1. A FRESH Look at Houston Housing Here is HAR’s First Real Estate Snapshot of Houston (FRESH) report on the latest trends in the Houston housing market as Of January 31, 2015. The complete monthly MLS report for January will be distributed next Wednesday, February 11. As always, HAR will provide you with updated coverage in The EDGE.

2. HAR.com Goes Larger Than Life HAR officially announced its new HAR.com INRIX Drive Time tool last week, and as media outlets in Houston and around the country started to pick up the story, it grabbed eyeballs in New York’s Times Square when the press release was posted on a huge electronic screen (see below). In case you’re not familiar with it, the tool – currently on the site’s beta version at beta.har.com – is designed to let real estate consumers conduct a home search based on commute time, which is especially valuable with Houston as one of the nation’s most congested cities. Users simply enter the address of their office or other frequently traveled destination along with optimal commute time, and a map appears displaying property listings that fall within that time window.

3. Houston Market Movements Up, down and all around, mortgage rates and regulations will likely be hot topics this year. Rates should stay low through 2015, but consumers and finance experts believe we're at or near rate bottoms. The implication of low rates should be that more people will be able to reach homeownership status in the coming year, but it will be interesting to see if regulatory standards loosen up or tighten further based on buyer demand. In the Houston region, for the week ending January 25: New Listings increased 10.3% to 2,176 Pending Sales increased 17.5% to 1,680 Closed Sales decreased 6.9% to 826

4. Questions? 713-629-1900 ext. 6 Supercharge Your Real Estate Career HAR REALTOR ® Launch: Your Path to Success HAR announces a new initiative to assist REALTORS ® in their career path to success! This intensive three-day class offers insights into how to handle your transaction from contract to closing. The program will include tools such as: Prospecting - How to Create Business Buyer and Seller Expectations - Understanding your role before, during and after the transaction Insight into the ancillary roles by subject matter experts such as appraisers, inspectors, lenders, title companies, home warranty reps and much more. You will have hands-on, interactive experience to help you with your business before you even have business. A light breakfast and lunch are included in the program. Date: Wed. - Fri., February 18, 19 & 20 Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Location: HAR Central Investment: $129 Register at www.har.com/eduwww.har.com/edu