Happy Earth Day! We all know making a difference starts at home, but did you know that LED light bulbs use up to 85% less energy than standard bulbs? Find more ways to go green and help protect everyone’s home, the Earth, here.

Now let’s check out the latest real estate news and industry trends in this week’s real estate resource roundup!

Home Sales Up in Signs of Strong Spring Selling Season
Home resales rebounded more than expected in March as supply improved, suggesting the housing market recovery remained intact through economic growth stalls.

Purchases of U.S. Previously Owned Homes Rebounded in March
Purchases of previously owned U.S. homes above projections in March, indicating resilience in demand heading into the spring selling season. Contract closings climbed 5.1 percent to a 5.33 million annualized rate from February’s 5.07 million.

Homebuyers Finally Fuel Mortgage Volume
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, purchase only mortgage applications surged, rising 9 percent from week-earlier levels, and signaling a strong spring season.

Home Prices Are Up…But There is a Challenge
Home values continue to climb and are projected to increase by about 5 percent over the year. While this is great news for homeowners, it could present a challenge for those trying to sell their house.

Real Estate Trends to Watch This Spring
This spring season is an unusually busy one for real estate, so be on the lookout for these three upcoming trends!

Mortgage Applications Rise 1.3% but Buyers Pull Back
Total mortgage application volume increased 1.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week, versus the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The rise was fueled entirely by refinances.

Senior Housing Shortage Getting Worse
A recent study shows that the percentage of seniors who require affordable housing is steadily increasing and the number of seniors shelling out more than half their income before tax on rent and utilities has grown by 34 percent over the same period.

Here’s Why Seasonality Matters in the Housing Market
Seasonality plays an important role in the housing market. The number of home sales increases significantly as the housing market enters the spring home-selling season. Since 1999, non-seasonally adjusted existing home sales have increased by an average of 33% between February and March.

How Virtual Reality Will Change Real Estate
Advancements in virtual reality are spilling into the real estate world! Find out how it could become the nest big marketing tool.

Three Mistakes That Will Kill Your Facebook Page
Don’t let your Facebook page be an untapped opportunity to meet clients and build your reputation. Find out the 3 major mistakes that could be hurting your Facebook page performance.

In case you missed it here on Clean Slate, Senior Director of Learning Technologies and Solutions Karlton Utter shared the closing script to seal the deal every time! As always, be sure to follow #BHGRE on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.