John A. Daugherty, Jr. & Dick Hargis

Attorney Dick Hargis of Hargis & Harpold, LLP gave a presentation at yesterday’s sales meeting at John Daugherty, Realtors to address lease purchase transactions and other legal issues currently facing many of our sales associates.  Hargis & Harpold, L.L.P. is a law firm concentrating its practice in the areas of real estate, commercial litigation, insurance defense, trade associations, business transactions, employment and subrogation. We are always very glad to have Hargis share his legal insights with us, as it always leads to a very eye-opening discussion.

Watch what you say in emails!

Hargis began by reminding everyone how important it is to always make sure that you watch what you say every time you hit the send button on an email.  This is excellent advice, especially given how often an email can be misinterpreted.  Whenever in doubt about how your words or tone might be interpreted, it is a good idea to save the email as a draft and go back and read it, and if needed, edit it before sending.

Lease Purchase Transactions

Hargis says, “Just say no!”  This is the best advice, he says.  A lease purchase is actually a contract for deed.  It is a transaction in which statutory rules burden the seller (or Broker) with many of the following:

• Pre-contract disclosures
• Pre-contract documents
• Annual accounting

Not only that, but non-compliance can lead to DTPA violation, contract rescission and refund of all payments.  The list of pre-contract disclosures alone can be very daunting.  Real estate agents and brokers can’t write a lease purchase; it requires the use of an attorney for drawing up the agreement.  Hargis recommends telling the seller that he or she should call a lawyer to discuss if they are considering this type of transaction.  “Under no circumstances should an agent attempt to draw up a lease purchase contract,” says Hargis.  In general, a much better option might be owner financing.

From time-to-time I run across a transferee who is interested in discussing lease purchase options with me.  I can tell you that they have no idea what this entales.  Especially in today’s market, people relocating to Houston are often looking to explore all of their options and inquiring doing a lease purchase.  Fortunately, when they are relocating to Houston through a relocation company, they are often counseled about the necessity of using an attorney and discouraged from exploring this type of transaction. 

Buyer’s Rep Agreement & Information About Brokerage Services

Why are both needed?  Hargis says that the Information About Brokerage Services Form is a good introduction and a lead in to a Buyer’s Representation Agreement.  The IABS is informational, and is important because it addresses Intermediary.  The Buyer’s Rep Agreement is a sign of some sort of loyalty between the agent and the buyer.

 Who Should Hold Open Houses?

This is always an important consideration.  According to Hargis, an agent employed assistant who has a real estate license is fine to hold an open house; however, if the assistant is unlicensed, the assistant should not be allowed to hold and open house.  As for unlicensed persons, they can hold open houses, but Hargis does not recommend it.  He says that they are not supposed to say anything, but you can never be sure whether that person will give out information or say something that he or she shouldn’t. 

What legal issues or questions do you have?  It’s very important to have reliable legal resources whenever controversial issues or questions arise.

I have had many proud moments since coming back to John Daugherty, Realtors to lead the company’s Global Relocation Services Division in December of 2008.  So many wonderful things have happened over the past 14 months, and so many accomplishments have peppered the way.  But I don’ t think that I have had a prouder moment than on Tuesday of last week.  That is when I received John Daugherty Realtors’ Department of the Year Award as the Director of Global Relocation Services.

Our company gathers towards the beginning of each year for a Celebration Breakfast to honor and recognize the many accomplishments of the past year.  On Tuesday, John A. Daugherty, Jr. kicked off our celebration by discussing our company’s sales volume and other statistics for 2009.  Wow, what a great year 2009 was for us in spite of the economic challenges that have affected our country! 

Then John announced the Department of the Year Award.  When he said the words, ”This year our department of the year award goes to Global Relocation Services,” I stood up and approached the stage as if I was being presented with the Oscar.  I can’t tell you what this award means to me and what it represents.  I love what I do so much, and feel so lucky that I get to do what I love, where I love to do it.

I rejoined John Daugherty, Realtors, as part of the company’s strategic hiring initiative during the last quarter of 2008.  When I got there, I had a great deal of work ahead of me in the Relocation Department, but the potential that I saw there was unlimited.  And that is exactly the way that I approach my position there and the steps that I have taken to make our company the leader in Houston Relocation and real estate services.

Since 2000, the focus of my career has been on the relocation industry, but it has only been since my return to John Daugherty, Realtors that I have seen it flourish by leaps and bounds.  To what to I attribute this?  That’s a very easy question to answer.  I am given complete autonomy to do the job that I have been hired to do, while receiving incredible support from John Daugherty and the wonderful management team that I am fortunate enough to work with everyday.   I am also very motivated by the excitement of the relocation industry in general, and I work very hard to continue to establish myself and our company as the best choice for real estate / relocation services in Houston, Texas.  To that end, I am very active within the real estate and relocation community on a local, national and international level.

I am very passionate about my profession and the many relocation business opportunities that I successfully bring to John Daugherty, Realtors.  This has been the driving force behind everything that I do and will continue to do in the years to come.

Indeed 2009 was an excellent year for our Global Relocation Services Division; however, I hope that it will pale in comparison to the many plans I have in store for 2010 and far beyond.  Thanks to the many strategic partnerships I have made, speaking engagements and presentations that are in the works, and my involvement and membership in various key organizations throughout the relocation industry, I know that 2010 will be an even better year than 2009.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to my business coaches (you know who you are).  Thank you for always being there, believing in me, putting my name out there over and over again, and for always helping me to raise the bar. 

I have said it many times, “Houston is a great place to live.”  I especially love being able to share all the wonderful things that Houston has to offer with people who are relocating here.  True, this is an important part of my job as Director of Global Relocation Services at John Daugherty, Realtors, but it is also the truth.  From our great shopping and restaurants, to all the great sporting events, arts and culture, parks and trails and much more…Houston really has it all. 

Here’s a new one for you: 
Houston is the Global Center of Excellence for International Human Resources. 

For the past three years, I have been involved in the Houston International HR Roundtable.  This is a fantastic group of individuals comprised of the HR community and the service professionals who work in partnership with them.  During the time that I have been involved in this group, I have come to know its leader, Larry Scott, who has done an exceptional job at bringing great speakers and educational opportunities to the group.  He has also incorporated networking Happy Hours, which has helped bring the members of this group together.

At the end of 2009, Larry Scott formalized the group, adding structure and varying levels of membership and sponsorship opportunities, while enhancing membership benefits.  He now serves as president for the group and is the visionary for its future.

So, what is Houston International HR Roundtable?

Houston International HR Roundtable is committed to developing Houston as the Global Center of Excellence for International Human Resources.  It is the leading education and networking professional organization in Houston for international HR professionals, including international and domestic service providers. 

The vision of the group is to develop Houston as the Global Center of Excellence for international human resources.

I was absolutely thrilled when Larry approached me and asked me to Chair the Global Center of Excellence Committee.  He felt that I would be a perfect fit, given my work within the Relocation Industry and the contacts that I have locally within the Houston Relocation and HR community.

The Global Center of Excellence Committee is focused on bringing increased recognition to Houston as the Global Center of Excellence for International Human Resources in accordance with the vision statement of Houston International HR Roundtable.   This committee works in conjunction with our other committees to promote Houston and its value as a global leader in international HR.  I am very excited to be the Chair of this important committee, and look very forward to assisting in bringing recognition to the Houston as the Global Center of Excellence.

If you are interested in membership or more information about Houston International HR Roundtable, please visit:
Houston International HR Roundtable.  To view upcoming events, please click here:  Events Calendar.

Breaking news has been circulating all morning about CARTUS‘ acquisition of Primacy.  CARTUS is a subsidiary of Realogy, a leading global provider of real estate and relocation services.  This is obviously big news in the relocation industry. 

According to Richard A. Smith, president and CEO of Realogy, “This is a strategic acquisition for CARTUS – one that will enhance its domestic operations, substantially broaden its global capabilities, and firmly position it as the leading relocation services provider to the government sector.”  He adds, “This acquisition positions Realogy for strategic growth across our international and domestic businesses.”

Please click here to read the press release:  CARTUS Acquires Primacy Relocation

John Daugherty, Realtors has had long-standing relationships with both CARTUS and Primacy, and looks forward to continued opportunities as a result of this acquisition.  Please weigh in and let me know your reaction to this news.  All comments are welcome!

Mike Inselmann, president of metrostudy gave his annual economic forecast at John Daugherty, Realtors’ Sales Meeting on Tuesday.  Metrostudy is the nation’s leading provider of primary and secondary market information to the housing, retail and related industries nationwide.  As in years past, Inselmann presented to a standing room only crowd. 

Inselmann kicked things off on a positive note by saying that, “The housing recovery is going to come whether you believe it’s going to come or not.”  He says that it is in the works, and although it may happen slower than we want it to happen, it will happen nonetheless. 

According to Inselmann, almost everything is pointing towards an economic recovery.  He says that the media focuses a lot on employment and jobs, which is important, but that employment numbers are lag indicators rather than leading indicators.  He says that people are still slower to hire, even though things are starting to pick up a little bit, and that it is just going to take some time for the private sector to begin hiring again.

I think that most of us can related to Inselmann’s sentiments about living in Houston.  He says, “I’d still rather be in Houston, Texas than anyplace else.”  He says that we have held up surprisingly well in our market compared to just about anywhere else in the United States.

In our local market, says Inselmann, “our job figures are probably the key component for trying to gauge how quickly our housing market will really start to pick up.”

Inselmann calls Houston a city that is built on business and on jobs and on economic opportunity, which he says makes us a jobs-driven housing market as well.

Mike Inselmann

“We have had a lot of transactions, even in a down market,” says Inselmann.  He says that the forecast for jobs in 2010 is for the recovery to begin sometime in midyear.  He says that we’ve already started to see the month over month job losses narrow compared to the same months a year ago.

He says that we have learned a bitter lesson in our business and personal lives about how we achieve prosperity, and the fact that it can’t be done through debt.  He thinks we will see a lot more innovation and more and more hard work needed to pull us out of the down cycle that we’ve been in.

As for Houston, he says that we are seeing some consolidation in the oil sector. As for the Houston relocation business, he says that this has been reasonably okay throughout the year.  Then he hinted to a big announcement that is expected to come in the next few days about a big relocation deal that he says “will trigger a fairly big surge of relocation business into Houston.”  Naturally, I will be watching and waiting for this announcement with baited breath!

With regards to foreclosures in the Houston area, Inselmann says that it’s not that we don’t have foreclosures, it’s just that the magnitude of the problem is not as bad as other U.S. real estate markets, which were hit really hard. 

Inselmann says that, “The shrinkage of new supply combined with the steady growth of our economy and market means that we are going to have more sales and fewer new housing starts, leaving us with the currently inventory that there is in the market place.  This will continue until the lending community gets repaired and new construction starts again.  So as the supply begins to shrink and demand begins to pick up with the economy, you are going to see some recovery in home prices in our market place.”

In many ways, Inselmann says, we are “getting back to normal.”  He says that the days on market for properties on MLS are averaging about 80-85, which is pretty good.  We have been somewhat spoiled during the boom when properties sold during the first week on the market. 

He says that you are going to see a number of people who could only survive during the boom times, get washed out of the real estate industry.  He says that this is good news for us, because it leaves the real estate industry to the real professionals and long standing brands that have established themselves and have proven that they can survive and even thrive in the down markets as well as in boom markets.

We are faced with more difficulties now as a result of the mistakes we made during the boom times.  For instance, says Inselmann, the loan approval process is more difficult; not everyone can get financing.  He says that we were living in a time when people who had no business buying homes were getting financing.  As a consequence, it is harder to convince people now that buying a home is a good idea.  We just went through a time when we were told that buying a house is a smart move for everyone and now we are suffering the repercussions, says Inselmann.

We saw vast numbers of domestic migrantion into Texas in 2009.  Inselmann said that for 2009, it is estimated that Texas gained 150,000 new residents.  This is not surprising given the increased job opportunities and better economy compared to other parts of the country.

Inselmann closed by encouraging us to attend public hearings and forums as often as possible in order to educate ourselves on the kinds of proposals and things that are happening on a local level.  He said that it is important to stay up-to-date about what is happening in Houston.  I think he is right on target!

Well, it’s that time of year again.  As we prepare to put a close on 2009, we must look ahead to 2010 and set our goals.  There is no better time than at the end of the year to evaluate the year you have just been through, evaluate what worked, what didn’t work, what you need to do differently in the coming year and most importantly to devise viable strategies for accomplishing your goals.

A Failure to Plan is a Plan to Fail…

With that said, let’s take a few minutes to think about our goals together for 2010.  This is something that our sales associates do routinely each year, but let’s not forget the importance of setting our own goals.  Whether you are a Relocation Director, or work in the Human Resources Department of a company or organization, or work for a relocation company or any other area of real estate and/or relocation, you really should set goals for yourself.  In fact, make it your number 1 priority before the end of the year.

Where Should You Start?

The best place to start is by evaluating your accomplishments and/or lack thereof for the current year.  To do this, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Which strategies over the past year produced the desired outcomes?
2. Which strategies did not produce the desired outcomes?
3. What were the challenges or obstacles that were in in the way of achieving my goals?
4. Did I earn the income that I had hoped for this year?
5. What were the factors involved in my earning potential?
6. Was I as productive as I would have liked to have been?
7. Did I spend too much time being busy instead of productive?
8. Did I make valuable new contacts?
9. Did I strengthen my existing relationships?
10. Did I increase my client base?

Are you getting the hang of it yet?  Keep asking questions, and better yet, commit this exercise to writing.  Most people are visual by nature, so committing these thoughts to writing will help you see your year with greater perspective, and allow you to better lay out your new year and your new goals. 

Many people find it helpful to create a formalized business plan each year.  In so doing, you can be very specific about your goal setting, but more importantly, you can make sure that your strategies align with the goals you are setting for yourself.  Consider this your road map to success!

Another helpful exercise might be a S.W.O.T. analysis.  This is a strategic planning method used by many companies and organizations to identify internal and external factors that have positive and negative influences in achieving their prescribed objectives.   I like this method, because it really causes us to think honestly about the factors that impact our goals and the subsequent achievement of those goals.  To do this, simply take out a blank sheet of paper and divide it into 4 quadrants, like so:

Then start to formulate a list of each of these elements, based on the following:

Strengths:  internal attributes that are helpful to achieving the desired goal.

Weaknesses:  internal attributes that hinder the achievement of the desired goal.

Opportunities:  external conditions that are helpful in achieving the desired goal.

Threats:  external conditions that hinder the achievement of the desired goal.

By doing a S.W.O.T analysis, you be able to identify your strengths and opportunities in order to capitalize on them, while identifying the weaknesses and threats that you need to overcome in order to be able to achieve your goals.  I think you will be surprised how telling this simple exercise can be.

A couple of pointers…

When determining your strengths, be sure that you are looking for your unique selling proposition.  In other words, what are the strengths that you posses that set you apart from your competition.  You need to really spend some time thinking about this one.  And how about your brand and that of your company?  What sets you apart?  Knowing the answer to these questions is essential to being able to sell yourself and the services of your company to potential clients.

You may want to spend a week on time tracking.  This will be helpful in seeing where your time is spent and evaluating the things that take up too much of your valuable time.  Maybe there are some things that are included in your day that really shouldn’t be there.  If that’s the case, tracking your time will reveal this and you can look for ways to give up or give away some of the duties that needlessly usurp your time.  This will make way for some of those items that you never seem to be able to get to.  Now wouldn’t that be nice?  Maybe, just maybe, you can work towards your “To-Do List” actually becoming a “To-Do List” instead of a “Wish List.”

If you are interested in more information about goal setting or business planning, please feel free to contact me.  I have engaged in this ritual for many years and would be glad to share my knowledge with you and hopefully gain some pointers from you as well.

I received an email yesterday from Nancy Sarnoff, who writes a real estate column for the Houston Chronicle.  She told me that another reporter at the newspaper was working on an article regarding census numbers and would like to speak with one of my transferees who had relocated to Houston between July of last year and this year.  Naturally I was happy to oblige and provided her with the name and contact details of one of our transferees so that she could pass the info on to her colleague.  I didn’t really know anything else about the article until I opened the paper this morning.  The headline read, “Texas Population Booms Amid Lean Times.”  Not surprisingly, this was front page news!

According to the article, Texas added more residents than any other state in the year ending July 1st.  Texas reportedly had an increase of 478,000 new residents.  As I have noted throughout 2009, people have flocked to Houston in record numbers due to increased job opportunities and a stable housing market compared to other parts of the country. 

The article quotes Karl Eschbach, state demographer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who said, “In certain respects, Texas was the only state left standing during the last recession , so the competitors for migration kind of all went away.”

In November, the Texas unemployment rate was only 8%, which is 2% less than the national unemployment rate.  As for the housing market in Texas, our state didn’t experience the bubble that other states did, thus it didn’t experience the bust that hit other states so dramatically.

Also quoted in the article was Stephen Klineberg, a sociology professor at Rice University, who said, “Growth has been the religion of Houston and Texas…That’s a measure of our virtue and success.”  I couldn’t agree more with this statement.

Overall, the population growth of Texas is second only to California.  Since the millenium, the Texas population has grown by 3.9 million people.  Continued growth in Houston and in Texas will hopefully continue to fuel the rebound of the recent economic downturn.

I have often said that the most rewarding aspect of working in real estate and relocation is meeting new people and the relationships that you make along the way.   My career has certainly been the catalyst for some of the most important relationships and friendships in my life.  For starters, I met my husband nearly 25 years ago on my very first day in my very first real estate job.  As luck would have it, the same real estate office (or “scene of the crime,” as we now call it), was the venue where we first acknowledged to each other that we would be getting married.  Sorry to go all sappy on you, but I don’t know how else to begin a blog post dedicated to the relationships that result from this crazy business of ours.

The second level to this has to do with the many friendships that I have made within the real estate and relocation industry.  I can honestly say that I probably never would have met some of my closest friends had it not been for my career.   For instance, I have cultivated friendships with:

• Transferees who I have assisted in relocating to and from Houston
• Relocation Directors who I have met through our membership in Leading Real Estate Companies of the World
• Employees of relocation companies
• Human Resource professionals
• Household goods mover and move managers
• Corporate housing providers
• Destination services providers
• Management and agents within my company
• And many more…

The fact of the matter is, people like doing business with their friends, and luckily for me, many of my business associates have become my friends, and my friends enjoy doing business with me.

This year in particular seems to have really brought some wonderful new relationships into my life, while solidifying many of my existing relationships.  I have been fortunate enough to align myself with several like-minded relocation service professionals, and have developed some very valuable strategic partnerships.  The synergy from all of this continues to grow and grow.  One can never be quite sure from where the next important relationship will come.  As a perfect example, I would like to leave you with one more story of how this business brings people together. 

Back in August, I posted a blog entitled: “Remembering Betty James – A Houston Real Estate Legend,” in memory of my good friend and mentor Betty James.  Betty was a very special person in my life.  In fact, Betty was the reason that I first got into real estate.  Thus, it was her office where I began my career, and yes, it was her office where I met my husband. 

So, 4 months after my blog post, Betty brought another person into my life.  Her name is Tricia Pohl.  Apparently Tricia and her husband had also had a long history with Betty…first as their agent, and soon and forever as their friend.  Unfortunately, they had not learned of Betty’s passing until 2 days ago, when Tricia sent me the following email, which I am reprinting with her permission:

Dear Michelle,

You don’t know me, but I wanted you to know how touched my husband and I were to find the blog you wrote regarding Betty James’ passing in August.  Sadly, we moved to Washington state in late 2007 and did not know she had died.  Funny, though – typical Betty – she’d sent me her newest address in the Four Leaf Tower earlier that year asking me to be sure and keep our Christmas family newsletter coming to her!  And, that is exactly what we were doing last evening – updating our mailing list to send out this year’s cards.  Morbidly, my husband wondered aloud if Betty were still alive.  I looked in the Chronicle but could not pull up an actual obituary, and then I saw your missive among the other “Googlings.”  It was so lovely and sounded so like Betty – what an incredible break for you to begin your successful career path and find your husband all through Betty and Alan James.  They were like proverbial fairy godparents for you! 

I’m sure you’re wondering how we knew Betty and so I will tell.  Stephen and I were to be married at St. Michael’s on March 8th of 1986.  We each owned one-bedroom condominiums at the time (Ugh! – YES – we eventually sold them after years of renting them out!) and needed something larger.  Betty found us a wonderful 3-bedroom townhouse on Augusta at The Arbor.   

So, 8 years pass and we decided we needed something larger as we were still hoping to start a family.  Betty comes along and helps us find a lovely home on Marlowe in West University.  It was our dream home – and we moved on my March birthday in 1993 and shortly after July the 4th, we discovered we were finally pregnant with our precious daughter (who is now 15 1/2 and learning to drive – my, how time flies!)  Betty was so lovely, gifting us with a lovely silver-plate tray that I still use and think of her each time I pull it out.   My husband, Stephen, always said that Betty reminded him of a little bird – so full of energy and always on the go – hopping here and there. 

The last time we went out with Betty, who’d become a friend (I bet she did with all her clients!) was after Alan had passed away and we went to the opening of the (then) brand new Museum of Fine Arts building with her.  We will never forget how she’d complain about living beneath the Houston Symphony maestro, Christoph Eschenbach, and how noisy he was late into the night playing his piano.   She’d say that she’d tell him, “Dahling, it is simply too late for you to be tickling your ivories!”

Anyway, Betty was a true Southern lady, a doll, and just a wonderful person.  It saddened us to learn that she’d suffered with cancer for 9 years – I’m sure she never let on to anyone, either, as to her pain.  So, it was bittersweet to read your blog, but it was a nice (uncold) way to learn of her passing.  I’m sure she and Alan are up in Heaven now kicking up their heels, with him designing the best cloud buildings and she selling them to the other angels.

So, 23 years have passed since we first met and became enchanted by Betty James, and we thank you for the lovely send-off you gave her.  It helped us absorb the fact that she no longer walks among us this holiday season.  I’m sure you never dreamed that your blog would reach a family so far away and soften the blow of this news.  But, it did and we thank you and the Internet.

Sincerely,

Patricia S. Pohl  (a 4th generation Houstonian, UH – Journalism grad, and recent Inland Northwest transplant!)

I think that I was as equally touched by Trisha’s story and memories of Betty as she was with mine.  How great for Betty to bring people together both in life as well as in death.  I can think of no greater way to exemplify the wonderful way in which working in real estate and relocation can bring people together.  Tricia and I have exchanged several emails over the past couple of days, and I know that Betty would be pleased to know that she is still bringing people together.

Do you have special relationships and stories that you would like to share?  Please feel free to comment.

Great news Houston! According to an article published by the Houston Business Journal, the Houston recovery has begun.  The Greater Houston Partnership has just released a report in which it says that economic activity will improve during the first half of 2010.   The report by the Partnership says that by the end of this year that Houston will have a net gain of 1,900 jobs.

So what will drive the growth in 2010?  According to the article, a demand for chemicals and plastic products used in construction and manufacturing will be a big factor in driving the growth.  The article also points to the whole sale trade sector, which it says will add 5,200 jobs, as well as a net gain of jobs in health care, food services, administrative and support services, which is expected to add 5,400 new jobs.

This is all great news for the Houston economy.  I think we will be seeing more and more reports like this as the economy here continues to rebound.  From a real estate and relocation perspective, it is always great news for us when the economic forecast improves.  It promotes a climate in which people are more likely to relocate to Houston and purchase homes. 

All-in-all, the Houston economy lost 93,000 jobs during fiscal year 2009, but this drop, although dramatic for Houston, was mild in comparison to other major metropolitan areas that were harder hit by the recession, many of which incurred six-figure plus job losses.

To read the article, please click here:  Report:  Houston Jobs Outlook to Improve

I read a great article over the weekend on the BusinessWeek web site that was forwarded to me by my friend and fellow Leading Real Estate Companies of the World member, John D’Ambrogio at Baird & Warner in Chicago.  The article is entitled, “If You Don’t Buy a House Now, You’re Stupid or Broke.“  Written by Marc Roth, the article says that if you are looking to buy a house, and you don’t act soon that you will regret it.  The reason Roth states is historically low interest rates. 

With 30-year fixed-rate loans with no points or fees hovering around 5%, this is the lowest rate that we have seen in nearly 40 years.  Thus, it would be reasonable to conclude that this is the perfect time to buy a home.  I think that this is especially important to point out to our relocation clients who are considering a home purchase in Houston.  This might also be just the fuel needed to assist them in finding viable buyers for their homes in their departure cities.  As I have pointed out in various blog posts throughout 2010, many people relocating to Houston have been plagued with the challenge of selling their home in their previous location, before being able to purchase a home in Houston, based on the fact that they may be leaving a housing market that was harder hit and slower to recover than Houston has been.

So how do you impart this information about historically low interest rates to prospective buyers in markets throughout the U.S.?  I think that as a real estate and relocation community, this information is important to use in combination with our overall marketing efforts, including highlighting it in the articles and blogs and other venues we have for getting such information out there to the public sector.  Just like with the recent extension of the home buyer tax credit, we must use all pertinent facts and figures to both alleviate specific concerns shared by prospective home buyers, while continually reminding them of the many advantages of purchasing a home at this time.

On a local level, it is equally important to remind clients who may be sitting on the fence regarding whether they should buy now, or wait and watch to see what happens.  Waiting may in fact end up costing them more money in the long run.  It is our job to point out the benefits of purchasing now, whether than taking a wait and see approach.

Please let me know how you weigh in on this issue, and how you are working to get the positive information out there to your real estate and relocation clients.