It seems like there has been an election nearly every month this year, even though there really hasn’t been. There is one more though—at least one more. The November general election will be held on Tuesday, November 6, and early voting will be available running up to that date. Our advisory group spends countless hours screening the candidates who would best represent the REALTOR® Party, which supports the real estate industry and homeowners. You may read about which candidates our Board of Directors recommends here.
Elections for candidates are not the only things on the ballot. Those of us in this area also have several important ballot initiatives, including some for METRO, the City of Houston, Houston Community College and Houston Independent School District. These all should be of interest to our members and all voters, as some will also result in changes to the tax rates of the entities. You may read more about each of these items here. The HAR Governmental Affairs Advisory Group had presentations from community leaders about these issues, so please look for any ballot initiative recommendations in other HAR communications.
Each year at this time, we reach out to you to ask for nominations for the HAR REALTOR® of the Year and the John E. Wolf Community Service Award. The recipients of these awards are the best of the best, and you all know better than anyone who is deserving of these honors. You may read more about the qualifications and find the Request for Nominations form on page 13.
The greater Houston real estate market continues to perform extremely well, with pricing and sales rising across the board. One area that most people seem to be focusing on right now is that our months’ inventory dropped below 5 months for the first time since 2002. This is a very tight market, and some individual sub-markets are even tighter. That might make you think that it is a seller’s market, and technically it is, but the record low mortgage interest rates continue to provide great opportunity for home buyers as well. You may read more about the latest Houston MLS market stats here.
Lastly, the cover story this month is about the upcoming The BIG e event. We changed the event from the traditional Expo format last year, and we have received rave reviews. This technology- and education-focused occasion is one that you won’t want to miss, it did sell out last year, so you should buy your ticket today. You may find out more information and how to purchase a ticket by clicking here. We look forward to seeing you there.
Until next month,
