By Peter Ricci The fiscal cliff, and its implications for the U.S. economy, may be receiving all the attention from the media, but the National Association of Realtors (NAR) is doing its darnedest to ensure that another, equally potent

By Peter Ricci Construction spending, on the strength of the residential construction market, rose 1.4 percent from September to October and 9.6 percent from October 2011, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. It was another

By Natalie Terchek The National Association of Realtors (NAR) received a gold Best in Biz award for its forward-looking business practices. The independent business awards program honors companies and executives for their business successes. It is judged by industry

By Peter Ricci Falling housing prices during the housing downturn were, for prospective homebuyers and investors, a pretty smashing development. Housing affordability soared, and for those in the position to purchase a residence, deals could be had at nearly

By Peter Ricci For the last two weeks, we’ve taken a detailed look at the homebuyers side of the National Association of Realtors’ 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, analyzing demographics, the home search process, what kinds of

By Peter Ricci With few exceptions, home prices have been on the rise through most of 2012, and in noticeable ways – the most recent Case-Shiller Home Prices Indices, which Standard & Poor’s released on Tuesday, reported that home

By Peter Ricci The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking measure of real estate activity from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) that tracks contract signings, rose 13.2 percent year-over-year in October, hitting its highest mark since March 2007

By Peter Ricci First-time homebuyers have always played an integral role in the housing market, but the latest HousingPulse Survey from Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance has found that they may be missing out on the housing recovery. After surveying 2,500

By Peter Ricci Now that the real estate markets have begun a slow, steady recovery, it’s become commonplace for analysts to debate what factors are holding back housing from the rollicking, surging recovery we all dream about. From negative

By Peter Ricci New single-family home sales increased 17.2 percent year-over-year in October, according to the latest joint report from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Although sales were down 0.3 percent from September to October,

By Peter Ricci Referrals, it’s safe to say, are the lifeblood of a real estate agent’s career. Though networking and prospecting are invaluable for generating leads, it is through stellar service, and the referrals that such service generates, that

By Peter Ricci The 2013 Dodge Construction Green Outlook report, McGraw-Hill’s oft-cited study of the green building market, is predicting great things for green building in the U.S., estimating that the market will more than triple in the next

By Peter Ricci Texas home prices continued their 2012 surge, with prices in Dallas rising 4.4 percent year-over-year in September in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices from Standard & Poor’s. The Case-Shiller does not track home prices in Houston, but

By Peter Ricci Last week in our continuing series on NAR’s 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, we looked at the demographics of 2012’s homebuyers and how they searched for their future homes, and now, in our next

By Peter Ricci We all get a kick out of walking around our neighborhoods and surveying everyone’s holiday decorations, and indeed, few things looks nicer than a brightly-lit, tastefully-decorated home in the wintry months. But what about homes you

By Peter Ricci National home values rose 1.1 percent from September to October in the latest Zillow Home Value Index, which is the largest monthly increase since August 2005 and the 12th consecutive month of value increases for the