1. Wanted: Age 40 or Under “Rising Stars”
in Real Estate
• 2012 marks the third annual NextGenREALTOR® Group (NRG) “20
under 40 Rising Stars” in Real Estate awards.
• This prestigious award is presented to 20 HAR members age 40
years or younger who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of
sales, leadership and community involvement.
• To review the qualifications, read FAQs and download an
application form, please visit the NRG website at
http://nextgenrealtor.har.com.
• The application deadline is Thursday, August 16.
• Winners will be announced in HAR’s publications as well as a news
release to be distributed to local and national media.
• The awards ceremony will be held during NRG’s fall luncheon on
Thursday, October 18 in the Crystal Ballroom at The Rice Hotel.
• For more information, contact Rozlynn Crew at roz@har.com.

2. Voting Begins This Week for the
2013 HAR Board
• It’s time to cast your vote for the 2013 HAR Board of Directors.
• Beginning this Thursday, July 12, HAR members in good
standing will receive an email from BigPulse, a leading
independent online voting service, containing a unique hyperlink
for casting their vote.
• BigPulse is HAR’s third-party ballot company that has tabulated
HAR board election results for the last three years.
• Members are urged to check their junk mail folders if they do not
receive an email ballot by the end of the day.
• Voting ends on Monday, August 6 at 5 p.m., at which time the
results will be displayed online.
• Please refer all election questions to Rozlynn Crew at
roz@har.com.

3. Mortgage Rates Fall Even Lower
• Mortgage rates hit record lows in the week ending July 5, with the
30-year fixed-rate mortgage average dropping to 3.62 percent from
3.66 percent the previous week, Freddie Mac said Thursday in its
weekly report. That rate is the lowest since long-term mortgages
began in the 1950s.
• The average rate on the 15-year mortgage, a popular refinancing
option, slipped to 2.89 percent, below the prior week's record of
2.94 percent.
• The rate on the 30-year loan has fallen to or matched record low
levels in 10 of the past 11 weeks and has remained below 4 percent
since December.
• Lower mortgages are providing a much-needed lift to the national
housing market. NAR reported that the number of people who
signed contracts to buy existing homes rose in May, matching the
fastest pace in two years.

4. Weekly HAR Market Stat
Residential real estate continues to show signs consistent with market
recovery. For the current round of numbers, buyer activity increased while
seller activity was lower than last year at this time. In general, buyers have
been taking advantage of historic affordability levels for some time. Soon,
renewed seller confidence should lift listing activity. Some call this an
encouraging omen, as long as supply levels don't exceed a prior apex.
In the Houston region, for the week ending July 1:
• New Listings decreased 0.5% to 2,436
• Pending Sales increased 47.0% to 1,891
• Closed Sales increased 3.8% to 2,050

5. Open Your Mind to Learning
Graduate Realtor Institute
GRI-1 Finance
The GRI designation is the most widely recognized of the National Real
Estate Designations. This program consists of three courses, each taught by
experts in their respective fields. The module offers: Contract Forms,
Contract Procedures, Residential Finance and Cultural Diversity & Fair
Housing. A calculator is required. GRI courses may be taken in any order
and satisfy your 9 hours of non-legal MCE requirements.
Date: July 20, 23, 24 & 25
Time: 8:15 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: HAR Bay Area
Investment: $295
Register at www.har.com/edu Questions? 713-629-1900 ext. 6