The health of the US economy can be easily gauged by how much and how frequently individuals and families are spending to fulfill the most basic of needs: housing. There are tons of reports out there on the housing market, but how do you know which ones have the most impact on the market? I have discussed this reports many times on Seeking Alpha and on GradMoney, but in case you were looking to do some exploring on your own, here are the eight best indicators for the housing market and be sure to visit Investopedia to learn more. Click on any of the titles below to learn more about each report:

1. Construction Spending – this is a report published by the U.S. Census Bureau each month and provides an overview on construction spending activity across the United States. It’s broken down by residential building and non-residential building (businesses, offices, etc.) as well as private and public spending, and compares the spending as a percentage versus the prior month and the same month in the prior year.

2. Residential Construction – Similar to the report above, this is another U.S. government report on new residential construction looks at residential construction activity nationwide through the number of permits issued and houses that builders started to work on.

3. Home Sales  – While the definition seems vague at first, The National Association of Realtors uses this report to provide a report on the number of used homes sold every month, as well as previous month and previous year input, for single-family houses, condos, and co-ops. It’s based on actual home sale closings, also provides input on inventory, prices, and regional sales performance.

4. State Specific Home Sales – Some retail groups in major states – like California, Florida, Texas, Illinois, etc. – put out periodical sales reports on sales activities in these respective states.