Housing Starts at Six-Month High Single-family housing starts nationwide reached a six-month high in August, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau, rising 7.0 percent from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 587,000. The new report is a marked difference from the month before, when the homebuilding industry was largely carried by the surging, if somewhat erratic, multifamily homes sector. Single-family authorizations, which are contracts for new single- family homes, were up 3.0 percent from July to a rate of 627,000, while single-family completions rose 0.5 percent to a rate of 573,000. It’s also worth noting how dramatic the year-over-year increases are for single-family home construction. For single-family, housing starts are up 9.7 percent year-over-year, permits are up 22.5 percent and completions are up 17.2 percent.

Real Estate Agent vs. REALTOR ® Since 2011, the HAR.com Consumer Research Panel has provided HAR members with information designed to help perform more competitively. Confusion about the difference between a real estate agent and a REALTOR ® is among the many survey findings available at

HAR Tool of the Week Real Estate Community Real Estate Community allows consumers and REALTORS ® to ask questions, post answers, share facts, opinions and personal experiences with each other. Asking Questions: Community members can ask other community members questions that they are seeking answers for. Designate a topic/category to make it easier for other community members to find and answer it. Providing Answers: Community members can provide answers to open questions posted by other members. Your answer may be chosen as the best one, earning you extra points and increasing your user level. Alert Notifications: Sign up to receive daily alerts containing a list of new questions that have been posted in your favorite categories. Be the first to answer open questions to increase your ranking within the community. You may disable the notifications at any time. To encourage participation and reward great answers, Real Estate Community has a system of points and levels. The point system allows everyone in the Real Estate Community to recognize how active and helpful you have been. More about Real Estate Community:

Weekly HAR Market Stat For several weeks, markets across the country have seen consistent gains in sales, prices and percent of list price received at sale. Things like steadily low rates, less lender-mediated inventory and increased consumer confidence are all helping this reality. Each and every week reveals signs of a recovered market that are going from temporary yard sign to permanent road sign. Here’s to hoping for prosperous signs on the road ahead. In the Houston region, for the week ending September 15: New Listings increased 9.9% to 2,069 Pending Sales increased 25.1% to 1,687 Closed Sales increased 6.0% to 1,326

Questions? ext. 6 Open Your Mind to Learning Register at Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) Completion of the Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation course is an essential step for REALTORS® to understand the distinct real estate goals, concerns, and needs of seniors today. This course looks at key differences in housing options, from age-restricted communities to age-in-place design to assisted living; applications of the Housing for Older Persons Act (HOPA); the ins and outs of reverse mortgages; the use of pensions, 401k accounts, and IRAs in real estate transactions; and developing a team of senior specialists, including estate planners, reverse mortgages lenders, clutter and staging specialists and more. THIS COURSE FEE INCLUDES YOUR $99 FIRST-YEAR DUES FOR SRES. Date: Monday & Tuesday, Oct. 7-8 Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Location: HAR Central Investment: $179