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If you are planning on traveling to New Orleans later this week for the NAR Conference & Expo, the weather looks favorable. Actually, compared to the weather in Michigan, New Orleans looks great. The conference officially runs from November 10 – 13.

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NAR Launches New Ad Campaign

NAR is paying for advertisements in six major U.S. newspapers to promote home purchases and sales.

The ad campaign, launched by NAR’s leadership, carries the message, "It's a great time to buy or sell a home," and notes that interest rates have fallen for seven months in a row and are near 40-year lows, while for-sale home inventories are "higher than they have been in decades and prices have stabilized.”

In a separate report, NAR announced that its index tracking pending-home sales fell to the lowest level of the year in September and was down 13.6 percent in September compared to September 2005. The association's Pending Home Sales Index is considered a leading indicator for closed existing-home sales in the following two months.

NAR’s advertisement appeared on Friday in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, and on Sunday in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, the association announced. The ad will appear in the same newspapers again during the Nov. 12 weekend.

"Prices overall have stabilize;" "large inventory won't last;" "positive outlook;" "real estate is a great investment;" and "don't delay" are among the messages in the ad.

"Former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan recently said that housing prospects are looking up. 'Most of the negatives in housing are probably behind us. The fourth quarter should be reasonably good, certainly better than the third quarter.' According to industry estimates, 2006 will be the third-best year on record for home sales," the ad states.

In its announcement about the ad campaign, the NAR stated, "The perfect conditions for buyers are likely to change as sales pick up, prices gain traction and conditions improve for sellers next year."

Thomas M. Stevens, NAR president and senior vice president of Realogy Corp.'s NRT Inc., said that two new television and radio ads directed at home buyers and sellers will begin airing in January. Those ads are a part of the association's $40 million public awareness campaign.

Stevens said in a statement that market conditions are a "perfect alignment of low rates and extraordinary inventory."

Newspapers, magazines and trade publications receive them by the truckload. That means sloppy, inaccurate, pointless releases are the first to hit the newsroom wastebasket. To make sure yours isn't one of them, avoid these 7 Deadly Sins:

Joan Stewart is a speaker, trainer and consultant specializing in developing and maintaining good relations with the print and a broadcast media. Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," a free ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Copyright© 2006, Joan Stewart. All rights reserved. For information about Joan, contact FrogPond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email Susie@FrogPond.com; http://www.FrogPond.com