The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business In This Week’s “The EDGE” G-Fee Call For Action – Take Action TODAY! Early Voting Starts This Week in City of Houston Run-Off Elections Mix and Mingle at REALTOR ® Celebration Houston Market Movements Get The Social Media Advantage “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.

The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business G-Fee Call for Action – Take Action TODAY! Congress has extended the current Transportation Bill until Friday, December 4. The extension was passed to give the House-Senate Conference Committee additional time to reconcile differences between the House bill, which includes the NAR-supported amendment removing the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac G-Fee as a funding mechanism, and the Senate Bill which relies on an extension of the G-Fee to help finance the Transportation Bill. Of the House members included in the Conference talks are Representatives Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), who successfully offered an amendment to remove the use of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee fees (g-fees) from the House’s transportation package. Ideally, their expertise and leadership will carry forward during the negotiations with the Senate to remove g-fees as a funding stream for transportation. HAR’s participation rate is at 11.4%. We need your help to reach the national goal of 20%! Click here to take action now to prevent Congress from placing an unnecessary long-term burden on American homeowners!Click here to take action now to prevent Congress from placing an unnecessary long-term burden on American homeowners!

The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business Early Voting Starts This Week in City of Houston Runoff Elections Early Voting begins this Wednesday, December 2, and continues through Tuesday, December 8. Election Day is Saturday, December 12. HAR’s Recommended Candidates for the City of Houston Runoff Elections: Mayor: Bill KingBill King Houston City Council At-Large, Position 2: David RobinsonDavid Robinson Houston City Council At-Large, Position 4: Amanda EdwardsAmanda Edwards Houston City Council At-Large, Position 5: Jack ChristieJack Christie Houston City Council District F: Richard NguyenRichard Nguyen Houston City Council District H: Jason CisnerozJason Cisneroz Houston City Council District J: Mike LasterMike Laster Click here to find the Early Voting Schedule and Locations

The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business Join us on Wednesday, December 9 at the Houston Country Club as we recognize our two industry award winners and install our 2016 Board of Directors. Networking begins at 5:30 p.m., with the program starting at 6:30 p.m. Visit realtorcelebration.har.com for more information!realtorcelebration.har.com Rob Cook 2015 HAR REALTOR ® of the Year Ronnie Matthews 2015 HAR John E. Wolf Community Service Award Recipient Mario Arriaga 2016 HAR Chairman Mix and Mingle at REALTOR ® Celebration

The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business We're still looking at better-than-expected new listing and sales activity in most markets around the U.S., while overall inventory and months supply of inventory remains down. While the addition of new listings and an increase in sales activity will not always be up in year-over-year comparisons on a weekly basis, the trend has remained rather optimistic into the year-end months that typically see a slowness in residential real estate activity. Anecdotally, this feels like a response to the inevitable rate hike that is coming before 2015 is complete. In the Houston region, for the week ending November 22: New Listings increased 11.0% to 1,970 Pending Sales increased 12.5% to 1,671 Closed Sales decreased 24.2% to 1,241 Houston Market Movements

The EDGE Information and news that gives you an edge in the real estate business Social Media Pro Boot Camp This hands-on course will help REALTORS ® better understand the marketing capabilities that social media can provide. Students will learn how to brand themselves and use social media to get more exposure for their listings. This course will cover a broad array of different social media platforms and mobile applications, giving REALTORS ® multiple options for marketing. Upon completion of the course, students will receive their Social Media Pro (SMP) certification. Laptops or tablets are required for SMP classes held at the Fort Bend location, and welcome but not required at all other HAR locations. Date: Thursday - Friday, December 10 & 11 Location: HAR Central Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Investment: $149 Register at Call ext. 6www.har.com/edu Get The Social Media Advantage