US Conference of Mayors backs Realtor.com’s Let America Build initiative

Houston Agent Magazine 6/30 6:16A John Yellig

The U.S. Conference of Mayors came out in support of Realtor.com s Let America Build campaign, which calls for reducing regulations to spur housing development . In a bipartisan best-practice policy statement approved at its annual meeting in...

Where does Houston rank in America’s Best Cities?

Houston Agent Magazine 6/30 5:42A Emily Marek

Houston is the No. 13 city in the United States, according to the annual America’s Best Cities ranking from Resonance Consultancy. The firm ranked U.S. cities with populations greater than 500,000 on three main factors: livability, including...

Brandon Russell

Houston Agent Magazine 6/30 4:20A Houston Agent

What was your most interesting job before going into real estate? I was involved in hospitality management for close to a decade prior to making the transition to real estate. I found that many of my personal skills were highly transferable....

Baird & Warner acquires Dream Town

Houston Agent Magazine 6/26 6:39A Jacqui Mueller

Baird & Warner has acquired Dream Town , which will now represent a combined entity of almost 3,000 agents, loan officers and staff. The merger now forms the second-largest brokerage in the region by number of properties sold in 2024. There will...

Houston single-family rentals still in high demand

Houston Agent Magazine 6/26 5:53A Emily Marek

Leases of single-family rentals increased 7.7% in Houston last month, according to the latest Rental Market Update from the Houston Association of REALTORS®. Renters signed 4,602 SFR leases in May, up from 4,272 during the same month in 2024....

FHFA directs Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac to accept cryptocurrency in mortgages

Houston Agent Magazine 6/26 4:55A Jacqui Mueller

Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William J. Pulte posted to X issuing an order that directs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to consider cryptocurrency as an “asset for single-family loans.” Cryptocurrency has not been a consideration in...

Compass files federal antitrust lawsuit against Zillow

Houston Agent Magazine 6/23 4:44A Emily Marek

Compass has sued Zillow, claiming that the listing giant is breaking antitrust laws with its Zillow Access Standards private listing ban, enacted on May 28 . That ban notably barred any listings that had previously been marketed off-MLS,...

Francisco Martinez

Houston Agent Magazine 6/20 8:13A Houston Agent

What was your most interesting job before going into real estate? I previously worked in Radiology for over a decade. I got to see and assist in lots of interesting procedures. Where did you grow up? Here in Houston, Texas. Growing up, what did...

Engel & Völkers Houston rebrands as Brooks Ballard International Real Estate

Houston Agent Magazine 6/20 4:30A Emily Marek

Engel Völkers Houston has rebranded as Brooks Ballard International Real Estate , an independent, boutique real estate firm, and is no longer affiliated with Engel Völkers. The group is led by founder Brooks Ballard, who originally founded his...

RE/MAX: Houston home sales climb year over year in May

Houston Agent Magazine 6/19 8:57A John Yellig

The pace of Houston home sales rose 4.6% year over year to 8,777 in May, according to the latest RE/MAX National Housing Report. Month over month, sales surged 14.7%. Nationally, home sales in the 51 metro areas surveyed by RE/MAX slid 3.5% year...

Toll Brothers now offering active-adult homes at Chambers Creek

Houston Agent Magazine 6/19 6:00A Emily Marek

Toll Brothers began active-adult home sales in Chambers Creek, a master-planned community from Caldwell Communities. The builder is offering single-floor home designs for 45- and 70-foot lots. Plans include two to three bedrooms, up to 3.5...

Get your property market-ready with these value-boosting paint colors

Houston Agent Magazine 6/19 3:58A Elizabeth Kanzeg

Light and bright paint is out, and dark and dramatic is in when painting a house for sale, according to a new study from Zillow . Zillow surveyed over 4,200 recent and prospective home buyers, asking them to rate how interested they were in buying...

Patten Properties launches ‘elevated forest living’ community in New Waverly

Houston Agent Magazine 6/19 3:45A Emily Marek

Patten Properties opened a new section of homes at The Estates of Texas Grand Ranch, a nature-inspired community in New Waverly. Located north of Houston, the community is surrounded by Sam Houston National Forest and State Park. “We’re excited...

Home sales jump 6.8% in Houston as buyer’s market shift persists

Houston Agent Magazine 6/17 7:30A Emily Marek

Houston home sales rose 6.8% year over year in May amid friendlier homebuying conditions, according to the Houston Association of REALTORS®. The association called the rise in closings “a clear indicator of the ongoing shift toward a buyer’s...

US housing market exceeds one million active listings for first time since 2019

Houston Agent Magazine 6/17 4:40A Jacqui Mueller

The U.S. housing market has exceeded one million active listings for the first time since the winter of 2019, according to the May Monthly Housing Trends Report from Realtor.com. In turn, newly listed home rose 7.2% year over year. All 50 of the...