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| 90 Years and Still Going Strong… |
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I never
thought someone would call me a Nonagenarian—at least not to my face. When I looked it up in the dictionary
though, I found out that it means someone between 90 and 99 years of age. In this instance, I think it refers to
something, rather than someone though.
HAR enters its 90th year of existence this month. Founded on April 15, 1918, HAR has been
proudly serving its members ever since.
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| HAR in the News |
The Houston Association of Realtors® is making
headlines! Here’s a look at some of the media coverage our organization has
received over the past few weeks.
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| HOUSTON PROPERTY SALES CONTINUE TO SLIDE IN FEBRUARY |
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Sixth
consecutive monthly decline is tempered by notable increases in average and
median single-family home prices
Property
sales across greater Houston slid for the sixth consecutive month in February,
but the decline was not as steep as January’s. While February sales of
single-family homes dipped, the prices of those homes rose, according to
statistics released by the Houston Association of Realtors®.
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| 1.2 Billion Hits for YOU! |
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In both
January and February, HAR.com received approximately 1.2 billion hits,
generated by more than one million unique visitors. The site was ranked among the top 20 most frequently visited
real estate sites in the country by multiple Internet tracking companies. But what does all of this mean to you?
Consumers looking at Realtor® listings more than 11 million times per month for
starters.
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| HAR and Houston Intown Chamber Partner to Host Republican County Judge Debate |
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, HAR Chairman Michael Levitin, Charles Bacarisse
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On February
8, HAR Chairman Michael Levitin introduced the two Republican candidates for
Harris County Judge, Judge Ed Emmett and Charles Bacarisse, at the candidate
forum produced by the Houston Intown Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs
Committee and the Houston Association of Realtors® Governmental Affairs
Department. The luncheon was held
at The Briar Club and KPRC-TV news anchor Bill Balleza ably served as the
emcee. The issues presented
included ethics, flood control, property taxes, transportation, toll roads,
immigration, environment, land development, commuter rail, and use of the
Internet for county business.
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| Perry Homes opens in Friendswood Lakes, Aliana |
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In March, Perry Homes began offering your clients
choices in two Houston-area communities – Friendswood Lakes and the new Aliana.
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| A Realtor®’s Guide for Representing Outbound Residential Buyers |
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As the purchase of real estate becomes ever more
global, you as a real estate Professional may encounter a situation where
knowledge of international real estate will be quite useful. What if you
receive a call from a couple that want to relocate and live abroad, but have
never been outside of the United States? They give you specifics on home size,
desired lot size, desired topography, proximity to urban area, etc., but no
country. They want you to help them, but where do you start?
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| Election Results |
March 4th was a true nail-biting primary for many of
the races that HAR weighed in on. Despite some spending hours at their precinct
convention, the results slowly came in. Voters agreed with 81% of HAR’s
candidate recommendations. We are proud to have stood by the candidates who
demonstrated their support for the real estate industry. We look forward to
working with them and their campaigns in the November 4 General Election.
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| The Impact of Reading. From Your Eye, to Your Mind, to Your Wallet |
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"See Spot
Run.” That
sentence was from one of your first reading lessons.
"Look.
Look. Look.” That
sentence was from one of your first reading lessons.
More
than 100 years ago, The Scott, Foresman Publishing company created the immortal
reader Fun with Dick and Jane. Millions of kids learned to read from those
books -- me included.
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| HAR Turns 90 |
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The Houston Association of Realtors® achieves a major
milestone this month, celebrating its 90th anniversary on Tax Day, April 15.
Our nationally renowned organization has undoubtedly grown beyond the wildest
imaginations of the 20 Houstonians who banded together at the beginning of the
20th century to exchange ideas about real estate, livestock, hay and grain.
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| Fair Housing in the 2008 Real Estate Office |
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On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the
Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights
Act of 1964. The Fair Housing Act (the Act) prohibits discrimination because of
race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status in
most housing related transactions. Further, the Act makes it unlawful to
indicate any preference or limitation on these bases when advertising the sale
or rental of a dwelling. The Act also prohibits harassment of anyone exercising
a fair housing right and retaliation against an individual because she or he
has assisted or participated in any manner, in a fair housing investigation.
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| Your HAR Governmental Affairs Department Has Been Making The Rounds |
On October 23, HAR leadership met with Houston City Council Member Pam Holm over breakfast at the St. Regis Hotel to present her TREPAC contribution. Pictured with City Council Member Holm (bottom right) are constituents Dana Kervin, Minnette Boesel, Ray Holtzapple, Rob Cook and Margie Dorrance.
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Your HAR Governmental Affairs Department has been
making the rounds throughout HAR’s membership area visiting with Realtor®
members and elected officials and campaigning for HAR’s recommended candidates.
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| Mexico City Distrito Federal |
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Beginning this month we will feature a city or state
in Mexico with a large number of U.S. citizens residing there. Mexico City is
home to the largest population of Americans living outside of the U.S. Some estimates are as high as 600,000
Americans living in Mexico City.
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| Silver Award from NAHB National Sales and Marketing Council Goes To Paul Silverman |
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The National Sales and Marketing Council of the
National Association of Home Builders has awarded the honor of Marketing
Director of the Year for Region 5 to Paul Silverman, formerly of Stonebridge
Homes in Houston, Texas. "I consider it a great honor to have been chosen to
receive this award,” said Silverman. "When I look back on my time at
Stonebridge Homes, I have great pride in being part of such a wonderful company
that is committed to building a quality product under the leadership of Gordon
Miller, an amazing mentor. This award is a reflection of the dedication,
commitment and vision of
Stonebridge Homes.” In addition to this distinction, Silverman was one
of seven finalists from across the nation competing for the NAHB’s National
Marketing Director of the Year award.
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| HAR raises the most TREPAC Money in the State |
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2008 TAR TREPAC Chair Sherri Strickland and 2007 TAR TREPAC Chair Ronda Needham proudly present HAR TREPAC Chair Vicki Fullerton with the award for Most Dollars Raised by a large local association.
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At the TAR Mid-Winter Meetings in February, HAR was
honored with the very first award for raising the most TREPAC dollars in the
state. In 2007, HAR raised
$533,185 and TAR recognized this fantastic achievement by presenting HAR
Chair-Elect and TREPAC Chair Vicki Fullerton with this special award at the
TREPAC Investors Breakfast on Tuesday, February 26. 2007 marks the first year of this award and TAR presented
one to the local boards who raised the most dollars in each of their board size
categories. HAR won for Category
1.
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| 2008 TREPAC Investors |
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**All Investments as of March 12, 2008.**
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| Are Office Condos Here to Stay? |
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Office condominium projects have become a popular type
of office development in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, Boston,
Phoenix, and yes, even Houston. An
office condo allows an individual to own a unit in a multiunit structure. This type of ownership includes an
undivided interest in various common areas and in the underlying land.
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| Fine-Tuning Your Team for the New Market: Revisiting From Good to Great |
Our industry is currently experiencing what may go
down in history as one of its most dramatic moments. Because the circumstances that characterize this drama are
not appearing evenly across the national market, it has yet to reach the point
at which it can be discussed in polite company. Wise and learned men and women are still debating what it is
and what it means. It has become
sort of like a "Katrina syndrome,” where experts argued for years about whether
it was wind damage or water damage all the time ignoring the human reality of
the storm. For some brokers, the current situation is a blinding reality while
for others it is merely an item of interest to be referenced like the weather
or the latest sports scores.
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| A Young Realtor®’s View of the Market |
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After graduating from high school, every adolescent’s
mind is bombarded with overwhelming thoughts about what career choices he or
she should make. Some pursue medical, engineering, business or maybe artistic
interests, while others may explore athletics. The ambition to succeed can be a
powerful force in the heart and soul of an adolescent striving to transition to
financial independence and maturity. I want to provide Houston REALTOR® readers
with the perspective of a 19-year-old Realtor®.
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| Houston Broker Earns Top Award for Commercial Real Estate State Association Honors Frank H. Fitzgerald, CCIM for Commercial Transaction of the Year |
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Frank H. Fitzgerald, CCIM of NewQuest Properties, has
been recognized for the outstanding commercial transaction of 2007 by the Texas
Association of Realtors® with the 2007 William C. Jennings Award. This honor is
awarded annually by the Realtors® Commercial Alliance of the Texas Association
of Realtors® to recognize outstanding efforts in commercial brokerage. This
honor distinguishes the year’s most outstanding commercial transaction based on
the intrinsic worth of the particular contract. Mr. Fitzgerald sub missed all
ethical commercial principles and practices during the transaction.
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| Critical Learning Tools Available to Realtors® |
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Have you visited the Real Estate Course Finder on
www.HAR.com lately? We have an
extensive lineup of new and exciting classes this year. Don’t miss out, as
seating is limited. Please call
the Training Department at 713-629-1900 ext. 6 for more information. The new
classes include:
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