The following is an excerpt from the monthly RE/MAX National Housing Report.

(Denver, CO – February 16, 2012) For the 7th straight month, home sales in January inched higher, rising 3.4% above the level seen last January. This data is based on a weighted average of 53 metropolitan areas surveyed for the RE/MAX National Housing Report. After an unexpected jump in sales at the end of 2011, January sales returned to a seasonal norm and were down on a monthly basis 19.3% from December. Perhaps due to falling foreclosure numbers, January was the 19th consecutive month that inventory levels dropped. The number of homes for sale last month was 24.1% lower than the number seen in January 2011. In the 53 metro areas, home prices were down only 0.8% from one year ago, building a trend of much anticipated price stabilization.

“This positive start to the year will hopefully set the tone for a continuing housing recovery that’s drawing home buyers with low interest rates and low prices,” said Margaret Kelly, CEO of RE/MAX, LLC. “If sales continue ahead of last year’s pace and inventory does not increase significantly, we could start to see increasing home prices this year.”

For more information, visit www.remax.com.

(Denver, CO) – RE/MAX LLC, the world’s leading real estate brand, announced an initiative on February 8, 2012 that the company expects to be a great leap forward in its strategy to support investors in American Housing.

RE/MAX has entered into a relationship with OwnAmerica, the leading provider of investment analysis tools, education and technology to the real estate industry. OwnAmerica will train and certify RE/MAX Broker/Owners and Sales Associates across the globe on using American Housing as a wealth-building asset.

Dave Liniger, RE/MAX Chairman and Co-founder commented on the new relationship, “We believe investors represent a crucial untapped reservoir of demand that our housing market needs right now. Investors know the opportunity is here and are already acting on it. RE/MAX intends to remain the organization best equipped to help them.”

OwnAmerica CEO Greg Rand is a lifetime veteran of the real estate industry, host of Rand on Real Estate on WABC Radio in NY, regular guest on Where to Invest Now on the FOX Business Network and author of Crash Boom! “We are incredibly pleased to be aligned with RE/MAX. The leadership of the company understands how important investors are to a housing recovery and is doing everything it can to enable more investors to acquire houses for the long term.”

According to the National Association of REALTORS®, investment buyers represented 23% of all home sales in 2011, a number Liniger believes will be topped in 2012. In his forecast for the housing market in 2012, Liniger predicted that a full quarter of home sales this year will be to investors. In addition to this existing investment market, a 2011 survey by Move, Inc. revealed that 59% of people searching the internet for real estate investment information are new to investing. The market segment is poised for enormous growth.

“Millions of people across the country and around the globe see the U.S. housing market as the opportunity of a generation. By tapping this resource of housing demand, we can help investors absorb the shadow inventory of distressed property, create more sorely needed rental housing, and stabilize home values.”  Rand said, “Falling prices and rising rents have made it possible for investors to generate positive cash flow in cities and towns where that was not possible just a few years ago. Everybody wins.”

In 2009 RE/MAX put a similar emphasis on equipping its international sales force to become experts in handling short sales and foreclosures. “We’ve helped a lot of people solve their own personal housing crises,” Liniger added. “If RE/MAX can tap into the power of investors, and enable a new generation of investor to enter the market, we can play a role in healing the national housing crisis. That is our ultimate goal.”

For more information, please visit www.remax.com. To learn more about OwnAmerica, please visit www.ownamerica.com.

(Denver, CO–January 31, 2012) – In the midst of a slowly recovering housing market, RE/MAX LLC is marking its 39th year recognizing numerous recent successes. In spite of a struggling economy, RE/MAX continues to be the industry leader in key categories, and is also leading the way in international growth, adding 8 countries in 2011. The company that Dave and Gail Liniger founded in 1973 has become a global success story.

“Times may change, but the RE/MAX business model does not, because it’s proven to be successful in all kinds of markets and in different cultures and countries,” said Dave Liniger, Chairman and Co-Founder. “At a time when consumers seek the advice of a trusted advisor, they’re turning to a RE/MAX professional more than anyone else.”

Perhaps, the most celebrated accomplishment in 2011 was the vote of confidence received from consumers in two respected awards. Results from the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM recognized RE/MAX for providing the “highest overall satisfaction for home sellers and home buyers among national full service real estate firms.”

Liniger, who by popular online vote was named the year’s Most Influential Real Estate Leader by Inman News also said, “RE/MAX will continue to be the people’s choice because our agents are the best trained, most experienced and most productive in the industry.”

In addition to outstanding agent performance, RE/MAX franchise sales indicated significant growth in many geographic regions. Overall sales in the United States were 9.3% higher than last year. Leading the U.S. growth was Florida, up 20 new franchises, and Kentucky-Tennessee up 11 over their 2010 sales levels. Internationally, South America grew at rate 44% above 2010, Caribbean/Central America was up 33%, and South Africa was 31% higher.

Ten prominent 2011 RE/MAX achievements include:

1.      Dave Liniger and Margaret Kelly were both named by Inman News as one of the 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders.

2.      Highest ranking real estate firm in Franchise Times Top 20.

3.   24 of the 25 top brokerages ranked by agent productivity in the REAL Trends 500 national survey.

4.      In the RIS Media Power Broker Survey, RE/MAX agents ranked highest among national franchises with 14.7 transaction sides, an impressive 49.7% better than its closest competitor.

5.      Launched global.remax.com, a real estate website with true global reach in over 30 languages and 60 foreign countries.

6.      Surpassed 10 million referral-free sales leads from the LeadStreet online system since 2006.

7.      Remax.com drew 49.5 million total visitors in 2011, the highest of any real estate brand website.

8.      Released an iPad application for brokers and agents.

9.      RE/MAX University ranked among the nation’s best corporate trainers in two respected annual reports.

10. Named one of the country’s Top 20 Military Spouse-Friendly Employers.

This week, RE/MAX offices across the United States and around the world will celebrate Founders Day with numerous special events. And in a few weeks, RE/MAX affiliates from these worldwide offices will gather at The Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, NV, March 5 – 8 to mark their many successes, and strategize innovative plans for the future. At the annual RE/MAX R4 convention, the industry’s most experienced professionals will share insights designed to help the country put the housing crisis firmly in the past.

(RISMEDIA.COM, January 26, 2012)- The National Association of REALTORS® President Moe Veissi commented on President Obama’s State of the Union this week and his statements of the current housing  market:

“The National Association of REALTORS® commends President Obama for his remarks in support of homeowners and the struggling housing market during tonight’s State of the Union address. As leading advocates for homeownership, REALTORS® know that restoring the health of the housing market is the only way to achieve a broader economic recovery.

“REALTORS® stand ready to help Congress and the administration implement Obama’s proposal to significantly reduce monthly mortgage payments by streamlining the refinancing process.

Read More…

(Denver, CO- January 24, 2012)- This month, global real estate franchisor, RE/MAX rolls out an entirely new national ad campaign focusing on “all the things that move you.” The innovative campaign strikes an emotional note with consumers and features the sentimental Jim Croce song, “I’ve Got a Name.”

For All the Things That Move You^sm includes a full schedule of TV, radio, Internet, print and outdoor ads that will run throughout 2012. Designed to identify with the personal moments that drive decisions by homebuyers and sellers – having a baby, getting married, landing a new job or downsizing – the campaign reinforces the notion that experienced RE/MAX agents know how to help.

“These are the moments that literally move you and because they’re significant life-changing events, consumers seek the assistance of a trusted professional,” said Mike Ryan, RE/MAX Executive Vice President, Global Communications and Branding. “People see the housing market beginning to improve, so if they’ve had one of these life changing events, they’re starting to think about making a move.”

The campaign theme was created by R&R Partners, a Las Vegas-based agency and five TV commercials were filmed on-location in southern California. “Almost everyone has a personal connection to changes in the housing market,” said Arnie DiGeorge, Executive Creative Director for R&R Partners. “But one thing that hasn’t changed is the American Dream of owning your own home.”

RE/MAX is one of the few companies in the industry to maintain a national advertising presence despite the changing market place.  In fact, the popular straight-talk ads with RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly faced the situation head-on and offered frank advice to consumers.

Kelly is again featured in one 2012 TV spot thanking consumers for naming RE/MAX as provider of the highest overall satisfaction for home sellers and home buyers among national full service real estate firms in the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home Buyer/Seller Study^SM.

RE/MAX has enjoyed a dominant advertising position in the real estate industry.  For the last few years, RE/MAX national TV campaigns have produced a share-of-voice greater than all competitors combined.  2012 should be no different.

The RE/MAX campaign will include radio spots during the big game on February 5, carried by Westwood One (Dial Global).  Television buys include popular prime time network programming, cable shows and regional programs.  The 2012 campaign will also take advantage of an extensive social media initiative, constructed around the “For all the things that move you” theme.

Nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX.  For more information about RE/MAX, please visit www.remax.com.

From Daily Real Estate News | Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Several recent indicators for the real estate industry are pointing to a market that is on the mend and entering recovery mode.

Housing experts’ predictions for the new year tend to center around a market stabilizing before entering a gradual, albeit very slow, recovery. However, the tone is more upbeat than it has been in years for the housing market.

Here are a few of the signs that are showing the market moving in a more positive direction:

Home sales: Existing home sales are expected to increase 12 percent this year, following a 2 percent jump last year, Moody’s Analytics predicts. The signs are already showing: In November, pending home sales — a gauge for future home buying — reached its highest level in 19 months, the National Association of REALTORS® reported. (Read more.)

New-home market: Coming off of what could be considered the worst year for new-home building ever recorded, the sector is expected to bounce back this year. New-home sales and starts were already showing a rebound in the last few months of 2011. Moody’s is predicting that single-family housing starts will increase 37 percent this year, and new-home sales will soar 74 percent.

Housing stocks: Investors are starting to get optimistic about the possibility of a rebound too, and are turning to home builder stocks. These equities have recently outperformed the broader stock market and the S&P 1500 homebuilding index has increased 38 percent since mid-October, USA Today reports.

Consumer confidence: With mortgage rates at record lows and housing affordability high, about 71 percent of Americans say now is a good time to purchase a home. Also, more Americans are optimistic that home prices will rise over the next year — about 26 percent say prices will rise in 2012, an increase of 4 percent over the last survey, according to Fannie Mae’s December National Housing Survey

Source: “Housing Outlook Is More Upbeat,” USA Today (Jan. 15, 2012) and “Consumers More Confident, Survey Says,” Deseret News (Utah) (Jan. 16, 2012)

By Katherine Tarbox of REALTOR Magazine in Selling- January 17, 2012

In 1993, the term “Generation Y” first appeared in Ad Age, to describe the age group who was about to embark on their teen years. While generations usually don’t have strict years to confine a group, most put the start of Generation Y — also known as the Millennial Generation, Generation Next, and the Echo Boomers — at the year of 1982 and the end at 2000. This year the first Millennials will begin to turn 30, a sign that this generation is growing up. It’s also a good sign for the housing market.

The Millennials are primarily the offspring of the Baby Boomers (those born from 1946 to 1964) and older Gen Xers. During the ‘50s and ‘60s, the average births per year in the U.S. went from 2.8 to 3.4 million per year and reached 4 million in 1964. While birthing rates dipped in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, in 1982 they began to spike up near that 4 million mark (hence, the nickname “Echo Boomers”), which again created a boom the in population. And this growing population is ready to enter the housing market.

There are some things working against this generation, though. They remain the most underemployed age bracket, with some economists putting their employment-to-population ratio at 45 percent, the lowest it’s been in 60 years. It’s hard to peg the employment rate for this group as many have been forced to take part-time jobs when they are qualified for higher work.

In addition, a study released by the Pew Research Center last month shows that Millennials are waiting a while to take those wedding vows: Just 20 percent of those aged 18 to 29 are married. That’s a crucial driver of home ownership: According to an August 2011 study by the University of Chicago study conducted by Jonas D. M. Fisher and Martin Gervais, single people are more likely to rent.

The positive news: With low interest rates and low prices, this generation is eager to buy, according to a study conducted by the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumer Attitudes, which polled 6,000 households. First-time buyers are critical to housing, as they allow other sellers to move to the upper ranges of the market. The study also said that the recession has done little to affect Americans’ overall attitude toward buying a home.

Of course, many Millennials are looking to rent. As NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun points out in his November 2011 column, a stronger rental market will lead to a stronger housing market. As rents increase, more will consider the cost of owning vs. renting, and may tip some to buying. Also as investors enter the market to buy rental units, they are helping to drive prices up, such as in the Miami market, which finally saw prices rise last year. Yun estimates that Miami could see 10 to 12 percent appreciation in 2012, and other markets could follow.

Eventually, though, members of this generation will settle down, and when they do, they’ll need housing. And if the economy continues to improve, 2012 might be the year they start to do just that.

The following is an excerpt from the monthly RE/MAX National Housing Report.

(Denver, CO – January 16, 2012) Ending the year on a positive note, December home sales did not follow the seasonal trend but rose an unexpected 5.7% from sales in November. Sales were also up 1.1% from December 2010, the 6th consecutive month to show a year-over-year sales increase. Largely due to a lower volume of foreclosures, the number of homes for sale fell for the 18th straight month, and is now 25.7% lower than last year. Home prices remained nearly even with November prices, down just 0.35% and were down 3.5% from December 2010.    Overall, 2011 was marked by home sales and prices that remained within a range, rising and falling in an equal number of months without showing a strong trend in either direction.

“We’re pleasantly surprised to see the year end with such strong sales, and hope this trend will continue into the traditional spring selling season,” said Margaret Kelly, CEO of RE/MAX, LLC.    “This December jump may be due to increased investor involvement and transactions that were scheduled to occur before the end of the year, but with prices at or very near the bottom and historically low interest rates, consumers are finding real value in this market.”

(New York, NY) – Before an audience of hundreds of industry leaders, RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger accepted the recognition of the “People’s Choice Most Influential Real Estate Leader.” At today’s Inman Real Estate Connect conference, attendees heard Liniger outline his thoughts about being successful in today’s unique real estate market.

“In reality, change is going to overwhelm those who do not embrace it,” Liniger told a packed room at the Marriott Marquis Time Square. “But I have to say, the people in here are really not afraid of change. You’re embracing change; you’re looking forward to it. And that makes you the leaders in the real estate business.”

The Inman News People’s Choice honor is the result of a popular vote in a December online survey and is meant to honor the real estate leader who has made the most significant contributions to the industry during the past year.  Liniger has been an unwavering supporter of legislative and policy reforms intended to assist consumers and more quickly place housing on a road to sustainable recovery.

In 2011, Liniger supported several policy initiatives, including temporarily re-raising conforming loan limits that make affordable mortgages available to larger numbers of homebuyers.  He has also been a tireless proponent of a streamlined short sale process and the education of agents to more efficiently help homeowners avoid foreclosure.

“What has changed in the 39 years since REMAX started is the rate of change… it’s accelerated,” Liniger said.  “Those who don’t keep up with it will be overwhelmed by it.”

With over 40 years experience in real estate, Liniger has become an undisputed industry visionary and senior statesman. Together with his wife Gail, he co-founded RE/MAX in 1973.  From a single office in Denver, they built a global real estate franchise that now has nearly 90,000 agents in more than 80 countries, an international presence greater than any of its competitors.

Due to an innovative “high commission” concept, RE/MAX attracts top-performing real estate agents, and as a result, RE/MAX has held No. 1 market share every year since 1997.  RE/MAX agents are also the most productive among those affiliated with national real estate franchise brands.

Additionally, in 2011, RE/MAX was honored with two J.D. Power and Associates Awards for ranking “highest in overall satisfaction for home sellers and home buyers among national full service real estate franchises.”

Nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX.  For more information about RE/MAX, please visit www.remax.com.