​​Where a person lives can directly impact their lives, affecting their education, health and economic opportunities. Discriminatory practices in housing can lead to segregation in communities and have a lasting impact on quality of life for those discriminated against.

Buyers continued to find properties to call home in February with the month reporting a three percent year-over-year increase in sales for a total of 2,012 homes sold, according to the Multiple Listing Service Report from the San Antonio Board of REALTORS® (SABOR) which reports on all areas contained within the MLS. Meanwhile, the average and median sales prices each climbed six percent from last year, with a median sales price of $215,100 and an average of $247,307.

The 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act represents an opportunity to remind ourselves not only of the importance of the law in shaping the real estate landscape today, but also to look back on what the situation was like before it was enacted, when the process of buying or renting a home was decidedly unfair for millions of Americans.

Through a series of unplanned events, I purchased a new vehicle, new washing machine and new dryer in the span of three weeks. My only saving grace was the hesitation to purchase a new phone. Three new techie items in three consecutive weeks are not a good equation in the learning curve factoring in five decades on earth. Silly me, I assumed turnkey purchases were just that—turn a key (or knob) and get on with your business.

You can be certain of that, but when did it all begin? It would seem that mass surveillance in our country goes back as far as World War I when it was common for all international communications, those from, to, or any that passed through the United States (US) were read and censored when it was thought necessary to gain information and, of course, for security reasons.

We began February with an incredibly insightful state meeting in Austin starting with a dinner gathering where the speaker, Tracy Blackwell, discussed how to make the executive line more cohesive and after we all took the DISC profile test we had a better understanding of the different levels of thinking within our group.

Updates to the Texas Real Estate Commission’s advertising rules go into effect May 15th and have been made in an attempt to reduce misleading advertisements and ensure consumers know with whom they are working.

or the past couple of years business in the real estate industry has been exceptional and that has not gone unnoticed by many folks, both young and old, who have chosen to enter a field they perceive to be a great way to make money. After completing all their courses and then hopefully passing the licensing exam the new agent is ready to find a sponsoring broker. They have usually been provided a list of questions to ask when they “interview” several brokers, as they have been advised to do, to ensure they find the right fit for their needs. Since the broker will ultimately be responsible for how the agent performs their real estate activities it behoves the broker to ask the prospective agent a few pertinent questions of their own before agreeing to become the sponsoring broker.

Have you ever been asked what motivates you? In most cases it would be a nice thing to have enough time to think of a good response that, first, actually reflects what you think, but secondly, will hopefully put you in a good light with the questioner.

Previously we looked at how eye contact, or lack thereof, could tell us a lot about people and in some cases whether we thought they were being truthful or not. However, the same would apply to us as others make decisions concerning what they determine from what we are saying or doing. So, the eyes are not the only things that can be telling since all of one’s body actions can consciously or unconsciously reflect things about our own personalities. Then perhaps we should look at just how much we give away from the various movement of our bodies.