Bill Williamson stepped down as executive director of the Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) at the first of March and has been succeeded by his former deputy, Gary Isom.
“We’ve worked well together,” Isom said of Williamson. “Bill’s been a good teacher.”
Isom said he started at the AREC as an investigator in 1987 and was named [...]

Editor’s note: In the following article, Bob Corcoran makes a very good point about how providing good information — housing market reports in this case — to clients can help them make good decisions. If customer service does, indeed, lead to repeat business and referrals, then Corcoran’s on the right track. You can pick up [...]

We are calling on all Realtors® to make a donation to the Arkansas Realtors® Political Action Committee (ARPAC) this year.
Arkansas is only one of a very few states that give back a tax credit for donations to a political action committee. If you file jointly, you can actually claim up to $100 on your state [...]

All good things must come to an end. I will be retiring as executive director of the Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) at the end of February.
My journey at the Commission began in March 1978 as an investigator. I have had the honor to work with knowledgeable and supportive commissioners and AREC staff throughout my [...]

Jim Carroll Sr. of the Carroll Mortgage Group in Little Rock said there are some major changes to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and real estate agents who aren’t familiar with them need to learn about them in a hurry.
Carroll, speaking at a January meeting of the [...]

Homeowners throughout the nation have been concerned about declining values.
Here in Arkansas, the average sales price of a home through October was $144,476, down 4.1 percent from $150,650 through the first 10 months of 2008. Eric Hutchinson, president of Equity Protection, said the concern over home values – whether real or perceived – prompted the [...]

On April 22, a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule written to reduce the amount of lead based paint on residences in the United States will be in place.
The new rule has to do impacts all residences – and facilities occupied by children – that were built prior to 1978. Commercial buildings are not impacted [...]

After a rough start, 2009 finished strong in terms of the numbers of homes sold.
How strong? Sales were up 9.85 percent in September compared to the same month in 2008, 24.11 percent in October, 54.08 percent in November and 12.21 percent in December. Due to the comparatively strong sales at the end of 2009, the [...]

We, as Realtors®, are clearly aware of the problems facing consumers.
While many groups and individuals are well aware of the foreclosure problems facing consumers, few groups have the resources and know-how to do something to combat them. The Arkansas Realtors® Association is large and has enough forward thinking individuals to both identify challenges facing consumers [...]

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After 32 years at the Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC), Bill Williamson is retiring from the organization at the end of February.
Williamson started at the AREC in 1978 as investigator. He moved up to the position of chief investigator and then became deputy director in 1985. In 1996, he was named to his current job [...]

Arkansas Real Estate Commission Executive Director (AREC) Bill Williamson will retire at the end of February.
Williamson started at the AREC as an investigator in 1978. He became the deputy director at the AREC in in 1985 and was named executive director in 1996.
You’d better believe we’ll have a huge story about Williamson in February’s printed [...]

Here we are ringing in a new year. Mullenix & Associates looks forward to another year of working with all of you to promote the Realtor® industry in Arkansas.
This year, undoubtedly, will have its share of challenges – let’s look at those as opportunities to accomplish more for the Arkansas Realtors® Association (ARA) than ever [...]

Another year has flown by at the Commission.
As of December 2009 we have 11,292 licensees that have renewed their licenses for 2010. That total includes 9,145 active licensees and 2,147 inactive licensees. The 2010 licenses have been mailed so make sure that all active real estate agents in your office have a 2010 license. If [...]

While housing markets remained volatile through 2009, a first-time home buyer tax credit, low mortgage rates and downward pressure on list prices combined to help convince some buyers that the time had come to purchase a home.
Kathy Deck, an economist and director of the University of Arkansas Center for Business and Economic Research, said she [...]