September is the official REALTOR® Safety Month, but we always say it should be every month. Unfortunately, we have seen a sharp rise in the number of more sophisticated scams and incidents of harassment targeting REALTORS® and/or their clients. There are safety tips located throughout the magazine, but pay special attention to the center spread here. We try to regularly remind all of our members that no deal is worth risking your safety or that of your clients. There is no better time to take that to heart than today.

Each year, HAR seeks nominations for the REALTOR® of the Year and the John E. Wolf Community Service Award. If you know of someone who might be deserving of either of these honors (or feel you could be in the running yourself), please see page 11 for the Request for Nominations form. The deadline for the nominations is November 9, 2013, but it is better to go ahead and submit your nominations now.

The Nextgen REALTOR Group (NRG) 20 Under 40 Rising Stars in Real Estate is now one of the most coveted awards in real estate for our members who are under the age of 40. This year’s recipients are great examples of success in production, leadership and community service. The 20 honorees will be recognized at an NRG event on September 26. You may read the list of recipient and find out more about buying tickets to the event on page 13.

The Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee (TREPAC) is one of the most influential PACs in the state of Texas. The reasons for that are both the number of REALTORS® in Texas and the amount of money that is raised to support the campaigns of REALTOR® and homeowner-friendly candidates. The TREPAC fiscal year wraps up at the end of September so there is still time to help put us over the top of our goal of raising $635,000 this fiscal year. You may find out more here.

One of the most anticipated events in the greater Houston real estate community is the Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation Annual Luncheon. The organization has done so much great work in the memory of fellow HAR member Nancy Owens to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. HAR is proud to once again be a sponsor of this event, and you may find out more information to purchase your ticket on page 22. This year’s featured speaker will be tennis great Martina Navratilova.

Until next month,
Danny Frank
HAR Chairman of the Board