Purpose of the Temporal Handling Module
This module explains how temporal effects are handled when observing residential listings in Johannesburg. Its purpose is to clarify why time-based patterns in listing data cannot be interpreted as trends, cycles, or changes in underlying residential conditions. The focus is on methodological constraint rather than temporal analysis.
Listings as Discrete Time Events
Each residential listing is observed as a discrete publication event anchored to a point in time. The observation method does not assume continuity between appearances of similar listings across periods. Reappearance of listings is treated as a new visibility event rather than as persistence or change in a residential unit’s status.
Rotation Cycles and Apparent Activity
Rotation cycles play a central role in shaping time-based visibility. Listings may be withdrawn and republished due to marketing refreshes, platform rules, or intermediary practices. These cycles can create the appearance of sustained or fluctuating activity without any corresponding change in residential stock or occupancy.
Asynchronous Publication Across Districts
Publication timing varies across districts and housing formats. Managed developments may follow coordinated listing schedules, while individually managed properties appear irregularly. When observed over time, these asynchronous patterns can distort temporal interpretation if treated as synchronized market signals.
Limits of Time-Based Aggregation
Aggregating listings across time periods compresses rotation-driven visibility into simplified sequences. Such aggregation can obscure the underlying mechanics that generate listings and encourage unsupported inference about momentum or change. This module establishes a boundary against interpreting aggregated temporal patterns as indicators of residential dynamics.
Temporal Interpretation Boundaries
Time in a listing-based dataset indicates when visibility occurred, not how residential conditions evolved. Institutional users should therefore restrict temporal interpretation to describing publication behavior rather than extrapolating change, persistence, or direction in the residential landscape.