Houston’s Building Boom Continues The city of Houston issued $5.5 billion in building permits in 12 months, representing a 23 percent increase from the previous year, according to data released by the Greater Houston Partnership on Friday. During that time frame, residential permits increased by 40.6 percent and non-residential increased by 13.8 percent, the data from August 2013 collected from the city’s Public Works & Engineering Department. These numbers are yet another indication of Houston’s building boom. Since the May 2011, the 12-month permit total for residential construction has grown by $1.23 billion, or 136 percent. Total permits since September 2010 grew 76 percent, or $2.4 billion.

Consumers and Transactions As part of its research into consumers’ perceptions of REALTORS ®, the HAR.com Consumer Research Panel recently examined the usefulness of knowing an agent’s transaction history. That is among the many findings that HAR members can read 24/7 at and put to use.

HAR Tool of the Week HAR recently introduced RatePlug, a free service winning praise from REALTORS® around the country that lets agents add lender information to reports they send to their clients. RatePlug is an automated marketing program that feeds real-time housing payment information into MLS Buyer Reports ed from Tempo and Fusion. This arms agents and their clients with information not previously available to help determine which properties are most affordable to consumers. The system relies on live lending data from lenders who are referred by participating brokers and agents. RatePlug is the latest service to be included in the HAR membership fee. In other words, whenever you decide to start using it, there is absolutely no additional cost. RatePlug allows agents to include mortgage options from up to three of their preferred lenders within each listing ed to homebuyers from the MLS. Participating REALTORS® can send a report with the RatePlug display directly to their customers. Find out more about RatePlug at

Weekly HAR Market Stat Higher interest rates, rising prices and a budget standoff in Washington haven’t shaken consumer sentiment regarding housing. Buyers continue to rifle through existing inventory for options, keeping an eye out for new listings. A sense of normalcy is returning to the real estate ethos after more than a decade of extreme ups and downs. It’s a big week for economic and housing news, so keep your eyes and ears tuned for any changing headlines. In the Houston region, for the week ending September 22: New Listings increased 0.2% to 1,868 Pending Sales increased 21.1% to 1,605 Closed Sales increased 13.6% to 1,518

Questions? ext. 6 Designate Yourself for Success 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