Washington, DC – May 23, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — REALTOR® Magazine’s 2011 “30 Under 30” honorees exemplify the personal drive many Realtors® have to be the best and provide a high level of service to their clients, despite tough market conditions and a constantly evolving industry.

Washington, DC – May 19, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Existing-home sales slipped in April, although the market has managed six gains in the past nine months, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Existing-home sales1, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, eased 0.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million in April from a downwardly revised 5.09 million in March, and are 12.9 percent below a 5.80 million pace in April 2010; sales surged in April and May of 2010 in response to the home buyer tax credit.

Washington, DC – May 18, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. continues to remain a top destination for foreign buyers as international purchases surged by $16 billion this year, one of the highest increases in recent years.

Washington, DC – May 17, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Realtors® have been focusing more on training to help them better meet the needs of clients in a housing market with unique challenges, according to the 2011 National Association of Realtors® Member Profile.

Washington, DC – May 17, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — As Realtors® and their clients becoming increasingly more mobile, Realtors® must ensure that buyers and sellers can reach them at a moment’s notice. Ifbyphone, a voice-based marketing automation platform, provides a solution that enhances voice transactions and is now available to members of the National Association of Realtors® through the REALTOR Benefits® Program.

WASHINGTON, DC – May 16, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — While the past few years have been challenging for many, owning a home continues to be a goal for Americans of every background, according to John D. Trasviña, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

WASHINGTON, DC – May 13, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — With the changing real estate landscape and the increased use of broker price opinions (BPOs) by market participants, the National Association of Realtors® has launched a new certification, BPO Resource, recognizing Realtors® who have completed NAR’s new BPO education program. The new certification course was offered here during the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.

Washington, DC – May 13, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The National Association of Realtors® has awarded four state and local Realtor® associations with $15,000 through its Diversity Initiative Grants Program. Award recipients were announced at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C., this week.

Washington, DC – May 13, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The commercial real estate market continues a slow pace toward recovery with occupancy rates rising in the office and industrial properties in most major cities across the U.S. supported by rising employment and restocking of wholesale inventory, according to National Association of Realtors® Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. At the “Economics Issues and Commercial Business Trends Forum,” Yun identified bright spots and challenges within the commercial sector.

Washington, DC – May 12, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — A proposed rule to define qualified residential mortgages (QRM) under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act) would unnecessarily restrict access to home ownership. Realtors® at the Real Estate Services Forum – The Impact of Dodd-Frank on Real Estate session today during the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo gained insights into the implications of a narrowly defined QRM.

WASHINGTON, DC – May 12, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Home sales are expected to stay on an uptrend through 2012, although the performance will be uneven with mortgage constraints weighing on the market, according to experts at a residential real estate forum today at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here.

WASHINGTON, DC – May 12, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — A new rule from the Federal Trade Commission that aims to protect home owners from mortgage relief scams may impact real estate professionals who represent clients involved in short sale transactions. Several hundred Realtors® learned more about the new rule and its impact on their business at the “Risk Management and License Law Forum” during the Realtors® 2011 Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C. today.

WASHINGTON, DC – May 12, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Realtors® strive to preserve and expand housing opportunities in communities across the country, and the National Association of Realtors® supported many of these efforts through the Ira Gribin Workforce Housing Grants. NAR issued a final report, “Tackling Workforce Housing State by State,” on the grant program results today at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C.

Washington, DC – May 11, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The National Association of Realtors® is modifying its popular Green Designation program to focus on residential real estate practice. “NAR research has consistently shown that there is a considerable and growing market for green buildings, and many of today’s consumers want homes and communities that are more resource efficient and sensitive to the larger environment,” said NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. “NAR’s Green Designation helps Realtors® meet that consumer demand for green building practices. These revisions will help Realtors® continue to bring value to buyers and sellers who value eco-friendly and energy-efficient homes.”

Washington, DC – May 11, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The pendulum on mortgage credit has swung too far in the other direction after the recent housing downturn and is putting an unnecessary burden on creditworthy consumers, impeding the economic and housing market recoveries. That’s what a panel of industry experts told several thousand Realtors® gathered at a special symposium, Ensuring Mortgage Availability for Creditworthy Homebuyers, during the Realtors® 2011 Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C., here through May 14.

Washington, DC – May 11, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Reforms to America’s housing finance market must ensure a reliable source of affordable mortgage lending for creditworthy consumers. That’s according to Realtors® and other industry insiders who examined the federal government’s future role in the secondary mortgage market at the “Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac: Obama Options and Beyond” session during the National Association of Realtors® 2011 Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo, here through May 14.

Washington, DC – May 11, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Now is the time for Realtors® to come to the aid of their industry, on behalf of the nation’s 75 million home owners, aspiring home owners, real estate investors, and the nation’s economy. That was the message delivered today during “59 and ½ Minutes: A Member-Director Forum” during the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here.

Washington, DC – May 10, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Existing-home sales continued to recover in the first quarter with gains recorded in 49 states and the District of Columbia, while 22 percent of the available metropolitan areas saw prices rise from a year ago, according to the latest survey by the National Association of Realtors®.

WASHINGTON, DC – May 10, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Realtors® from across the country are meeting with legislators, public policy makers and industry leaders this week to address pressing concerns and issues that affect home owners, aspiring home owners and real estate investors everywhere as the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo begins.

Washington, DC – May 6, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Commercial members of the National Association of Realtors® will have greater access to commercial information exchange data through a new mobile application by ePropertyData.