August MLS Sales Statistics

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August MLS Sales Statistics

• The August 2009 MLS statistics will be released
  on Tuesday morning, and here are some quick
  takeaways
• Overall August property sales fell 11.0 percent
  compared to August 2008, and sales of
  single-family homes declined by 10.1 percent,
  after the smallest declines since the fall of
  2007 last month.
• The average price for all single-family home
  sales in Houston declined 4.2 percent last month,
  versus the same month last year.
• Additionally, the median sales price for all
  single-family homes rose 0.6 percent on a
  year-over-year basis, representing the fourth
  consecutive monthly increase.
• Next months sales figures will be interesting
  as it will mark one year since Hurricane Ike.
• For more detailed information, please visit
  www.har.com/newsroom/ for this release and all
  other news releases and press mentions.

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Houston Named a World Capital of the Future

• Forbes.com recently ran a feature article
  naming Houston a World Capital of the Future.
• North America boasts at least three genuine
  emerging world cities Calgary, in Canada, and
  Houston and Dallas. These regional economies have
  been built around energy and expanding industrial
  power. They also have enjoyed rapid population
  growth. Last year, Houston and Dallas grew more
  than any other metropolitan region in the
  country over the past decade, their populations
  have increased six times more rapidly than New
  York, Los Angeles, Chicago or San Francisco.
• the key difference lies in the Texan cities'
  rising corporate power. Houston, with 27 Fortune
  500 firms, has passed Chicago in the number of
  Fortune 500 companies, while Dallas, with 14,
  ranks third. Together, the two Texan cities
  account for about as many Fortune firms as New
  York, once home to almost a third of the nation's
  largest companies.

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Houston Prices Forecast to Be Strong

• The Third Quarter Home Price Forecast
  published by Local Market Monitor predicts that
  home prices in the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown
  metropolitan area will be strong in the next 12
  months.
• In addition to Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, the
  Dallas-Plano-Irving, Fort Worth-Arlington, San
  Antonio and Wichita Falls areas in Texas all made
  the list of expected top-performing markets.
• The Cary, N.C.-based forecaster expects home
  values to continue at the same pace in the top
  markets, where home prices have generally been
  below the national average.
• While home building activity nationally is
  down 35 percent from last year, some of our top
  markets are doing relatively better, said Ingo
  Winzer, president of Local Market Monitor.

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