In This Week’s “The EDGE” The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business In This Week’s “The EDGE” • Houston Home Prices and Sales Set Records in June • Houston Market Movements • Houston Goes Greener • You’re in Store for Classes Galore “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.

Houston Home Prices and Sales Volume The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business Houston Home Prices and Sales Volume Set Records in June HAR will release June 2017 MLS statistics this Wednesday, and here is an advance peek at highlights of the monthly report: Home sales across greater Houston rose 8.4 percent in June, with a total of 8,414 single-family units sold – the largest one-month volume in history. The single-family home median price increased 2.6 percent to $239,023 while the average price edged up 1.5 percent to $304,155 – both all-time highs. Months of inventory grew to a healthy 4.4-months supply compared to a 3.9-months supply in June 2016. National housing inventory currently stands at a 4.2-months supply, according to NAR. Single-family home rentals shot up 17.6 percent year-over-year while townhome/condo rentals rocketed 21.3 percent. For more detailed information, please visit the HAR Online Newsroom for this and all other HAR news releases.

Houston Market Movements The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business Houston Market Movements Across the country, economic conditions affecting residential real estate have not changed much this year, which is good for market stability. The most recent jobs report was favorable, while unemployment and mortgage rates both remain satisfyingly reasonable. If there were more homes for sale, we might see a shift in prices. Although builder and seller confidence are high, we are not close to a trend change in that regard. In the Houston region, for the week ending July 2: • New Listings increased 1.7% to 3,219 • Pending Sales increased 17.5% to 2,187 • Closed Sales remained flat at 2,741

The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business Houston Goes Greener Houston again claimed a Top 5 position among U.S. cities with the most green office space, a new report shows. Certified green buildings accounted for 53 percent of the Houston area's overall office space at the end of 2016, according to a study produced by CBRE Group and the Netherlands' Maastricht University. The buildings hold an EPA Energy Star label, a U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification or both. Chicago moved ahead of San Francisco to claim the top spot among 30 cities tracked, with 66 percent of its space certified as green, according to the Green Building Adoption Index. It is the first time Chicago has held the No. 1 spot in the study's four-year history. Houston ranked No. 4, the same as last year, behind Atlanta and ahead of Minneapolis.  LEED certification has become the standard for new office developments in Houston, as employers try to attract a younger workforce.

The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business You’re in Store for Classes Galore Matrix & MLS Platinum Tools at Houston Community College Sign up today at www.har.com/edu Questions? Call 713.629.1900 ext. 6