National Existing Home Sales Decline• Falling for the first time in five months, sales of existing homes declined

1.8% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million, according to NAR’s latest monthly report.

• NAR attributed the drop to fewer all-cash sales to investors.

• Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected the sales rate to increase to 5.2 million in August from an originally reported 5.15 million in July.

• On Monday, NAR tweaked July's sales rate to 5.14 million.

• The median sales price of used homes hit $219,800 in August, up 4.8% from the year-earlier period.

• August's inventory was 2.31 million existing homes for sale, a 5.5-month supply at the current sales pace.

• The number of homes available for sale was up 4.5% from the year-earlier period.

• August's pace of sales was down 5.3% from a year earlier.

TREPAC 2014 Ends September 30There are only eight days left in the HAR TREPAC fundraising year and we need your help! Your contribution can make this the best year ever for HAR TREPAC! Invest today and encourage others in your office to do so as well. Staying active in the industry and the knowledge that you gain by investing in TREPAC help make you the ultimate resource for your clients.

Check Your Investment Online at www.har.com/trepacmanager

Invest Online Now at www.har.com/trepac

2014

Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation 13th Annual Luncheon

HAR is proud to serve as Professional Sponsor of the

13th Annual Nancy Owens Memorial

Foundation Luncheon, which is

coming up on Monday, October 6.

For more information or to register, go to

www.nancyowens.org or call

713.932.1032 ext. 155.

Weekly HAR Market StatAs September deepens, a certain level of seasonal housing market cooling is bound to occur, but year-over-year trends do not seem poised to offend. A balanced market is the best friend of the buyer, the seller and, frankly, the real estate practitioner. Seasonal dips are nothing to fret over. It is now and will continue to be best to measure residential real estate activity not by months but by years.

In the Houston region, for the week ending September 14: • New Listings increased 2.8% to 2,161

• Pending Sales increased 31.6% to 1,861• Closed Sales decreased 4.9% to 1,353

Questions? 713-629-1900 ext. 6

HAR Consumer Webinar SeriesReal Estate Tools That Give Consumers What They WantWhether you represent the buyer, seller or just need some extra tools to

sharpen your real estate skills, this is the webinar series for you!

Join real estate consumer training experts Katrina Barnes and Tara Whitting as they guide you through a series of one-hour webinars based on real feedback and statistics from local home buyers and sellers.

This course will help you understand what the consumer wants from a REALTOR® before, during and after a transaction. This is the key to creating a lasting relationship in today’s hot market. This webinar will provide you with tips and tools to enhance your clients’ experience throughout the buying process.

Date: Wednesday, September 24Time: 9 to 10 a.m. or 12 to 1 p.m.

Location: OnlineInvestment: $10

Register online today at: http://www.har.com/edu/dispCourseClasses.cfm?course_id=862