REALTOR® Call for Action: Housing Recovery

1. REALTOR® Call for Action: Housing Recovery • U.S. senators are considering sweeping tax reforms and they’re starting with a blank slate. That means any current  exemption, deduction, or credit in the tax code must be specifically presented to the Senate Finance Committee by July 26, or it will disappear. • Once all submissions are received, we believe, the professional staff of Senate Finance Committee will begin drafting a tax reform package.  The expected goal is for the committee to present a completed draft for review and possible legislative action in September. • A wide range of provisions in the tax code affect residential, investment, and commercial real estate.  NAR will be taking the lead to ensure that each of those tax provisions is defended. • HAR will work with our friends in the Senate and allies in other real estate associations to identify champions for each provision.  We will work to improve certain provisions or make some temporary provisions permanent. • It’s very easy to respond to a call for action, so when you receive the email, please take 30 seconds to let Sens. Cornyn and Cruz know that any tax reform should do no harm. Click here to take action: http://bit.ly/18Jaz0t

2. Fraud Alert! Please be on the alert that thieves, using a legitimate REALTOR®'s name, scheduled an accompanied showing and items were stolen. • Suspect #1 scheduled a showing, saying she's a Galveston REALTOR® and does not have a Supra Key, so the listing firm had an accompanied showing. The suspect unlocks an outside door at some point during the showing. • An accomplice comes back later, enters through the unlocked door and removes some items. Two jewelry boxes were discovered missing when the owners arrived home on Sunday. • The thieves are aware they have been found out so they may change the name and continue. Descriptions of the fake REALTOR® and client: • Caucasian, 25-30 years old woman; medium tall approx. 5’7”; light brown, straight hair; fair to medium skin, slightly tanned; fraudulently using a Galveston REALTOR®’s name/firm • Caucasian, 35- 40 years old woman; shorter, around 5’1” or 5’2”; short, straight blond-highlighted hair, worn in a bob, parted on left side. • Drove a double-cab, Dodge pickup that was gray with black trim

3. Weekly HAR Market Stat Housing isn't just housing. That may have a strange ring to it. But housing includes building inspecting remodeling lending refinancing furnishing and a host of other functions tied to the physical space of home. Each of these functions is tied to job growth and interest rates, and each has seen some spectacular highs and lows during the past eight years. There has been a recent sense of stability brewing in all of housing. Here's to making the most of it. In the Houston region, for the week ending July 14: • New Listings increased 18.8% to 2,564 • Pending Sales increased 42.0% to 2,044 • Closed Sales increased 11.6% to 1,544

4. Think Green • NAR Green Designation • The National Association of REALTORS® has created a green designation and benefits program tailored for real estate agents. NAR's Green Designation provides advanced training in green building and sustainable business practices so that you can seek out, understand, and market properties with green features. This course consists of three full-day courses. • Green 100: Real Estate for a Sustainable Future • Green 200: The Science of Green Building • Green 300: Greening Your Real Estate Business • *All three courses must be taken to complete this certification. Each day is also approved for 8 hours of MCE credit. Date: August 12, 13, 14 • Time: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. • Location: HAR Central • Investment: $75 per day Questions? 713-629-1900 ext. 6 Register at www.har.com/edu