Terry Murphy
Executive Vice President
West Contra Costa Association of Realtors
Richmond, Calif.

How is your market?

“It’s moving. The market is different than it was last year. It’s probably going to be the third- or fourth-best market we’ve ever had. (Inventory) is increasing to the point where buyers have the chance to buy their first choice.” 

What do you anticipate the market will be like next year?

“I think it’s going to be a good market. There will be balanced buyers and sellers.”

What’s the biggest issue facing the industry next year?

A total of 39,721 existing homes across Canada were sold via the nation’s Multiple Listing Service in November, down 3.8 percent compared to November 2005 and up 1.2 percent compared to October, according to seasonally adjusted statistics released today by The Canadian Real Estate Association.

“British Columbia and Alberta fueled most of the monthly increase in national sales activity,” the association reported.

Sales activity for the first 11 months this year was up by 0.1 percent compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date sales activity was ahead of levels for the same period in previous years in seven provinces — Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced the award of $13.7 million in grants to provide public housing residents with greater access to computer technology.

The Public Housing Neighborhood Network grants will be given to 53 housing authorities across the country. Housing authorities are directed to use the money to “establish, expand or update community technology centers,” according to the report. Neighborhood Networks centers provide access to computers, computer training and the Internet.

Public housing authorities can also use the grant money to hire staff to manage center activities, purchase equipment, and provide computer, literacy and job training.

It’s the holidays and here’s my shopping list of items for real estate agents to arm themselves with in 2007 to help reduce business costs, improve time management, boost their brand and increase profitability.

Give yourself a paycheck!

AUGUSTA (Dec 22): The state Department of Environmental Protection is trying to broker a deal with the Maine real estate community to roll back some of the regulations protecting shorebirds to prevent a battle on the floor of the Legislature.

Bills are expected to be introduced to amend or overturn the controversial rules passed by the Legislature in the last session that protect the feeding and resting areas of shorebirds.

Those rules impacted Washington County the hardest and statewide affected an estimated 1,000 miles of shore, including inlets, islands and some land already under at least partial protection.