Real estate agents are crediting educational offerings — both in-person and virtual/on-line learning — for boosting their business success, according to a recent member survey conducted by Seattle King County REALTORS®.

International buyers purchased 107,000 residential properties from April 2020 through March 2021, marking a 31% decline from the 154,000 residences bought the previous year.

The association endorsed a letter to Seattle City Council that says parishioners in communities of color will “suffer under the weight of soaring rents and unequal access to housing.”

“May’s strong increase in transactions — following April’s decline, as well as a sudden erosion in home affordability — was indeed a surprise. The housing market is attracting buyers due to the decline in mortgage rates, which fell below 3%, and from an uptick in listings.” — NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun

The COVID pandemic has caused a shakeup in where, and how, many people work. That has helped propel a thriving housing market.

Year over year, however, pending home sales were up 57.1%, the NAR said, citing its monthly Pending Home Sales Index.

Existing-home sales slid for the third month in a row in April, declining 2.7% from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.85 million, according to the National Association of Realtors.

A recent NAHB survey shows that regulatory costs imposed by the government account for $93,870 (or 23.8%) of the current price of new homes.

Builder confidence was steady in May, carrying over April’s reading of 83 for another month, according to the most recent National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

Whether they’re still weary of going to a gym full of people or just looking to work off those extra pandemic pounds in privacy, homebuyers are increasingly prioritizing home exercise rooms.

“This is a sign that the competitive purchase market, driven by low housing inventory and high demand, is pushing prices higher and weighing down on activity.” — Mortgage Bankers Association Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting Joel Kan

The mentee will receive training in day-to-day business operations, such as marketing, appraisal, IT and financing. They’ll also attend live events and mentorship meetings.

“A credit report and credit score are the gateway to a mortgage,” — NAR President Charlie Oppler.

The National Association of Home Builders published the results of its Special Study for Housing Economics, highlighting the 2020 annual census of who makes up its members.

“The demand for a home purchase is widespread, multiple offers are prevalent, and days-on-market are swift, but contracts are not clicking due to record-low inventory.” — NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun

The National Association of Realtors sends a message to members that it is working to ensure that the proposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act will not hurt their status as independent contractors.