General

WASHINGTON (August 29, 2012) – Realtors® are the backbone of their communities, often supporting local causes large and small, and volunteering their time to help improve the communities in which they live. The National Association of Realtors® recognized 10 such Realtors® today as finalists for REALTOR® Magazine’s 2012 Good Neighbor Awards.

This year marks the 13th year the Good Neighbor Awards program has recognized Realtors® who improve the quality of life in their communities through volunteer work. The Realtors® acknowledged by ...

WASHINGTON (August 29, 2012) – Pending home sales rose in July to the highest level in over two years and remain well above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,^* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 2.4 percent to 101.7 in July from 99.3 in June and is 12.4 percent above July 2011 when it was 90.5. The data reflect contracts but not closings… Read More Continue Reading →

WASHINGTON (August 31, 2012) – It’s that time of year again! The dog days of summer are drawing to a close with fall just around the corner. Many families are turning their attention towards one of the most important parts of their entire year, sending their kids back to school.

For many families, school and home are inextricably connected. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors® 2011 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers Survey, the quality of the ...

WASHINGTON (September 5, 2012) – A new measure shows the typical amount of time it takes to sell a home is shrinking, and for traditional sellers is now in the range of historic norms for a balanced market, well below the cyclical peak reached in 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The median time a home was listed for sale on the market¹ was 69 days in July, down 29.6 percent from 98 days in July 2011.  The ...

WASHINGTON (September 11, 2012) – American businesses rely upon the availability and affordability of terrorism risk insurance and it’s a vital component of most commercial real estate transactions, the National Association of Realtors® said in testimony today.

NAR’s 2012 Commercial Committee Vice Chair Linda St. Peter spoke before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity on the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks about the future of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. TRIA is a ...

WASHINGTON (September 17, 2012) – New survey findings, combined with an analysis of historic credit scores and loan performance, show home sales could be notably higher by returning to reasonably safe and sound lending standards, which also would create new jobs, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said there would be enormous benefits to the U.S. economy if mortgage lending conditions return to normal.  “Sensible… Read More Continue Reading →

WASHINGTON (September 19, 2012) – Existing-home sales continued to improve in August and the national median price rose on a year-over-year basis for the sixth straight month, according to the National Association of Realtors^®.

Total existing-home sales ¹ , which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 7.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.82 million in August from 4.47 million in July,… Read More Continue Reading →

WASHINGTON (September 24, 2012) – HouseLogic.com, a comprehensive website about all aspects of homeownership from the National Association of Realtors®, has won Content Marketing Institute’s (CMI) 2012 Content Marketing Orange Award for the Content Marketing “Program of the Year” in the online channel. The Orange Awards are presented to the best examples of content marketing projects, content marketing professionals and content marketing agency innovation.

“We are honored to receive such a prestigious distinction… Read More Continue Reading →

WASHINGTON (September 27, 2012) – After reaching a two-year peak, pending home sales fell in August but are at elevated levels compared with a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,^* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, declined 2.6 percent to 99.2 in August from an upwardly revised 101.9 in July but is 10.7 percent above August 2011 when it was 89.6. The data reflect… Read More Continue Reading →

WASHINGTON (October 10, 2012) – The real estate market is recovering but still faces hurdles, notably from tight mortgage credit, but problems with a sizeable share of real estate appraisals also are holding back home sales, according to survey findings by the National Association of Realtors®.

Most appraisers are competent and provide good valuations that are compliant with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.  However, appraisals generally lag market conditions… Read More Continue Reading →