Forbes is Bullish on Houston in 2014 Houston and three other Texas metros have landed on another Forbes list showing strong economic momentum going into 2014. Houston ranked No. 4 on Forbes’ list of “The U.S. Regions to Watch in 2014,” which was based on research by Praxis Strategy Group. According to the report, Houston had gross domestic product growth of 12.3 percent between 2007 and 2012, and population growth of 11.5 percent during that time. Between 2007 and October 2013, Houston saw job growth of 9.2 percent, though median household income is still down 4.7 percent from prerecession levels. Austin — with a whopping 21.7 percent for GDP growth — topped the list, followed by San Antonio at No. 2. Dallas took the No. 6 spot. Forbes reports that a separate survey found Houston is one of the cities that have gained the most young college graduates since 2006, and the city is expected to add 140,000 new households by 2017 — the largest increase in the nation. The complete Forbes report is available at http://onforb.es/1cEX0Sh.

Real Estate Embraces the Consumer With 2013 in the rear-view mirror and 2014 well under way, it appears that the real estate industry as a whole is finally devoting more attention to the consumer. This observation and kudos to HAR come from acclaimed real estate blogger Rob “Notorious R.O.B.” Hahn in his 2013 recap: “Houston Association of REALTORS® continued its excellent consumer surveys, and brokerages, franchises, brands and other organizations have decisively turned their eyes towards consumers, consumer engagement, and consumer research. “Technology remains important, of course, but it does appear that 2013 marked the point at which most productive agents and top brokers realized that technology is a tool, not a solution. They’re not quite as obsessively focused on tech issues anymore; they are, I think, becoming more obsessed with consumers and meeting consumer expectations. That’s a hopeful sign for the future.” Rob’s complete summary is available at http://bit.ly/1lKE8AD. HAR consumer surveys will continue to deliver new findings throughout 2014. Visit http://www.har.com/consumerresearch/ for more.

Weekly HAR Market Stat Inevitably, most housing markets tend to wind down at the end of each year. There are holiday gifts to buy, travels to plan and kids to care for during winter break. This isn't the case for all buyers and sellers, of course, but there are enough who follow this traditional path to create a trend view that shows creatures not stirring. Be prepared for at least two weeks of lessened activity before things pick up again in January. In the Houston region, for the week ending December 29: • New Listings decreased 3.0% to 672 • Pending Sales increased 24.3% to 824 • Closed Sales decreased 16.5% to 993

Open Your Mind to Learning Broker Responsibility The purpose of this course is to address the regulatory aspects of the management, operation and supervision of a real estate brokerage firm in Texas. This course provides an understanding and working knowledge of the law of agency, planning and organization of business entities, requirements for written policies and procedures, records retention and control, advertising, recruitment and training of agents, and the anatomy of a complaint filed with Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). Date: Thursday, January 16 Time: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Location: HAR Central Investment: $50 Questions? 713-629-1900 ext. 6 Register at www.har.com/edu