WASHINGTON (September 22, 2016) — Existing-home sales eased up in August for the second consecutive month despite mortgage rates near record lows as higher home prices and not enough inventory for sale kept some would-be buyers at bay, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Only the Northeast region saw a monthly increase in closings… Continue Reading Existing-Home Sales Soften Further in August
Existing sales fell in August to their second-lowest pace of 2016 (5.33 million). But don’t let the down sales number fool you. This is a very active housing market. Properties in August typically sold 10 days quicker than a year ago, inventory has now declined year-over-year for 15 straight months, and after increasing again in… Continue Reading Blame Low Inventory and Higher Home Prices for August’s Existing-Home Sales Slide
Let’s take a snap shot into the minds of REALTOR® firms and their projection for business in the near-term from the 2016 Profile of Real Estate Firms. First, we know that roughly half (47 percent) of all firms are actively recruiting agents in 2016, up from 44 percent in 2015. Hiring is always an indicator… Continue Reading Growth Forecast for REALTOR® Firms
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sharon Delia (803) 772-5206 Rock Hill Realtor® Tim Helline wins statewide C. Dan Joyner Community Service Award Tim Helline speaks at SCR's board of directors meeting after receiving the C. Dan Joyner Community Service Award COLUMBIA, S.C. (September 21, 2016) -- Rock Hill Realtor® Tim Helline of Carolina Farms and Estates… Continue Reading Rock Hill Realtor(R) Tim Helline wins statewide C. Dan Joyner Community Service Award
WASHINGTON (September 20, 2016) – The vast majority of real estate firms have an optimistic outlook for the future of the industry’s profitability and growth, according to the National Association of Realtors® 2016 Profile of Real Estate Firms. Profitability expectations have declined from the 2015 survey, mainly due to inventory shortages and home-price growth, but… Continue Reading NAR Study Finds Real Estate Firms Have Positive Outlook, Despite Sales Volume Decrease
WASHINGTON (September 20, 2016) – Data Distribution Technologies, LLC (“DDT”) and the National Association of Realtors® (“NAR”) have settled several proceedings relating to U.S. Patent No. 6,529,908, titled Web-updated database with record distribution by email, including an Inter Partes Review of the patent requested by NAR. The terms of the settlement agreement include a covenant… Continue Reading NAR Settles Patent Dispute with Data Distribution Technologies, LLC
WASHINGTON (September 20, 2016) – The National Association of Realtors® is declaring a major victory against patent abuse in a settlement with Data Distribution Technologies, a subsidiary of the patent enforcement firm General Patent Corporation. DDT sued and threatened several real estate businesses in the past over use of a technology-related patent, but NAR challenged… Continue Reading Realtors® Claim Victory against Patent Abuse with Settlement
In the 2016 Profile of Real Estate Firms, we surveyed our members for the first time on to learn if firms were family-run businesses and what type of family relationships exists within the firm. Members cited that 50 percent of all firms had some type of family relationship and seven percent of those firms were… Continue Reading In Real Estate, Firms Are A Family Affair
When several real estate businesses complained of overly broad patent-infringement lawsuits, the National Association of Realtors® stepped up. Data Distribution Technologies, a subsidiary of the patent enforcement firm General Patent Corporation, engaged the businesses over the past year disputing the use of a technology-related patent. NAR, however, described the effort as an “overly broad and… Continue Reading With Settlement, Realtors® Claim Patent Abuse Victory
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and when you’re trying to live in small confines, some new thinking might indeed be necessary. However, there are also historic examples that may prove to provide solutions that make downsizing easier. After all, overly-large homes haven’t always been de rigueur. That’s why some developers and builders… Continue Reading What’s Old Is New in Small Home Living