A real estate data company has launched live market information for five major U.S. metro areas.

Altos Research Corp., based in California’s Silicon Valley, scans Internet Web sites for information about for-sale properties and converts that raw data into charts and reports for its subscribers. The company does not subscribe to multiple listing services.

While some industry sources for statistics have a lag time of a month or more based on how the information is reported and collected, Altos Research targets real-time data based on the current inventory of for-sale properties.

The holiday season is traditionally seen as a time to stay home or visit home, rather than buy a home. But the business of real estate grinds along during late November and into December, especially for buyers and sellers who are unconcerned with school schedules.

“Very often, the last quarter of the year we have our best quarter,” said Sue Moore, owner of Moore Properties in Wickford. “The people who come at this time of year are serious buyers.”