Texas Growing at Explosive Pace

1. Texas Growing at Explosive Pace • Those out-of-state license plates you’re seeing on the roads around town clearly illustrate the story. New U.S. Census Bureau data places Houston as the second fastest-growing city in the nation, led only by New York. • In fact, eight of the 15 fastest-growers between 2011 and 2012 were in Texas, with San Antonio placing fourth, Austin fifth, Dallas seventh and Fort Worth tenth. San Marcos, tucked between Austin and San Antonio, actually had the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people. • The biggest draw to Texas remains jobs, and in Houston, most of those are in the booming energy sector as well as in technology, manufacturing and business services. • To read the complete Census Bureau report, please go to http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb13-94.html.

2. Weekly HAR Market Statistic Although buyers are still in the market for higher inventory levels, sellers remain happy with their multiple-offer situations and short days on the market. As the product mix shifts away from distressed properties and towards traditional sellers, the U.S. housing market finds itself in a place it hasn’t been in a while – healthfully competitive. Pocket listings and shadow inventory provide something for the media to talk about, but for now, the market seems strong enough to hold up to any casual cannon fodder aimed its way. In the Houston region, for the week ending May 26: • New Listings increased 3.3% to 2,441 • Pending Sales increased 48.0% to 2,245 • Closed Sales increased 5.3% to 1,738

3. Steer Clear of the Risks • CRB: Real Estate is Ricky Business • Now more than ever, brokerage managers and owners must carefully navigate their firm through an alarming number of risks and liabilities. Successful brokerages must employ solid risk management and reduction practices to insure their company against significant losses, lowered productivity and a damaged reputation. • Learning objectives: • Recognizing common and uncommon potential areas of brokerage liability. • Creating and implementing proactive risk-shifting policies and operational procedures. • Designing and facilitating a simple risk management brokerage education track. • Further developing systems, resources and tools to better manage potential risks. • Strategizing and implementing a thorough brokerage risk management strategy.  • TREC Number:15-00-024-24020 • Date: June 19-20 • Time: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. • Location: HAR Central • Investment: $299 Questions? 713-629-1900 ext. 6 Register at www.har.com/edu