Transcript edge020816 - HAR Connect

The EDGE
Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business
In This Week’s “The EDGE”
• Houston Home Sales Off Slightly in January
• Will Climate Change Be Real Estate’s Next Big Disruption?
• Early Voting Begins Next Week
• Houston Market Movements
• Designate Yourself For Success
“The Edge” is a weekly tool for managers to use to inform their agents and stay current and up-to-date
with important real estate industry issues.
Brought to you by the HAR Communications Department.
The EDGE
Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business
Houston Home Sales Off Slightly in January
The January 2016 MLS statistics will be released this Wednesday,
February 10, and here are some highlights of the report:
• Houston home sales declined 2.1 percent year-over-year in
January with a total of 4,024 single-family units sold.
• Months of inventory grew to a 3.3-months supply compared to a
2.5-months supply in January 2015. For perspective, housing
inventory nationally stands at a 3.9-months supply.
• The single-family home average price was $262,663 while the
median price was $200,000. Both figures represent record highs for
a January.
• January rentals of single-family homes rose 2.8 percent year-overyear and the cost of renting those homes climbed 4.2 percent to
$1,742.
For more detailed information, please visit the HAR Online Newsroom
for this and all other HAR news releases.
The EDGE
Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business
Will Climate Change Be Real Estate’s
Next Big Disruption?
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Climate change will cause more disruption to real estate than any manmade technology. That’s according to a February 5 Inman News story by
contributor Teresa Boardman, a Minnesota real estate broker-owner.
Boardman writes, “We can ignore the occasional stormy weather, floods,
winds and snow storms that change travel plans, but as they become more
frequent, they will disrupt our businesses and our lives, and force changes.”
She adds that water shortages, floods and fires will be a more prominent
part of our lives as weather patterns change.
Of real estate’s role in addressing these new realities, Boardman writes,
“Our operations need to have flexibility and be adaptable to changes.”
She notes that household sizes are getting smaller in the U.S. and that “that
might have a bigger impact on housing and real estate than apps and the
Internet combined.”
Read the complete story HERE.
If you don’t already have an Inman Select subscription, remember that it’s
FREE as an HAR member. Sign up today HERE.
The EDGE
Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business
Early Voting Begins Next Week
• The 2016 Primary Election is coming up on
Tuesday, March 1.
• Early Voting runs from Tuesday, February 16
through Friday, February 26.
• For information about the election, including a
complete rundown of the candidates, go to HAR
Connect.
The EDGE
Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business
Houston Market Movements
At the close of January, indicators show steadiness across the U.S.
real estate market. Higher home prices are predicted for the remainder
of 2016, and there is a continuing shortage of inventory. However, we
should also see a strengthening labor market and further interest in
home buying among millennials, keeping things relatively balanced.
In the Houston region, for the week ending January 31:
• New Listings increased 1.0% to 2,386
• Pending Sales increased 16.3% to 1,772
• Closed Sales decreased 6.2% to 1,486
The EDGE
Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business
Designate Yourself for Success
Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI-2 Marketing)
The GRI designation is the most widely recognized of the national real estate
designations. Consisting of three courses, each is taught by experts in their
respective fields. This module consists of Seller Services, Buyer Services,
Technology and Environment & Green Building. GRI courses may be taken in any
order and satisfy your 9 hours of non-legal MCE requirements. TREC rules
mandate that each student be on time. Make sure to have your license number.
TAR provides a one-time, $50 coupon for qualifying students. This coupon may be
downloaded from the TAR website. Students pay full price and email the coupon to
HAR’s Professional Development department to receive a credit. All other courses
are full-price.
Date: February 18, 19, 22 & 23
Location: HAR Montgomery
Time: 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Investment: $295
Register at www.har.com/edu
Questions? Call 713.629.1900 ext. 6