1. Forbes Gives Houston High Marks for Jobs Houston is among several Texas cities holding half the spots on Forbes’ most recent “Best Cities for Good Jobs” list (see http://onforb.es/XBbbvq).http://onforb.es/XBbbvq Houston claimed the No. 2 spot, with a five-year expected annual job- growth rate of 2.6 percent, per capita income of $42,804 and 6 percent unemployment. Meanwhile, Forbes reports the national average for per capita income is $37,000, and the U.S. unemployment rate is still around 8 percent. About Houston Forbes writes: “The nation's energy capital is booming as the shale revolution spreads to oil, raising demand for drilling contractors, supplies and related financial services.” Dallas took the top spot on the list, Austin ranked third, Fort Worth was No. 4, and San Antonio was No. 6. Forbes used Moody’s Analytics data on the 100 largest metropolitan areas to compile the list, accounting for factors such as markets that “are clearly rebounding from severe economic distress.” Forbes also weighted the per capita income factor to avoid areas that are adding a lot of low-wage jobs.

2. Houston Dominates America’s Growth Corridors A new report from The Manhattan Institute (http://bit.ly/13Q7XGY) gives prominent play to Houston in evaluating four key corridors that have demonstrated strong growth amid the nation’s struggling economy: the great plains, Gulf coast, inter-mountain west and southeast manufacturing belt. Among the Houston highlights are the following:http://bit.ly/13Q7XGY 1. The massive Texas Medical Center is now the largest concentration of medical facilities in the world. [It] now ranks as the country’s 12th-largest business district in terms of square feet, ahead of downtown Los Angeles, with plans to expand so that it will rival Philadelphia’s (7th-largest) in size by 2014. 2. Houston, the clear center of the Third Coast economy, has emerged as one of the country’s megacities. Over the past decade, Houston has had one of the largest increases in employment of any major metropolitan area—up 15 percent between 2000 and 2011. 3. Houston, Dallas, Baton Rouge, and Tampa have seen stronger rates of growth in the numbers of educated people moving into their areas, more so than such cities as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco.

3. Weekly HAR Market Stat REALTORS® must sell. Whether it's themselves, a property or an offer, an integral part of the life is convincing other people of something. Clean clothes, shiny shoes, a tucked shirt, upright posture. That's just to get in the door. But it's not enough to walk the talk. Proving to be the real(TOR®) deal means you know your stuff. You need stats, real stats, GOOD stats. Impress with empirical industry know-how and dazzle with substantiated evidence. Don't be the kid in class with grass stains, gum in hair and an unsharpened No. 3 pencil. Bring the following local real estate expertise to the local listing presentation.. In the Houston region, for the week ending February 24: New Listings decreased 6.2% to 1,967 Pending Sales increased 33.1% to 1,638 Closed Sales decreased 30.8% to 628

4. Act Now to Become a Leader 2013 Texas REALTORS ® Leadership Program (TRLP) Application Deadline is March 15 Due to its overwhelming success, HAR is once again offering 30 members the opportunity to take part in the extensive, eight-month Texas REALTORS ® Leadership Program (TRLP). Each session equips REALTOR ® members with the tools necessary to grow both personally and professionally. Topics Include: Business Planning ∙ Time Management & Life Balance ∙ Spokesperson Training ∙ Leading Across Difference ∙ Understanding Your Leadership Style ∙ H-Town Day ∙ Team Building (Overnight Retreat) ∙ Law, Legislature & Leadership (Austin bus trip) Applications for the 2013 TRLP are now available. Contact Rita Blevins at (713) 629-1900 x263 or at rita@har.com to request an application.rita@har.com