Register Real Estate Advisors » HAR

Consumer Warning About Realtors

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:20:43 +0000

I feel it is very important and necessary to advise Consumers to be aware of an alarming issue in the real estate community. Right now the market is down and has been since 2007. As a result, many long time agents are getting full time employment jobs and leaving their real estate careers for the weekends. As a consumer with a real estate need, you will want a full time Realtor that can help you anytime, not just after business hours. The same can be true for your lender and inspector. You want someone you can not only get in contact with, but someone with a focus on their real estate career. Someone who has the experience, training, and dedication for every real estate market. We all know the re market swings up and down, but if you are an agent that’s not in it for the long haul, I would not want you helping me with one of the biggest and most important decisions in my life. Please choose wisely when you pick a Realtor.

Ask your Realtor questions about their dedication to the industry and what alternate income streams they have. You may find your Realtor really isn’t a real estate agent at all, they may be a flight attendant, a lender, insurance salesman, or waiter. Ask the questions and consumers beware of part time realtors who want to make money off of you in real estate without having to commit to the industry.

Choose someone who keeps up with industry news and is ready to help you any day of the week! Someone who works in real estate daily!

At RREA, you will find dedicated Realtors that are experienced and in business for the long haul, no matter what the market is doing!

"Consumer Warning About Realtors" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on January 10, 2012.

Houston Home Sales Remain in Positive Territory for a 6th Straight Month

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:54:51 +0000

The latest MLS release with November 2011 residential sales statistics has been posted in the HAR Newsroom. Please click HERE to read the release. It will be distributed to the media today so it will likely be reported in the newspapers and on TV, radio and the Internet in the next couple of days. For your convenience, you may also view the video of HAR Chairman Carlos P. Bujosa discussing the statistics embedded within the release.

In an effort to keep our members as informed as possible about the real estate market, we wanted to make you aware of the latest statistics. Obviously, it is important to remember that “all real estate is local,” and these figures are for the aggregate of the greater Houston area. That is why we strive to encourage all consumers to seek the guidance and assistance of their REALTOR® who has the most experience and market knowledge about their particular localized market.

"Houston Home Sales Remain in Positive Territory for a 6th Straight Month" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on January 5, 2012.

Houston Area Home Sales Rise For A Fourth Straight Month

Sheryl Hunter, Realtor — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 04:02:48 +0000

Houston is finally cooling off a bit but home sales remain hot. Sales of single family homes climbed nearly 17 percent compared to one year earlier and accounted for the fourth consecutive month of increased sales volume. The prices of those homes achieved all-time highs for a September in Houston. In addition, months of inventory fell to the lowest level since May 2010 while pending sales rose and active listings declined. All are considered signs of a healthy and balanced housing market.

"Houston Area Home Sales Rise For A Fourth Straight Month" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on November 17, 2011.

August Texas Existing Home Sales Up 24%

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:52:07 +0000

COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – Sales of existing single-family Texas homes in August were up 24% from a year ago, according to the
most recent Multiple Listing Services (MLS) data compiled by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

More than 21,200 existing single-family homes were sold, data showed.

The median home price was $153,200, about the same as a year ago, and the state’s overall inventory was at 7.4 months.

August 2011 MLS data for many Texas cities are available on the Center’s website. Here is a sampling (data current as of Sept. 29, 2011):

	Sales	Change from Last Year	Median Price	Change from Last Year	Months’ Inventory
Abilene	174	up 21%	$108,900	down 11%	6.3
Arlington	431	up 39%	$132,100	down 2%	5.8
Austin	2,193	up 31%	$194,600	no change	5.8
Beaumont	160	down 8%	$144,600	up 6%	12.3
Brownsville	78	up 32%	$117,100	up 3%	13.5
Dallas	4,540	up 31%	$163,500	down 1%	6.4
Fort Worth	778	up 12%	$124,900	up 3%	6.6
Houston	6,063	up 29%	$157,700	up 1%	7.2
McAllen	185	up 35%	$109,700	down 6%	15.1
Odessa	89	up 3%	$142,500	down 5%	4.3
Port Arthur	55	down 5%	$103,800	down 6%	13.3
San Antonio	1,811	up 9%	$153,500	down 4%	7.9
South Padre Island	25	down 7%	$197,500	up 20%	41.9
Texarkana	85	up 1%	$106,200	up 2%	10.2
Waco	184	up 26%	$118,900	down 11%	9.9
Texas	21,246	up 24%	$153,200	no change	7.4

"August Texas Existing Home Sales Up 24%" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on October 11, 2011.

2011 TREPAC Bowl-a-thon

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:19:29 +0000

A great time was had by all at the 2011 TREPAC Bowl-a-thon.

Team RREA did their best. What they lack in bowling skill, they more than make up for in enthusiasm!

This event raises money for the Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee.

"2011 TREPAC Bowl-a-thon" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on August 13, 2011.

Bayou City’s Speedy Recovery

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:42:27 +0000

HOUSTON (Houston Association of Realtors)
– Houston’s office and industrial markets are recovering more quickly than
expected, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’
quarterly market research.

The office market fared well in first quarter 2011, especially Class-A
space, which had a positive absorption of 203,564 sf.
Overall negative net absorption was 64,608 sf.

The industrial market is stabilizing, with a negative absorption
of only 34,621 sf.

"Bayou City’s Speedy Recovery" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on June 5, 2011.

Live Streaming with Kevin Price

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 03:10:41 +0000

On March 2nd on The Price of Business Radio broadcast I talked with Kevin Price about the real estate market in Houston. We had some technical difficulties, as this was our first live streaming video. You can watch the show weekday’s on Houston’s 650 AM
CBS Radio. I usually give a housing update every other week. You can click on our CBS Logo on the rrea.com website to see all of my broadcasts with Kevin. Thanks for tuning in!

"Live Streaming with Kevin Price" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on April 2, 2011.

What a Realtor Association is…

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:20:45 +0000

I know you’ve noticed the HAR.com signs around town. Our local Realtor Association is The Houston Association of Realtors and they have about five locations around Houston. They run our local Multiple Listing Service. This is a great video produced by HAR that explains what Realtor Associations do.

"What a Realtor Association is…" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on December 30, 2010.

H-Town Day for Realtors

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:57:04 +0000

On Thursday, October 21st I attended my first Realtor H-Town Day at the Omni Hotel in Houston where the Realtor community gathered to learn about the direction of our city. We heard from many fabulous guest speakers about the past, present, and future of Houston. H-Town Day gives Realtors a sense of the basic history in our community, the type of growth Houston is expecting in the near future and how that will impact real estate, and we examine the various areas of Houston and what it entails. Currently, we have 92 Consulates, 22 Foreign Banks, and over one fifth of our residents are foreign born. We have over 3,000 international companies, and over $167 Billion in trade. Our diverse city has over 86,300 engineers and over 31,000 employed in the chemical field. Presently, Bush Intercontinental Airport is the 8th biggest airport for passengers (48.5 MM in 2009.) It is the 11th biggest international hub for air cargo. It currently has 11 international carriers and 10 domestic carriers. Our city of Houston covers 600 square miles and it is a wonderful place to live.

Our first speaker was Olga Rodriguez, the Vice President of Economic Analysis for the Port of Houston. The Port of Houston is the largest shallow ship channel with 9 foot average depth and 52 miles from Houston to the Gulf of Mexico. It could be considered Houston’s largest asset, requiring constant maintenance by the Corp of Engineers. The Port of Houston offers service between Houston and over 1,000 other world ports. We have the largest petrochemical complex in the world. The port has 220 million tons of cargo passing through. The Port of Houston has 150,000 barges, 7,700 ship calls per year, and it’s the 7th largest U.S. container port. It offers 785,000 jobs related to ship channel activity. It generates $3.7 Billion in state and local taxes and $118 Billion in economic impact. The net operating income is up 42% and net income up 172%. Exports now exceed imports and sixty five percent of all major project cargo comes through Houston. The Port of Houston is an expert at moving cargo as large as a two story home. Since 1914 the port has been a powerful engine propelling growth in Houston and the port continues to improve. Six hundred twenty five million dollars in capital improvement is planned for 2010 and 2011. In 2009 there was $200MM in capital improvement projects under way. The port currently handles 70% of all the containers in the U.S. Gulf.

How does all this affect the housing market in Houston? They are projecting a population growth from 2030 to 2040 in the Houston area due to the port growth. Currently, 75% of cargo moves by truck, but expanded trade will come when rising fuel costs push more cargo to rail. They are currently exploring opportunities for freight rail corridors. As the port grows, Houston will grow. We have the room to grow in our area with land available in and around the city limits. The port is always looking for new opportunities to propel our city forward. Current exploration is being done for a freight rail district, adding another port in Galveston on Pelican Island, and pursuing cruise line opportunities. Another growth indicator for the Houston Port, and ultimately the city, is the completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2014. Trade with Asia continues to increase and has been the fastest growing cargo for the last 10 years.

Our second speaker was Dr. Richard Wainerdi, the CEO and COO of the Texas Medical Center. He spoke about Monroe D. Anderson and the foundation that began what we know to be the world’s leading cancer center, M.D. Anderson. It is the largest and best cancer center in the world. Also part of the Texas Medical Center is Texas Children’s Hospital (largest pediatric hospital in the world where no child is turned away) and Balyor Medical Center. Today Texas Medical Center is a complex with 49 centers with 105,000 people working there. It is a city of health. When measured in square footage it is currently the 12th largest down town in the U.S. There are 22 buildings under construction and it will become the 8th largest downtown in the U.S. after completion. Houston’s healthcare is a booming business with about 95,000 employees. Healthcare added 19,700 jobs during the 2009 depression. The medical center is located on 14,000 acre and uses as much power as downtown Houston as a whole. It is located in the South Main Area along with Rice University, Reliant Stadium, 3rd Ward, Texas Southern, and University of Houston, where there are museums, Herman Park, and nice affordable housing.
Shifting gears, Dr. Wainerdi spoke about the future of healthcare now that we are facing Obamacare. In the future, less money will be coming to the providers, $100 Billion will be charged to providers, and medical practice will change. We don’t know exactly what will and won’t be covered. There are not enough doctors to go around under this new plan.

The positive news is that the new healthcare bill does increase the support for research and education and preventative medicine. Dr. Wainerdi stated that one third of the people come to the Medical Center due to self inflicting illnesses and we can get rid of this cost (examples are violence, cancers from smoking, liver damage due to drinking, not wearing seat belts, etc.) In order to prevent these self inflicting illnesses, we need more positive behavior in our society like arts, sports, space exploration, and military endurance. He made no doubt that over the next five years we will be finding a new way for our health care system.

We heard from Courtney Tardy, Director of Historic Neighborhood Resources at Greater Houston Preservation Alliance on City Preservation. She touched on the Historic Preservation Ordinance that has been a huge issue in Houston over the past few months.

During lunch Congressman Al Green spoke briefly to the Realtor Community.

After lunch we learned about city development with Beth Wolff, GHP Board Member and member of the City of Houston’s Planning Commission.

You cannot study Houston without learning about the Energy Corridor. Andy Hendricks, President of Schlumberger Drilling and Measurements spoke about the Energy Corridor. The energy corridor runs from Interstate 10 and West Houston to Downtown to Katy. Over thirty percent of U.S. jobs are in oil and gas extraction. Over thirteen percent of the U.S. jobs are in oil field services and wind energy.

Dan Bellow, the Immediate Past Chairman of the GHP and Chairman of Opportunity Houston also spoke to us. Houston is definitely not a one economy city. We have electronics, technology, engineering, software development, healthcare, oil and gas, chemicals, and much more.
We got a county update from Harris County’s Judge Ed Emmett. Houston is the third largest city in the U.S. with many constituents. He discussed that there are city finances to attend to, the jail which is the largest mental health center in Houston, Houston City Hospital System, Joint Processing System, and much more.

Overall, the day was filled with a wealth of information from speakers with diverse backgrounds that help Realtors understand where we are today, where Houston is coming from, and where Houston is going in the future. Bottom line is this – Houston is a great place to live, work, retire, and grow up. Houston offers something for everyone. There’s no depression here!

"H-Town Day for Realtors" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on November 9, 2010.

Reviewing Your MLS Listing Information

Shannon Register, Broker/Owner — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 03:28:16 +0000

"Reviewing Your MLS Listing Information" was originally posted as a blog post at RREA.com on October 10, 2010.