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Board of Realtor Stats vs MLS Data – Jan 2017
The Austin Board of Realtors (ABOR) just released their report on January home sales. As we wait for all the media to report the data, I think it’s a fun exercise to check that data. The graphic below illustrates the difference in ABOR’s data and that which you can find in Matrix (the software Realtors use to list properties and to find opportunities for prospective home buyers). The top of the graphic is ABOR’s data. The bottom shows screenshots of the MLS data found in Matrix. Of note, demand, represented in the ABOR graphic is up 7% while Matrix shows a 4.4% increase. Supply represented in the graphic by months of…
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Looking Ahead To The 2017 Housing Market
Looking ahead to the 2017 Housing Market Blame it on the election cycle, the climbing interest rates or affordability, and I’ve heard it all, the central Texas housing rate of growth very clearly slowed in 2016 compared to previous years. The good news is that the Austin metro area had another record breaking year with home values and sales. Though the housing market traditionally slows every presidential election year, I wouldn’t blame the second half of last year being slower than the previous three years solely on the election. The normalization of our market in 2016, meaning a less aggressive rate of growth, will likely continue – though check out the…
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New To The Austin MLS: “CS” Listings
New to the Austin MLS: “CS” listings For a few years, local buyers have had countless reasons to be frustrated. The lack of inventory has made it difficult to win offers and often they’ve missed out on opportunities entirely as some homes contract without ever hitting the open market. Realtors have tried countless ways to adapt creating numerous underground market portals that only fractions of the local Realtor community actually join. But now, a game changer from the Austin Board of Realtors (ABOR) and I think sellers and buyers will be pleased! The Austin Board of Realtors has launched a new MLS status called Coming Soon or CS. This new status was implemented in an effort…
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Now A Certified Residential Specialist!
Scott Lawrence has been awarded the prestigious Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation by the Council of Residential Specialists, the largest not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of Realtors. REALTORS who receive the CRS designation have completed advanced training and demonstrated outstanding professional achievement in residential real estate. Only 29,000 REALTORS nationwide have earned the credential. Home buyers and sellers can be assured that CRS designees subscribe to the strict REALTOR code of ethics, have been trained to use the latest tactics and technologies, and are specialists in helping clients maximize profits and minimize costs when buying or selling a home.
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Now An Accredited Buyer’s Representative!
Scott Lawrence has been awarded the Accredited Buyer’s Representation (ABR) designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC) of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Scott joins less than 3% of real estate professionals in North America who have earned the ABR designation. All were required to successfully complete a comprehensive course in buyer representation and an elective course focusing on a buyer representation specialty, both in addition to submitting documentation verifying professional experience. REBAC is the world’s largest association of real estate professionals focusing specifically on representing the real estate buyer. For more on the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council visit the REBAC website.
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ABOR’s Press Release on March Statistics
Austin-area home prices reach all-time high, home sales set record for March 2015 Austin Board of REALTORS® releases real estate statistics for March 2015 AUSTIN, Texas – April 21, 2015 – Austin-area single-family home prices hit an all-time high, while single-family home sales volume set a record for the month of March according to the March 2015 Multiple Listing Service (MLS) report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS®. Barb Cooper, 2015 President of the Austin Board of REALTORS¬®, explained, “The Austin-area housing market is the least affordable it has ever been. Solving Austin’s affordability issues is not only dependent upon generating new, affordably-priced housing stock, but also…