Accolades for Houston and Texas• Though Houston’s main economic driver is its concentration of small-

and medium-sized businesses, it still ranks near the top of the U.S. rankings for so-called “megabusinesses” with more than 2,500 employees.

• Houston placed 7th in the nation with 33 of these large businesses in the greater Houston area, according to an analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau data by The Business Journals’ On Numbers report.

• The November edition of Site Selection magazine names Texas as the state with the best business climate in the U.S. in 2011.

• Texas beat out North Carolina, which has held the No. 1 spot for the past 10 years.

• The publication’s selection was based on factors including a survey of corporate real estate executives, a tax climate analysis and the state’s new business activity.

• Texas was hailed for a lack of red tape, financial assistance and government cooperation with businesses.

HAR Dues Billing & TREPACThe questions HAR members ask most about dues billing involve TREPAC. Here are some basics about the importance of TREPAC and how you can choose to invest your annual HAR dues. •Investing in TREPAC is investing in your career and industry.•Invest in TREPAC and you are automatically entered in a sweepstakes to win either a $5,000 room makeover or an iPad. •TREPAC is reflected on your dues invoice in the amounts of $45 or $110 depending on what you invested in 2011. •TREPAC is voluntary and you can edit your investment on your dues by clicking on the blue “Modify” link on the third page of the dues system before you select your payment options. A pop-up window will appear and you can change the amount. Be sure to click “ok” to save the changes!

Please click the image at right to download the step-by-step PowerPoint explanation, including specific screen shots.

MLS On the Go•MLS information from HARMLS is available to MLS subscribers on mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs, palmtop computers and other wireless handheld devices with Internet access.•This password-secured website is available to MLS subscribers at no additional fee and provides real-time access in a format designed for mobile handheld devices.•While this feature is not meant as a substitute to the MLS, it provides agents a quick and easy way to find property information while on the go.•Agents may search multiple property classes for active, pending and sold properties using an address search, MLS Number search or a number of additional search criteria such as bedrooms, baths, subdivision or zip code. •Click here for more information on how to begin using MLS On the Go.

HAR Tool of the Week

Weekly HAR Market StatLocal home buyers had no reservations about exceeding their 2010 purchase volumes for the week. Sellers were a bit shy, introducing fewer new listings to the marketplace than last year. It's particularly important to watch the inventory needle as it can illustrate the overall market balance. Speaking of which, now is a great time to keep an eye on months supply and seller concessions.

In the Houston region, for the week ending October 30: • New Listings decreased 9.8% to 1,546

• Pending Sales increased 36.9% to 1,142 • Closed Sales decreased 13.4% to 1,108

Register Online at www.har.com/edu Questions? 713-629-1900 ext. 6

Putting Social Media to Work for You

LinkedIn 101Date: Friday, November 11Time: 9 – 11 a.m.Location: HAR Fort BendInvestment: $25

Twitter 101Date: Friday, November 11Time: 1 – 3 p.m.Location: HAR Fort BendInvestment: $25