Thomas Malone

Professional, Economist

Thom holds the position of professional, economist in the Office of the Chief Economist at CoreLogic. He is responsible for analyzing housing markets and home price trends. He has an extensive background in urban and real estate economics and applied econometrics.

Before joining CoreLogic, he held positions at the University of Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Harvard University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics, statistics and history at the University of Auckland, his master’s degree in economics from Tufts University and his doctorate in urban planning and development from the University of Southern California.

Are Housing Declines Still Leading Indicators for Recessions?

It has been widely reported that the housing market is in a recession. Though prices remain high, sales of existing homes were down 30% as of August 2022, as were sales of new homes. Historically, housing declines are harbingers for recessions, but is a recession imminent this time?

Partner Insights from CoreLogic
Single-Family Investor Activity Bounces Back in Q1 2022

Although the real estate market showed signs of receding in Q4 2021, investors resumed their buying spree in early 2022, accounting for 28.1% of all single-family purchases in February — a record high according to CoreLogic's data that goes back to 2011.

Partner Insights from CoreLogic
Single-Family Investors Acquisition Spree Slows

The share of homes purchased by investors peaked last October with the highest monthly percentage observed in CoreLogic data history (26.9%). But by December, the investment surge mirrored house price growth and investor share fell to 20.4%.

Partner Insights from CoreLogic
Vacation Locations Saw Large Home Equity Growth in 2021

The Mountain-West region is the hottest housing market in the country, and according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index, Phoenix (followed by Denver and Boise) had the fastest year-over-year appreciation.

Partner Insights from CoreLogic