Houston Ranks No. 2 in Best Citiesfor Millenials

• A new study by PayScale finds that Houston is one of the best cities in the U.S. for Generation Y (individuals between the ages of 19 and 30, also known as Millenials) workers.

• Ranked behind only Seattle, Houston employees earned 4.3 percent more in 2012 than they did in 2009, well above the average U.S. wage change over that time period, at 2.5 percent.

• Houston Gen Yers also have a median pay of $44,000, tied for the highest in the country (due largely to oil industry jobs), a commute that's only slightly higher than average at 24.8 minutes and plenty of other Millennials to play with, with the age group making up 22 percent of the workforce.

• Payscale also found that while 63 percent of Millennial workers have at least a bachelor's degree, the most commonly reported jobs for them are positions that don't require any higher education.

Weekly HAR Market StatWhere residential real estate statistics are concerned, observers should be watching for overarching, macro-level trends rather than any one volatile, outlying week or month's worth of data. Thinking in a big-picture manner is beneficial in numerous ways. Consider this: Despite media coverage of dreaded shadow foreclosure inventory or a new rush to rent by former owners, our nation's homeownership rate has fallen no more than 3.0 percent from its peak in 2004. The figure crested around 69.0 percent and now lies just above 66.0 percent. Here are some local numbers to learn and share.

In the Houston region, for the week ending August 19: • New Listings decreased 11.5% to 1,832• Pending Sales increased 32.7% to 1,653

• Closed Sales increased 8.1% to 1,415

Join HAR TREPAC for an informative luncheon about the growth being experienced in the Southeast area of Houston. This will be great information for commercial

brokers as well as those that handle relocations to the area.

Thursday, September 611:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.Cullen’s Restaurant

11500 Space Center Blvd. Houston, TX 77059

Presenters include representatives from all three Economic Development Councils – Pearland, Alvin & Friendswood.

$15 ticket will count toward your 2012 TREPAC investment. RSVP to Aracely Arrazolo at aracely@har.com or 713-629-1900 ext. 286.

imPACt Pearland-Alvin-Friendswood

Don’t Sell Yourself Short

Register @ www.har.com/edu Questions? 713-629-1900 ext. 6

Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource Certification

Date: Friday, August 31 Time: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.Location: HAR Bay AreaInvestment: $119

For many real estate professionals, short sales and foreclosures are the new “traditional” real estate transaction. Knowing how to help sellers maneuver the complexities of short sales as well as help buyers pursue short sale and foreclosure opportunities are not merely good skills to have in today’s market—they are critical. And while short sales and foreclosures are not for the faint of heart, agents with the proper tools and training can use these specialty areas to build their business for the long -term. The SFR certification program is offered by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council of NAR. The program includes training on how to manage short-sale, foreclosure, and real-estate owned transactions, and provides resources to help Realtors® stay current on national and state-specific information as the market for these distressed properties evolves. To earn the certification, REALTORS® must complete a one-day education program, as well as three one-hour Webinars.

*There is a one-time application fee of $175 required to complete this certification.