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If you ask the average person how they feel they can give you an answer but not too many can tell you how they got there. Some people believe that they feel a certain way because of whatever the weather happens to be outside or because they “woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” When you consider that so much of what we do or don’t do comes from these feelings, also known as emotions, that is a dangerous reality for most sales people. The reality that you don’t know how to better manage something that can have such a profound effect on what you accomplish and how productive you are for a given day.

Data through February 2012, released recently by S&P Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, showed annual declines of 3.6 percent and 3.5 percent for the 10- and 20-City Composites, respectively.

There has been a flurry of media stories regarding the latest housing data that suggest the recent momentum in the housing market has stalled and the industry is heading toward another downturn. Although the latest monthly housing data showed modest declines, the less volatile quarterly data have continued to show modest improvement. Consequently, there is plenty of evidence for retaining a cautious optimism for a gradual recovery. While the February new-home sales rate dipped a nominal 1.6 percent, sales are still running 11.4 percent above their year-ago level and at the rate expected for the slow recovery. Meanwhile, the inventory for new-homes for sale remains at an all-time record low.

While inventories of homes for sale have been shrinking this spring, MLSs are filling the void with rental listings for single family homes that until recently were foreclosures. Some 16.1 percent of all listings on MLSs today are rentals, more than double the number

Existing-home sales were down in March but continue to outpace year-ago levels, while inventory tightened and home prices are showing further signs of stabilizing, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, declined 2.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.48 million in March from an upwardly revised 4.60 million in February, but are 5.2 percent above the 4.26 million-unit pace in March 2011. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says the recovery is in the process of settling into a higher level of home sales. "The recovery is happening though not at a breakout pace, but we have seen nine consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases," he says.

Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) has released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates holding relatively stable this week amid signs that inflation remains in check with the 30-year fixed up slightly

According to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of job openings in January was 3.5 million, unchanged from December. Although the number of job openings

With the April 17 tax deadline coming up, many individuals and families still have time to take advantage of the valuable tax benefits homeownership affords. Many are turning to the National Association of REALTORS’® consumer website, HouseLogic.com. "Our government encourages homeownership because it benefits families, communities, and our nation's economy; homeownership is an investment in our collective futures," says NAR President Moe Veissi, "HouseLogic.com helps homeowners identify the benefits that will save them money today and plan ahead for future savings, as well."

The forecast for the rest of 2012 shows mild increases building up to a stronger 1.2 percent by year end, according to the Home Data Index™ (HDI) Market Report, recently released by Clear Capital®, with data through March 2012. The HDI Market Report uses a broad array of public and proprietary data sources providing the most timely and relevant analysis available. Methodology details are on page eight of this report.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia Rosemary Collyer signed documents to approve the $25 billion mortgage servicing settlement with the nation's top five mortgage servicers: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Ally Financial. ...

(MCT)—The most popular online photo-sharing service just got a whole lot more powerful. On Monday April 9, Facebook announced that it will spend $1 billion to acquire the hugely popular mobile photo app Instagram. As Facebook prepares for an initial public offering of stock later this spring, the deal is the first major purchase by the world’s most popular social network of another online property with millions of users.

Mortgage applications increased 4.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 30, 2012.

The housing market seems to be on the upswing, and some experts say that by 2014, the market will be back on track. Last week NAR noted that investment properties are on the rise, and the National Institute of Home Builders reports that contractors have high expectations for remodeling this year. According to data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, home price indexes for 38 states ended 2011 above their early-year lows and 30 states reported more than two quarters of growth by the end of 2011. However, Kiplinger.com notes that how each individual state recovers will depend largely on how it deals with foreclosures; in states that require judicial review before signing off on a foreclosure, backlogged properties can slow down the progress in the market.

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT—According to the Central Coast Regional Multiple Listing Service, distressed properties make up only 6 percent of the available listings on the market in San Luis Obispo today. The California Association of REALTORS®’ Distressed Home Sales Statistics

Housing starts will nearly double and home prices will begin to rise in 2013, with prices increasing significantly in 2014. Those rosy predictions come from a new semi-annual survey of 38 of the nation’s leading real estate economists and analysts by the Urban Land Institute’s Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate. The economists foresee broad improvements for the nation’s economy, real estate capital markets, real estate fundamentals and the housing industry through 2014, including: • The national average home price is expected to stop declining this year, and then rise by 2 percent in 2013 and by 3.5 percent in 2014.;