July MLS Sales Statistics The July 2013 MLS statistics will be released on Tuesday morning, and here are some quick takeaways: The Houston real estate market extended its summer sizzle with single-family home sales rising for a 26th straight month, up 23.3 percent year-over-year. Contracts closed on 7,704 homes – the highest one-month sales volume of all time – and inventory ticked up to 3.4 months from 3.3 a month earlier (but down versus 5.3 months in July 2012). Prices reached the highest levels for a July, with the single-family home median price hitting $187,760 while the average price was $260,968 Total dollar volume was $2.3 billion, a 43.0 percent increase over July 2012, when total dollar volume was $1.6 billion. For more detailed information, please visit the HAR Online Newsroom for this and all other news releases.

Population Boom Forecast for Texas Texas will add twice as many people in the next 40 years as it did in the previous 40, according to a study from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. This prediction is especially positive for homebuilders, real estate agents and property managers. “Texas is projected to add around 30 million residents, an increase of nearly 120%, over the next four decades,” said Jim Gaines, research economist with the Real Estate Center. “This will severely impact the need for new housing and a slew of other goods and services.” By estimating an average of 2.849 people per household, Gaines predicts 10.5 million new housing units will be needed over this time period. “No place in Texas will grow more than the big cities,” he said. “The long-term outlook calls for the ongoing urbanization of the state.” The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown San Marcos MSA is projected to expand to more than 14.9 million, a growth rate of more than 143%.

Weekly HAR Market Stat In the world of costs and benefits, no good deed goes unpunished and every rain cloud has a silver lining. The Commerce Department recently reported that consumer retail spending had risen the most in seven months. That bodes well for residential real estate – an industry sensitive to consumer confidence and spending levels. But it could force the Federal Reserve's hand in tapering stimulatory monetary policy sooner than later, something that could push interest rates off their current lows. In the Houston region, for the week ending August 11: • New Listings increased 12.2% to 2,359 • Pending Sales increased 43.8% to 1,936 • Closed Sales increased 11.9% to 1,415

Go Pro with Social Media Social Media Pro Certification This course will help REALTORS® better understand the marketing capabilities that social media can provide. Students will learn how to brand themselves and use social media to get more exposure for their listings. It will cover a broad array of different social media platforms, giving REALTORS® multiple options for marketing purposes. Upon completion of this course, students will receive their Social Media Pro certification. Note: Laptops are recommended for this course. Date: Monday & Tuesday, August 26 & 27 Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Location: HAR Central Investment: $149 Questions? 713-629-1900 ext. 6 Register at www.har.com/edu