Texas School Ratings Released for 2014 The Texas Education Agency released accountability ratings for public schools throughout the state of Texas. The ratings system changed last year so they are now classified as Met Standard, Met Alternate Standard or Improvement Required. This did away with the familiar Exemplary, Recognized, Academically Acceptable or Academically Unacceptable ratings. You may visit to learn more about the ratings system and to find ratings for schools across the state.

2015 HAR Board of Directors Announced The Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR) annual board of directors election concluded with a new slate of executive committee members and directors for the 2015 calendar year. Members of the 2015 HAR executive committee are: Nancy Furst, Chair – Berkshire Hathaway Anderson Properties Mario Arriaga, Chair-elect – First Group Cindy Hamann, Vice Chair 1 – Keller Williams Realty – The Woodlands Kenya Burrell, Vice Chair 2 – KBurrell Properties Shannon Cobb-Evans, Secretary/Treasurer – Vonnie Cobb REALTORS® Chaille Ralph, Immediate Past Chair – Heritage Texas Properties The following newly-elected directors join the 2015 HAR governing body: Marilyn Arendt – Marilyn Arendt Properties Christi Borden – Better Homes and Gardens Gary Greene Real Estate – Katy John Braun – Bayou Properties Realty Pamela Harris – Keller Williams Realty - The Woodlands Katie Maxwell - INTERO Real Estate Services Ignacio Osorio – Champions Real Estate Group Chuck Poteet – Chuck Poteet Properties Tim Surratt – Greenwood King Properties

Weekly HAR Market Stat On a national level, home prices have dipped slightly. Instead of reacting negatively to this on 24-hour cable news channels, analysts are happy to see more sustainable trends settling into the U.S. housing market. With slower, healthier price growth, homeowners will have the opportunity to steadily build equity while buyers won't be priced out of the market. Price normalization is not a negative trend, but rather a sign of stabilization and market athleticism. In the Houston region, for the week ending August 10: New Listings increased 6.6% to 2,556 Pending Sales increased 24.0% to 2,059 Closed Sales decreased 5.1% to 1,440

Questions? ext. 6 HAR Consumer Webinar Series Consumer Webinar Series: Seller Expectations: How to Give them what they want Your clients have spoken and we listened! HAR’s all new 1 hour webinar series: Whether you represent the buyer, the seller or just need some extra tools to sharpen your real estate skills this is the webinar series for you! Join real estate consumer training experts Katrina Barnes and Tara Whitting as they guide you through a series of one hour webinars based on real feedback and statistics from local home buyers and sellers. This course will help you understanding what the consumer wants from a REALTOR before, during and after a transaction. This is the key to creating a lasting relationship in today’s hot market. This webinar will provide you with tips and tools to enhance your clients experience throughout the buying process. Date: Wednesday, August 20th Time: (9am-10am) or (12pm–1pm) Location: Online Investment: $10 Sign Up