F irst R eal E state S napshot of H ouston (FRESH) Here is HAR’s snap- shot of the Houston housing market as of May 31, The complete May MLS report comes out on Wednesday, June 11.

The Importance of Brand The recent Hear it Direct (HID) conference in Austin yielded powerful real estate marketing strategies based on consumer feedback. Whether you want to be more effective at marketing or pricing properties, these ideas represent some of the best ways to grow your real estate business. HID co-creator Sue Adler argues that the more tech-savvy agents become, the more they may be alienating their clients. That is because they are relying on technology to build connection rather than personal contact. Consumers expect beautiful signs, great photos, and that their listings will be placed in as many places as possible on the Web. As one seller put it, “Advertising everywhere that you syndicate your listings is like a hotel advertising it has clean sheets.” Consumers constantly search for reviews. In fact, most said they had visited agent review sites. Nevertheless, when it becomes time to select an agent, most would rely primarily on a recommendation from a friend. One of Adler’s best recommendations was to create a love letter from the sellers addressed to “Dear House Hunter.” In this letter, the sellers share their own story about the house, the area and the lifestyle. Read more about this from Inman News here:

Weekly HAR Market Stat The yellow brick road to complete housing recovery has the trees whispering of rising home prices and low inventory. Luckily, these trees won't throw apples at us. Even though improvements appear flat in nature as we progress through each month, year-over-year comparisons still show encouraging overall trends. The full splendor of Emerald City is just a skip and a song away. In the Houston region, for the week ending May 25: New Listings increased 5.3% to 2,612 Pending Sales increased 19.4% to 2,211 Closed Sales decreased 14.6% to 1,619

Questions? ext. 6 Give Yourself Some Credit Register at Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) The Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation demonstrates to peers and consumers your commitment to providing outstanding service for real estate buyers. Please review additional requirements needed to complete this designation on the REBAC website: Date: Wed. & Thurs., June 11 & 12www.rebac.net Time: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Location: HAR Bay Area Investment: $199