Plano and Arlington are at the top of a list of best places to drive, pending home sales fell in July, and Realogy announced that its agents lead a top LGBT+ agent list. We have all this in this week’s roundup of real estate news.
Plano, Arlington Rank in the Top 25 for Best Places to Drive
You have to wait until No. 13 to find a North Texas city on WalletHub’s Best and Worst Places to Drive, but once you get there, it’s Plano that leads the DFW pack. Arlington comes in at 25th, according to the study, which looked at the 100 most populated U.S. cities.
Dallas came in 29th, followed by Irving at 30th, Fort Worth at 32nd, and Garland at 39th.
Source: WalletHub
Pending Home Sales Fall in July, NAR Reports
After two months of gains, pending home sales fell in July in all four major regions — but more precipitously in the West, the National Association of Realtors® said.
The Pending Home Sales Index fell 2.5 percent from 108.3 in June to 105.6 in July. Year-over-year, contract signings fell 0.3 percent.
“Super-low mortgage rates have not yet consistently pulled buyers back into the market,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “Economic uncertainty is no doubt holding back some potential demand, but what is desperately needed is more supply of moderately priced homes.”
In the Midwest, the index dropped 2.5 percent to 101.0 in July, 1.2 percent less than July 2018. Pending home sales in the South decreased 2.4 percent to an index of 122.7 in July, but that number is 0.1 percent higher than last July. The index in the West declined 3.4 percent in July to 93.5 but still increased 0.3 percent above a year ago.
Source: NAR
Realogy-affiliated Agents lead the NAGLREP Top LGBT+ Agent List
Realogy announced last week that its affiliated agents lead the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP) Top LGBT+ Agent List for the second year in a row.
More than half the agents ranked by sales volume, and 49 percent of agents ranked by individual sides.
“Overall, 35 percent of all agents and teams recognized in the new rankings are affiliated with a Realogy brand, building on the company’s strong showing in last year’s inaugural list,” Realogy said.
Realogy said its brands — which include Coldwell Banker, Better Homes and Gardens, Sotheby’s International Realty, Century 21, the Corcoran Group, and Climb — represent six of the top 10 and 14 of the top 20 agents ranked by individual volume, and six of the top 10 and nine of the top 20 agents ranked by individual sides.
Additionally, Sotheby’s International Realty led all brands in number agents ranked by individual sales volume, and has five of the top 10 agents ranked by individual volume. Coldwell Banker lead all the company’s brands with 20 affiliated agents and teams in the rankings.
“We remain committed to supporting and developing our base of diverse real estate professionals and are elated that they continue to have such a strong showing on NAGLREP’s list of top LGBT+ producers,” said John Peyton, president and CEO of Realogy Franchise Group. “Our longstanding, collaborative partnership with NAGLREP and the fact that so many successful LGBT+ agents affiliate with Realogy brands are more proof that the LGBTQ+ community and its allies have a home at Realogy.”
