January 19, 2012

Austin-area Home Sales Outpace Prior Year for Seventh Straight Month

According to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS®, single-family home sales in December 2011 outpaced the same month of the prior year for the seventh straight month, and year-end figures show momentum in Austin real estate heading into 2012.

View the complete Greater Austin Housing Market report.

Do you want exclusive access to the MLS Statistics Report before it’s released to the media? Be in the know. Contact the Marketing Department to add your name to the list of REALTORS® on the cutting edge.

Which MLS is Best for You? Speak Up January 30 – February 3

The MLS Vendor Review is underway, and now is the time to share your thoughts. Log on to connectMLS, Fusion and Matrix with your current MLXchange username and password to spend some time with each system. Then, attend a system demonstration in South Austin, at ABoR’s office or the Williamson County Association of REALTORS® to ask the vendors your questions face-to-face. Let your voice be heard! Submit your feedback about which system you prefer in an online survey.

Register Now for the TAR Winter Meeting February 24 – 28

Don’t miss the exciting opportunity to advance your profession at the upcoming TAR Winter Meeting. Kick off the weekend with a networking breakfast and boost your knowledge by attending educational courses, including working with global buyers, property management, spokesperson training and risk reduction, to name a few. REALTORS® can also learn about the latest technology trends at Monday’s Xplode conference. A full schedule of events is available on TAR’s website. Sign-up online today!

Five Ways to Reduce Professional Liability

While it can be tempting to discount some of these issues, there are five pretty straight-forward ways for you to protect yourself in this business of listing and selling real estate. From treating first-timers with extra care to ensuring proper documentation when showing a property that is FSBO (for sale by owner), Don R. Hancock, J.D., of Hancock and McGill, L.L.P., offers valuable advice in January’s Legal Topics column.

Circle Up on Google+

Have you joined Google’s new social networking service, Google+? Add ABoR and AustinHomeSearch.com to your circles to stay up-to-date on the latest news and events impacting your local real estate industry. Visit our Google+ pages today to see what all the buzz is about.