The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business

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The EDGEInformation and news that gives you an
edge in the real estate business

• In This Weeks The EDGE

Houston Home Sales Blossom in April
Millennials Unhappy With Housing Choices
Houston Market Movements Navigating the All-New
HAR.com
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.
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The EDGEInformation and news that gives you an
edge in the real estate business
Houston Home Sales Blossom in April

• The April 2015 MLS statistics will be released
  this Wednesday morning, and here are some
  highlights of the report
• Houston home sales rose 1.9 percent
  year-over-year, with a total of 6,502
  single-family units sold.
• Months of inventory crept up slightly to a
  2.9-months supply versus a 2.6-months supply in
  April 2014. For perspective, housing inventory
  nationally stands at a 4.6-months supply.
• The single-family home average price was 281,724
  while the median price was 209,790. Both figures
  represent record highs for an April in Houston.
• April rentals of single-family homes were flat
  year-over-year while the cost of renting those
  homes rose 5.9 percent to 1,764.
• For more detailed information, please visit the
  HAR Online Newsroom for this and all other HAR
  news releases.

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The EDGEInformation and news that gives you an
edge in the real estate business
Millennials Unhappy With Housing Choices

• A report released last week by the Urban Land
  Institute (ULI) counts 15 percent of millennials
  as dissatisfied with their communitys quality
  of life and their current homes, and 21 percent
  are dissatisfied with their housing options.
• Across the board, 25 percent of renters are
  unhappy with housing options.
• ULIs survey was aimed at measuring quality of
  life perception among Americans of different
  backgrounds and generations. The report, America
  in 2015, divided the country by age groups, as
  well as race and income levels to consider what
  Americans want from their communities. 
• To no ones surprise, wealthier Americans are
  more satisfied with their communities, the survey
  found, but when it comes to satisfaction, theres
  a notable shift depending on location,
  specifically urban versus rural versus suburban.
• Americans of all income levels share many quality
  of life priorities walkable neighborhoods, green
  space, and access to fresh food and public
  transit. 
• Read the complete ULI report here
  http//on.uli.org/1KY7oC9.

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The EDGEInformation and news that gives you an
edge in the real estate business
Houston Market Movements

• Through research conducted by the National
  Association of REALTORS on the 100 largest
  housing markets in the nation, it was revealed
  that 93 out of 100 had uneven wealth ratios and
  declining homeownership between 2010 and 2013.
  Homeownership has dropped as slow wage growth,
  low inventory and tough mortgage standards have
  become the norm. Activity is spring fresh and
  exciting at the moment, but it is important to be
  mindful of the long game.
• In the Houston region, for the week ending May 3
• New Listings increased 8.5 to 2,901
• Pending Sales increased 11.1 to 2,269
• Closed Sales decreased 1.1 to 2,293

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The EDGEInformation and news that gives you an
edge in the real estate business
Navigating the All-New HAR.com
HAR.com Overview (Webinar) Sign up to learn
about the great features of the all-new HAR.com.
Students will learn how consumers can search for
properties from all over Texas and by specific
regions. We will show you how consumers can
refine the process through the use of enhanced
search options. Map Search allows consumers to
find homes by drawing a specific geographic area,
while our Drive Time feature generates results
based on commute time. We will also show you new
benefits in your HAR account, including community
reviews, ratings, leads, and lead sources from
tools like Agent Spot and others. Not only has
HAR expanded to include statewide residential
property listing information. The site now
includes apartment information. We will
demonstrate how all this can generate leads and
other benefits for you.   Date Ongoing
throughout May June 2015 Location
Online Investment Free Register at
www.har.com/edu Questions? Please call
713.629.1900 ext. 6