As part of KAR's Stimulus Package, registration rates are being held much lower than last year making the 2009 gathering a tremendous value!

You'll have the opportunity to earn a full year's worth of continuing education credit, see the latest products and services at the Expo, network with your peers from across the state, socialize at the ever-popular KAR reception/Field of Bling event and advance your Association via our business functions.

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Nearly one-third of all existing homes sold recently were either short sales or foreclosures, according to National Association of REALTORS® data.

To help practitioners meet the needs of home buyers and sellers who need these services, NAR has launched a new Short Sales and Foreclosure Certification Program (SFR).

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Contract activity for pending home sales has risen for six straight months, a pattern not seen in the history of the index since it began in 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in July, increased 3.2 percent to 97.6 from a reading of 94.6 in June, and is 12.0 percent higher than July 2008 when it was 87.1. The index is at the highest level since June 2007, when it was 100.7.

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National Mortgage News recently reported that, according to the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB), the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will not implement the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) for its mortgage insurance programs.

According to the article, FHA Commissioner David H. Stevens met with a delegation from NAMB and discussed a variety of topics. After talking with HUD, NAR believes it is clear that FHA supports much of what the Code has accomplished. FHA is currently reviewing its appraisal policies and may adopt changes that take HVCC into account. 

Some 50 percent of people who recently moved did so to improve their living situation, whether to move into a bigger home or move to a better neighborhood, according to Relocation.com. Those were the results of Relocation.com's most recent survey, conducted in June. It's a dramatic reversal from a similar Relocation.com survey in March 2009 that found the recession played a much larger role in the decision to move.
 
As the primary reason for moving, No. 1 on the list was to live in a bigger/better home (26 percent), followed by living in a better neighborhood or area (24 percent); to be closer to family/friends (12 percent); living in an area with a lower cost of living (9 percent); or a move that was sparked by a change in marital status (6 percent). Moving because of school, job loss, retirement or foreclosure each garnered 3 percent or less.

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Join now and become a member of the KAR groups! If you are not currently on these sites, getting started is easy. Just log on to www.facebook.com, www.linkedin.com, www.activerain.com or www.twitter.com and set up a profile.

Joining is free and once you become a member, you can request to be added to the KAR groups. That's all there is to it.

To locate the KAR groups, use the search feature or go directly to the group:

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Twitter NEW!

Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) has a new down payment assistance program, First Home Advantage, which allows first-time home buyers to use a second mortgage for down payment and closing costs to help purchase a home with P&I payments deferred until July 1, 2010. 

KHC has set aside $5 million for this program through November 30, 2009.  For full details, visit KHC's website, under Lender Services, Lender Resources, First Home Advantage Flier.

You can learn about more KHC homeownership programs and the current housing market at the 2009 Kentucky Affordable Housing Conference.  The conference is designed to offer valuable information about affordable housing from industry experts and leaders.  We hope you will register on KHC's Web site and look forward to seeing you Wednesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 29!