Appraisal volume managed to stay afloat amid a winter slowdown, the latest data from a la mode, an appraisal forms software company that tracks appraisal volume throughout the country, said.

For the week of December 20, the National Appraisal Volume Index dropped 33.6%.

This is compared to last week when volume decreased a slight 2.3%.

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(Source: a la mode)

Kevin Golden, director of analytics with a la mode, said, “The holiday week since 2006 has seen an average drop of 36.7%, making this year slightly better than normal.  With interest rates holding steady, this looks like a normal winter season.”

Appraisal volume is an indicator of market strength and has some advantages over mortgage applications. Fallout is less for appraisals since they are ordered later in the mortgage process after credit worthiness has been approved and there are few multiple-orders.

a la mode captures 50% of the appraiser market – more than 6 million appraisals per year since the fourth quarter of 2006.