NAR Good Neighbor Award Finalists Honored for Good Works in Their Communities

WASHINGTON (August 30, 2016) — The National Association of Realtors® has named 10 Realtors® as finalists for REALTOR® Magazine’s 2016 Good Neighbor Awards. This award honors Realtors® who have made an extraordinary impact on their communities through volunteer work. This year marks the 17th year the Good Neighbor Awards program has recognized Realtor® volunteers. The […]

New Safety Survey, Products and Resources Roll Out For Realtor® Safety Month

WASHINGTON (September  19, 2016) – Since 2003, the National Association of Realtors® has dedicated September as Realtor® Safety Month; this year, as part of ongoing efforts to keep its members safe, NAR has an updated safety report available for members, firms and associations and a mobile app that has been expanded to include safety features. […]

Affordability Concerns, Uncertainty about Down Payment Requirements Ensnaring Renters, Latest HOME Survey Shows

WASHINGTON (September 14, 2016) – Lofty home-price growth and tight supply are leading to softening confidence among renters about whether it’s a good time to buy a home, according to the latest installment of the National Association of Realtors® Housing Opportunities and Market Experience (HOME) survey1. The survey also found that a misconception about how […]

NAR Identifies Top 10 Markets in Dire Need of More Single-family Housing Starts

WASHINGTON (September 19, 2016) – Single-family home construction is currently lacking in 80 percent of measured metro areas despite steady job creation and the low activity is creating a housing shortage crisis that is curtailing affordability and threatening to hold back prospective buyers in many of the largest cities in the country, according to new […]

NAR Settles Patent Dispute with Data Distribution Technologies, LLC

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 […]

Realtors® Claim Victory against Patent Abuse with Settlement

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 […]

Existing-Home Sales Soften Further in August

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 […]

NAR Study Finds Real Estate Firms Have Positive Outlook, Despite Sales Volume Decrease

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 […]

Outdoor Remodeling Projects See High Happiness and Financial Returns, Say Realtors®

WASHINGTON (September 27, 2016) — Homeowners looking to tackle a remodeling project should head outside, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors® and National Association of Landscape Professionals. The 2016 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features shows that not only can outdoor remodeling projects add value to a home on resale, but they can also bring advantages […]

NAR President Tom Salomone Calls HUD Condo Rule a “Start,” but Says More Changes Needed

WASHINGTON (September 27, 2016) – When H.R. 3700, the “Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act,” was signed into law earlier this year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development was given notice that they had 90 days to weigh in on regulations related to Federal Housing Administration financing for condominiums before changes automatically went into effect. […]