Danielle Hale, who oversaw housing market research for the National Association of REALTORS®, has moved to realtor.com® as its chief economist. “Danielle’s in-depth housing market knowledge and research experience will help us hone and grow our research capabilities and provide more insights to home buyers, sellers, and dreamers,” says Nate Johnson, chief marketing officer for realtor.com®.
Danielle Hale joins realtor.com® after serving in NAR’s research arm since 2008. |
Hale worked at NAR for 10 years as an economist and policy researcher. As managing director of housing research, she oversaw the production of the association’s monthly pending and existing-home sales indices and quarterly home price reports. “One of the most important trends right now is the limited inventory of homes for sale,” Hale tells REALTOR® Magazine. “Buyers need to be prepared with the best information and have a real estate professional on their side because of the competition in many markets.”
At realtor.com®, she says, she’ll have access to a comprehensive set of listing and sales data from the MLSs and data on the traffic of people who are in—or thinking about getting in—the housing market. “I’m excited because the data can give us insight into what people are interested in, what they’re looking for, and how they can be connected to real estate professionals more effectively,” she says.
Hale praised the good working relationship between NAR and realtor.com® and says it benefits the entire real estate industry. “The data both organizations generate give us a picture of what’s happening in markets, and that helps sales associates and brokers be better resources for their customers,” she says.
She also praised NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun for his work on behalf of the industry and the guidance he provided her over the years. “I really enjoyed working at NAR and with Lawrence Yun in particular,” she says. “He was a great boss and mentor. He helped a lot with my development professionally. And he has a great team that works really hard for NAR members.”
Before joining NAR as an economist in 2008, Hale spent three years at the American Enterprise Institute, where she produced research and managed its executive office’s communications. Her work during that time included research contributions to Dr. Allan Meltzer’s A History of the Federal Reserve, Volume II (University of Chicago Press, 2010). She earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and economics, as well as a master’s degree in applied economics from Florida State University.
Realtor.com®’s previous chief economist, Jonathan Smoke, left in April to join Cox Automotive, owner of Kelley Blue Book, Dealer.com, and other auto industry resources.
—Robert Freedman, REALTOR® Magazine