I first want to congratulate the newly-elected 2016 HAR Board of Directors. There were so many great candidates running for the eight open spots, and some of the individual races were VERY close. When this election or any other comes up again in the future, don’t forget that every vote counts. You may see the complete listing of the 2016 HAR Board of Directors here. And congratulations to John Nugent of RE/MAX Space Center for being elected as secretary/treasurer for next year. He joins an outstanding executive committee and will do us all proud.

Everyone is always talking about the millennials and what their behaviors are in the marketplace. You almost feel like you are talking about some animals in the wild. Regardless, it is an important group of people who are rising up to become perhaps your next client. While each person is different, this article offers some interesting insights that you might be able to use in your business with those 18-34 year olds.

While not all of the 20 Under 40 Rising Stars in Real Estate are millennials, they are all superstars. There were so many worthy applicants for the honor this year that made it so tough to narrow the field down to just 20 honorees. Our younger agents continue to do amazing things in their businesses and the community. The 20 people who are on the 2015 20 Under 40 list are incredibly diverse, but they all have success, leading and giving back as their goals. We salute each of them, who you may see here.

The BIG e is HAR’s biggest membership event of the year, and this year promises to be the best yet (it gets better and better every year). Some of the best speakers from across the country will be in Houston to help energize your business. Everything from the latest apps and consumer ratings to REALTOR® safety and the industry outlook will be covered by the best in the business. I’ve said it before, but this is one you do not want to miss. Read more about it and how to purchase tickets here.

Some of our residential members may not realize what a robust and active commercial division we have at HAR. It’s not just HAR.com that provides listings—it’s Commercial Gateway too. Additions are coming to CommGate though, as our commercial site becomes part of Xceligent, which is the leading provider of verified commercial listing information across the United States. There are many benefits to this new commercial platform, which you may read here. The HAR-operated Commercial Information Exchange (CIE) service focused on the greater Houston marketplace will continue to be offered as well.

Until next month