Happy Labor Day Weekend! Before the open houses begin (and the grills start heating up), here’s our Real Estate Resource Roundup to send you on your way!

Google Just Officially Axed Its Authorship Program
This story’s a big one if you’re a heavy blogger — Google has officially discontinued its Authorship program that allowed bloggers to connect their content, name and image within Google search to raise SEO profiles. After three years of collecting data, they realized users weren’t always using it (low adoption) and even if they were, the information wasn’t as useful for users as Google had hoped. NOTE: This news doesn’t mean to stop blogging, so keep that great content coming!

Instagram’s “Hyperlapse” App Could Revolutionize Real Estate Video
Instagram’s time-lapse video app, “Hyperlapse,” could be a valuable asset for real estate agents, according to members of real estate’s tech-savvy elite, including Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens^® Real Estate.

Pending Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Increase More Than Forecast
While contracts to purchase previously owned homes rose more than forecast in July, at the same time, contracts on new homes fell unexpectedly in July to their weakest level since March, leaving builders, lenders and real estate agents frustrated with the slow progress, as many anticipated that 2014 might be a break-out year for the housing recovery.

Why a Slowdown in Housing Prices Is Great News
Slower home price rises — and in some markets, outright declines — are a sign the housing market is starting to move past the boom-and-bust cycle of the last dozen years toward a market where sensible prices driven by local economic conditions prevail.

The Top Brokers’ Blueprint to Choosing a Transaction System
Joelle Senter of dotloop and Craig McClelland of Better Homes and Gardens^® Real Estate Metro Brokers discuss the importance of choosing, implementing and adopting strategies for brokers choosing a transaction management system for their agents and clients.

12 Startups That Are Changing the Way We Interact with Real Estate
James Dwiggins, CEO of Nexthome and the moderator for Agent Reboot, outlines a series of game-changing technologies that are already making their presence felt in the real estate industry.

26 Real Estate Experts Reveal Top Mistakes Made
Paralysis analysis. Paying for improvements and services that don’t matter. Seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. Robbie Grant put together a really interesting roundup of 26 real estate agents sharing the three most common mistakes of first-time real estate investors.

Finally, September is our Better Homes and Gardens^® Real Estate national open house month, so be on the lookout for more information next week! Now, whether you’re working through the weekend, or enjoying time with family and friends, make it a great one!