In the fifth week of the 2010 Legislative Session, MAR continues to promote legislation that will benefit REALTORSÂ^® and homebuyers and oppose any legislation that could be a hindrance to the real estate profession as well as the real estate market.

REALTORÂ^® Day at the Capitol and the Political Advocacy Luncheon that follows are FREE member events; however, advanced registration is required. MAR cannot guarantee the availability of lunch for those who do not register by the Feb.

Dear Fellow REALTORÂ^®,

The Mississippi Association of REALTORSÂ^® will be closed, Monday, January 18, 2010, in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The staff will return emails and phone calls as soon as possible.

The NAR Leadership Academy online application process is open for 2011 graduating class. NAR needs your assistance in encouraging your Leadership Academy students to apply.

Give your customers some encouragement: Here are four good reasons for them to not wait to sell.

New York's Federal Reserve Bank president says interest rates will likely climb late next month, but the extent of the rise remains to be seen.

The U.S. government seized three of Bernard Madoff's properties and is selling them to reimburse victims of his $65 billion Ponzi scheme.

The Mortgage Bankers Association isn't immune to the softening real estate market either. The trade group has sold its Washington, D.C., headquarters for nearly $40 million less than what it paid in 2007.

The number of home owners who fear the value of their homes will fall in the next year declined in January to the lowest level since early 2007, according to a new survey.