Interest rates are edging modestly higher today as strong U.S. economic data and a rebound in tech risk appetite take some pressure off bonds.

The headline number looks stronger than the broader trend suggests.For mortgage rates, softer employment momentum can reduce inflation pressure and give the Fed more flexibility later this year.Inflation Falls to an 8-Month LowConsumer inflation rose just 0.2% in January and slowed to 2.4% year over year, down from 2.7%.Core inflation eased to 2.5% annually.That’s the lowest annual rate in eight months.Shelter (which makes up ~35% of CPI and ~44% of core CPI) was modest in January, helping bring the annual number down.Airline fares jumped, but the broader inflation picture was contained.Bottom line: Inflation is moving in the right direction.The Federal Reserve is still cautious, but easing inflation + cooling labor data strengthens the case for eventual rate cuts later in 2026.For buyers and sellers: inflation cooling is generally supportive for mortgage rate stability.Existing Home Sales Slow to Start 2026After a strong December, existing home sales fell 8.4% in January and were down 4.4% year over year.Inventory slipped slightly month-over-month but remains higher than last year.NAR noted unusually cold weather and heavy precipitation may have distorted the numbers.The more important point?

Calculators play a key role in quickly analyzing market news and data, helping users understand changes, trends, and potential impacts.

Can anyone advise me how to best get reliable rent income data for a specific rental unit.

The only data on the transaction was the utility name.

Start by mapping your 'Source of Truth'—if you don't know which field in which PM software is the master, the data will always be chaos.

Opendoor is clearly one of the more sophisticated examples of AI being applied at scale in residential real estate, and it does a lot of things well—especially around pattern recognition, pricing signals, and submarket-level analysis across many markets.My post was meant to be a broader look at where AI is genuinely useful in real estate data and where it needs to be interpreted carefully.

Use it for what it really is, a data collector.

Software can pull the data, but you still need to understand WHY certain comps are higher or lower.

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?