remote Management: I manage the entire logic (margins, repair costs, SMS triggers) through a Slack/Telegram integration so I don't need a heavy CRM.I’m currently running this through a Google Sheets backend to keep the tech stack lightweight.I’m curious to hear from the veterans here—at what volume does it make sense to move away from 'all-in-one' platforms and into custom API-driven automation?

Once a system controls the payment flow, it doesn’t have to rethink its data model, workflows, or assumptions.At roughly $40,000 per year for every 1,000 properties, payment handling isn’t nickel-and-diming — it’s extraction.

Att TOM data, Datatree, there are a lot of API where this information can be handled.