After years of prices spiraling out of control, the National Association of Realtors is suggesting that the housing market is ripe for home buyers looking to get a good deal.
"There's a bright side to the decline in the U.S. housing market, says the National Association of Realtors. Plenty of choice.
'Right now may actually be one of the best times to buy a home,' the association said in the first full-page ads in its 98-year history. With 'interest rates near record lows,' the 'large inventory won't last.'
The largest U.S. real estate trade association is spending $1.3 million on a two-week campaign that's running in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post. The ads are designed to entice homebuyers as sales have slid, inventories have risen and builders are offering incentives.
One theme in the campaign is that the 3.75 million unsold homes offer "the greatest choices in decades." For sellers, that means it would take seven months to close deals on all the existing homes for sale if no others came on the market."
FULL STORY: Realtors putting positive spin on housing decline

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.

San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population
In a commentary published in The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan describes a shelter and law enforcement approach to ending targeted homeless encampments within Northern California's largest city.

Atlanta Changes Beltline Rail Plan
City officials say they are committed to building rail connections, but are nixing a prior plan to extend the streetcar network.

Are Black Mayors Being Pushed Out of Office?
The mayors of New York, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh all stand to lose their seats in the coming weeks. They also all happen to be Black.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments
City of Edmonds
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research