(August 2022)     Higher mortgage interest rates. Recession fears. Inflation. While none of those are things we would want, they likely contributed to a slowing of the real estate market in the greater Houston area last month. In spite of our own regional strength with strong job growth, our area can only hold up so long with national and international forces working against us. You may read all of the latest statistics on pages 8-12. We will see where all of this heads in the coming months.

Are you ready to get Engaged? No. I’m not talking about your significant other popping the question. I am talking about HAR’s biggest member event of the year. It’s back. Good news-bad news. It’s in person, which is great. It also means it will likely sell out, so you will want to buy tickets early. You may read more about it on pages 22-23. We have a great line-up that you won’t want to miss.

I know change can be difficult, but we try to stay ahead of the game to remain competitive. We launched the new HAR.com website and apps last month. There are some great new features and performance enhancements. The website and apps now update every five minutes, so no one does it faster. Map Search is the way most consumers find properties, so that has been redesigned and improved. Take a look at pages 24-27 for a run-down and give them a try. If you have feedback (good or bad), the best way to report it is to shake your mobile phone or click on the Feedback tab at the bottom right of the website.

Do you love to bowl? Even if you don’t, do you love to watch other people bowl? Okay, do you just like being with people? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should sign up for one of the upcoming TREPAC Bowl-a-thons. You may find out more information about them on pages 32-33. I know I will be there with a team, so I hope to see you there.

Did you know we have had more than 15,000 members attend one of our classes this year? There are some great ones coming up this month, and you may check them out on pages 40-42. There are the basics like Matrix or Contracts, but we also have more in-depth classes Platinum tools, CMAs, Video Marketing, and more. I encourage you to see what would help you most in your business and take a class soon.

Until next month,