Houston Association of REALTORS Provides Access to Clarus MarketMetrics

August 21 2008 - Real Estate Business Services Inc. (REBS) and the Houston Association of REALTORS(R) (HAR) today announced an agreement for HAR to provide its members access to Clarus(TM) MarketMetrics.

HAR, with more than 26,000 members, is among the growing number of REALTOR(R) associations nationwide providing their members with the competitive advantage they need in today’s challenging marketplace through Clarus(TM) MarketMetrics.

Clarus(TM) MarketMetrics is designed to enhance a REALTOR(R)’s or listing agent’s real estate market knowledge using market-oriented, comprehensive Web-based tools. HAR members now have access to the most current, relevant local market data that even the savviest client will value.

“In today’s market, it is extremely important for REALTORS(R), brokers, and sales agents to have access to cutting-edge technology and tools that allow them to effectively communicate market trends and data to consumers,” said Bob Hale, president and CEO for the Houston Association of REALTORS(R). “Clarus(TM) MarketMetrics provides consumer-friendly charts and graphs, which will allow our members to manage client expectations about the market.” Hale recently was named Inman’s Innovator of the Year for 2008.

Clarus(TM) MarketMetrics is one of the latest tools in the Clarus(TM) REsource product line provided by REBS.

“I have found the product to be extremely valuable in providing significant and timely data to my Houston clients,” said Lorraine Abercrombie, director of marketing for Greenwood King Properties and past chair of HAR. “The Market Dynamics and Pricing Analysis reports are great client decision-making influencers, whether as a prospecting tool, an aid to setting seller expectations, or as a companion data to justify a buyer’s offer.”

Clarus(TM) Market Metrics is powered by Terradatum Inc., a provider of real estate technology products based in Glen Ellen, Calif. All agreements regarding the MLS data are between Terradatum and the participating MLS. Terradatum has been generating real estate technology solutions since 1994. In addition to Clarus(TM) MarketMetrics, Terradatum has several other bold and exciting real estate technology products: BrokerMetrics(R) and BrokerMetrics(R) Web Tools.

Real Estate Business Services Inc. (REBS) is a subsidiary of the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS(R) (C.A.R.) and is the leading provider of real estate products and services to practitioners in California. Through its RE FormsNet (REFN) subsidiary, REBS is the creator of ZipForm(R) and WINForms(R) electronic forms software, available to more than 1,055,000 REALTORS(R) nationwide.

Founded in 1918, the Houston Association of REALTORS(R) (HAR) is a 26,000-member organization of real estate professionals engaged in every aspect of the industry, including residential and commercial sales and leasing, appraisal, property management and counseling. It is the largest individual membership trade association in Houston, as well as the second largest local association/board of REALTORS(R) in the United States. Its groundbreaking Web site, HAR.com, receives more than 1.6 billion hits generated by more than 1 million unique visitors each month.