SEPTEMBER 30 IS NATIONAL PREPAREATHON DAY - PROTECT YOUR HOME AND PROPERTY NOW

With signs of fall creeping up across the country, families may be feeling as if the hurricane season is over. The experts say no. In fact, September is not only the peak of hurricane season, September 30 is National PrepareAthon! Day the perfect time to take stock of disaster plans.

Today, National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Rick Knabb joined forces with Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson during a national satellite media tour to raise awareness about flood and hurricane safety, prevention and financial protection options.

“Hurricanes are not just a coastal problem,” said Knabb. “Their impacts can be felt hundreds of miles inland. You need to find out what types of hazards could happen where you live, and then start preparing for how to handle them.”

Chapman-Henderson concurs. “If a disaster strikes, having the proper insurance for your home is the best way to ensure you will have the necessary financial resources to help you repair, rebuild, or replace whatever is damaged.”

Before a disaster strikes, get #HurricaneStrong with these tips:

• Be Smart. Take Part. Document and Insure Your Property. Have an insurance check-up. Coverage amounts, deductibles, and payment caps can vary significantly. Consult with your insurance professional to be sure your policy is right for you. Make updates based on new purchases, renovations, increases in property value, or increases in costs to rebuild or replace items. Buy flood insurance. This is not part of your homeowners’ policy and there is a 30-day waiting period before coverage begins.
• Know your evacuation zone. Plan your escape route, where you will stay and what you will do with your pets. Storm surge is the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane regardless of wind speed.
• Family Preparedness - Build a disaster supply kit. You'll need to plan for two situations: Remaining in your home after a disaster or evacuating to a safer location. Keep cash on-hand because ATMs won’t function during a power outage.
• Damage Prevention - Strengthen your home. The best place to start is with a Do-It-Yourself Wind Inspection to find out what needs attention. Make a list of what needs to be done, such as securing loose items that could be blown away by high winds. Trim your trees of dead branches that could become windborne missiles.
• Community Service - Help your neighbor. Join with others to prepare for emergencies and participate in National PrepareAthon! Day on September 30.

For more information, visit ready.gov/prepare, flash.org or hurricanestrong.org.

NAR: Pending Home Sales Retreat in August

After bouncing back in July, pending home sales cooled in August for the third time in four months and to their lowest level since January, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, declined 2.4 percent to 108.5 in August from a downwardly revised 111.2 in July and is now slightly lower (0.2 percent) than August 2015 (108.7). With last month's decline, the index is now at its second lowest reading this year after January (105.4).

According to Yun, evidence is piling up that without more new home construction the current housing recovery could stall. Housing inventory has declined year-over-year for 15 straight months; properties in August typically sold 11 days quicker than inAugust 20151 and after increasing 5.1 percent last month, existing-home prices have risen year-over-year for 54 consecutive months.Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says suffering supply levels have taken the wind out of the momentum the housing market experienced earlier this year. "Contract activity slackened throughout the country in August except for in the Northeast, where higher inventory totals are giving home shoppers greater options and better success signing a contract," he said. "In most other areas, an increased number of prospective buyers appear to be either wavering at the steeper home prices pushed up by inventory shortages or disheartened by the competition for the miniscule number of affordable listings."

"There will be an expected seasonal decline in new listings in coming months, which could accelerate price appreciation and make finding an affordable home even more of a struggle for would-be buyers," added Yun.

Earlier this month, NAR released a new study that revealed single-family home construction is not keeping pace with job creation and is lacking overall in 80 percent of measured metro areas. When combined with the scant supply levels for existing homes, these tight inventory conditions continue to hamper affordability in many of the largest cities in the country – especially those in the West.

"Given the current conditions, there's not much room for sales to march again towards June's peak cyclical sales pace2," said Yun.

Following last month's decline, Yun expects existing-home sales in 2016 to be around 5.36 million, a 2.1 percent increase from 2015 and the highest annual pace since 2006 (6.48 million). The national median existing-home price growth is forecast this year to rise around 4 percent.

Regional Breakdown

The PHSI in the Northeast rose 1.3 percent to 98.1 in August, and is now 5.9 percent above a year ago. In the Midwest the index decreased 0.9 percent to 104.7 in August, and is now 1.7 percent lower than August 2015.

Pending home sales in the South declined 3.2 percent to an index of 119.8 in August and are now 1.5 percent lower than last August. The index in the West fell 5.3 percent in August to 102.8, and is now 0.6 percent lower than a year ago.

The National Association of Realtors®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

1According to August's Realtors® Confidence Index data on typical days on market. 
2Existing-home sales in June were at a seasonally adjusted annualized sales rate of 5.57 million, the highest pace since February 2007 (5.79 million). 

*The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.

The index is based on a large national sample, typically representing about 20 percent of transactions for existing-home sales. In developing the model for the index, it was demonstrated that the level of monthly sales-contract activity parallels the level of closed existing-home sales in the following two months.

An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined. By coincidence, the volume of existing-home sales in 2001 fell within the range of 5.0 to 5.5 million, which is considered normal for the current U.S. population.

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Bring Autumn Colors to Spiced Sweet

ooler temperatures, beautiful changing leaves and the familiar scent of pumpkin pie spice are all signs of fall. Whether you're hosting a pumpkin carving party or decorating sweet treats with family, celebrate the season with maple-flavored leaf-shaped cookies, pumpkin patch cupcakes and hot apple cider.

"The crisp air seems to inspire us all to start baking again," said McCormick Executive Chef Kevan Vetter. "Create an autumn frosting palate with our new Color from Nature Food Colors, which are made from ingredients such as beets and turmeric. You can combine the trio of starter colors – berry, sunflower and sky blue – to make everything from a maroon glaze for an Autumn Leaf Cookie to orange frosting for a Pumpkin Patch Cupcake."

The Color from Nature Food Colors can be used in icing, beverages and other no-bake recipes for best results. For more tips and recipes for the fall and Halloween season, visit McCormick.com or look for McCormick Spice on Pinterest and Facebook.

Glazed Autumn Leaf Cookies
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies

            2 3/4    cups flour
            1          teaspoon salt
            1          teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon
            1/2       teaspoon McCormick Ground Nutmeg
            1          cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
            1 1/2    cups sugar
            1          egg
            2          teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
            2          teaspoons McCormick Maple Extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and maple extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.

Roll dough on generously floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out leaves with 2- to 3-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Prepare desired colors of glazes. Decorate cooled cookies with glazes.

Glaze Variations: For the variations below, dissolve the designated amount of the Color from Nature Food Colors with water in small bowl. Stir in any remaining ingredients until smooth.

To glaze cookies, hold a cookie by its edge and dip the top into the glaze. (Or spoon the glaze onto cookies using a teaspoon.) Place iced cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet to dry. (The foil-covered baking sheet will catch drips.) Let stand until glaze is set.

Maroon Cookie Glaze: Use 1/2 teaspoon Berry color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, 3 tablespoons water (plus additional to dissolve color), 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon cocoa powder.

Forest Green Cookie Glaze: Use 1/2 teaspoon Sky Blue color and 1/4 teaspoon Sunflower color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, 3 tablespoons water (plus additional to dissolve color), 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon cocoa powder.

Pumpkin Cookie Glaze: Use 1 teaspoon Sunflower color and 1/4 teaspoon Berry color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, 3 tablespoons water (plus additional to dissolve color) and 2 cups confectioners' sugar.

Test Kitchen Tips:

• Use glaze soon after preparing. Do not refrigerate glaze, as it will begin to harden.
• Allow glaze to dry before storing cookies in airtight containers.

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Servings: 24 cupcakes

            2          cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
            4          teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
            2          boxes (16 ounces each) confectioners' sugar, sifted
            3          tablespoons milk
            1 1/2    teaspoons Sunflower color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, divided
            1/2       teaspoon Berry color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, divided

            24        unfrosted cupcakes
            12        regular marshmallows, halved crosswise
            12        small chocolate flavored taffy roll (Tootsie Roll), halved crosswise

Beat butter and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating well after each addition and scraping sides and bottom of bowl frequently. Add milk; beat until light and fluffy.

Remove 2 cups of the frosting into medium microwavable bowl. Tint frosting orange using 1 teaspoon of the Sunflower color and 1/4 teaspoon of the Berry color. Set aside.

Tint remaining frosting green using another 1/2 teaspoon of the Sunflower color and 1/4 teaspoon of the Berry color. Spread top of cupcakes with green frosting. Using a fork, gently touch frosting in different directions to resemble grass spikes.

To make the pumpkins, microwave the orange frosting on HIGH 10 to 20 seconds or until runny. Using a fork, dip marshmallow halves into frosting mixture, then place on top of frosted cupcakes. Let stand until pumpkin frosting has dried. Press a tootsie roll half in center of each pumpkin for the stem. Decorate leaves and vines with remaining green frosting, if desired.

Spiced Caramel Apple Cider
Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4

            4          cups apple cider
            1/4       cup caramel topping
            1          teaspoon McCormick Apple Pie Spice
            2          teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

Bring apple cider, caramel topping and apple pie spice to simmer in medium saucepan. Stir in vanilla.

Pour into serving cups. Serve topped with whipped cream, additional caramel topping and apple pie spice, if desired.

Flavor Variations: For the variations below, use the following extract in place of the vanilla:

Spiced Caramel Orange Cider: Use 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Pure Orange Extract.

Spiced Caramel Maple Cider: Use 3/4 teaspoon McCormick Maple Extract.

Spiced Caramel Rum Cider: Use 3/4 teaspoon McCormick Rum Extract.

Put a Fresh Twist on Tailgating

Add some team spirit to your menu by stepping out of bounds this tailgating season. Score big points with your fellow fans by sharing new apps and snacks that put a special game day spin on traditional favorites.

Made with fresh chickpeas and tahini, hummus is the perfect smooth and creamy accompaniment for chips, crackers and veggies. But it's easy to take this delicious dip to a fan frenzy level by using it as an ingredient to reimagine your favorite tailgating treats with an option like Sabra Hummus, which is available in more than a dozen appetizing flavors.

Spinach and Artichoke Hummus Pull Apart BreadRecipe courtesy of PoetInThePantry.com

	Nonstick spray
2	tubes (8 ounces each) crescent rolls
1	container (10 ounces) Sabra Spinach and Artichoke Hummus
1	can (14 ounces) quartered artichoke hearts, drained
12	cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1	cup shredded cheese blend

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray 9-by-5 loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Lightly spray work surface and carefully unroll 1 tube crescent rolls, so it stays as close as possible to one piece. Pinch seams.

Spread half the hummus over entire surface. Sprinkle with half the artichoke hearts, spinach leaves and cheese blend.

Cut into 8 squares. Prop loaf pan up to vertical then stack 4 squares and place them in loaf pan. Stack remaining 4 squares and place them on top of squares already in pan.

Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Bake on center rack 55-60 minutes, or until browned on top and cooked through, rotating pan halfway through bake time.

Place plate over top of pan, invert, then carefully flip over to invert bread. Serve as-is to pull apart, or slice for easier eating.

Twice Baked Potato JacketsRecipe courtesy of Smithbites.com

8	small Yukon Gold potatoes
1	cup Sabra Classic Hummus
	salt, to taste
	pepper, to taste
	extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2	tablespoons chopped rosemary

Heat oven to 425 F.

Scrub potatoes and poke with fork 2-3 times to allow steam to escape while baking. Place whole potatoes on rimmed sheet pan and bake approximately 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft; cool 10 minutes.

Carefully slice potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out insides into bowl, leaving 1/4-inch ring of potato around edges.

Lightly mash potato chunks; add hummus and stir until combined. Season mixture with salt and pepper; taste and adjust, if necessary.

Using spoon, divide potato-hummus filling evenly between potato jackets. Drizzle with olive oil and broil 5-7 minutes, or until tops are golden and crispy; watch closely as they will burn quickly.

Remove from broiler and sprinkle with rosemary and pinch of salt.

Serve immediately.

Realogy Franchise Group Appoints John Peyton as President and Chief Operating Officer

Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), the largest full-service residential real estate services company in the United States, today announced the appointment of John Peyton to the newly created role of president and chief operating officer (COO) for its subsidiary, Realogy Franchise Group (RFG). Peyton, formerly the senior vice president of brands and shared services for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., will begin at RFG on Oct. 13. Alex Perriello, CEO of the Realogy Franchise Group, will now focus primarily on strategic growth while Peyton will be responsible for the operational management of Realogy's franchise brands.

Peyton is a recognized global branding leader in a multi-brand environment. He is adept at leading large, complex global structures to maximize the benefits of scale while enabling innovation and flexibility. During his 17-year tenure with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, he combined his expertise in global operations and brand building to drive innovation and ensure the market positioning of the company's leading hotel brands, which include: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Westin,Le Meridien, Sheraton, Tribute Portfolio, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft, Element and Design Hotels.

Previously at Starwood, Peyton led the company's Global Initiatives team from 2012 to 2014, where he directed the implementation of key strategic company priorities around the world, including supply chain and revenue management initiatives. He has held a number of senior operations and marketing positions for Starwood, including chief marketing officer. In 2005 he was responsible for implementing a significant brand repositioning strategy for the company. In 2001, Peyton led Starwood in the launch of implementing Six Sigma practices in the business and became the first company in the hospitality industry to adopt this methodology as a way of improving business processes and driving innovative change. Prior to joining Starwood, he had a 10-year career with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, serving in both its accounting and management consulting practices.

Peyton holds an MBA in accounting and marketing from New York University and a bachelor's degree in English from theUniversity of Pennsylvania. Peyton is active in the community with several organizations supporting the health and welfare of children. He is a member of the board of directors for Child Advocates of Southern Connecticut and Full Court Peace, and also serves as a senior adviser to the A.J. Cina Foundation.

Home Price Gains In July Slow According To The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices

S&P Dow Jones Indices today released the latest results for the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices. Data released today for July 2016 shows that home prices continued their rise across the country over the last 12 months. More than 27 years of history for these data series is available, and can be accessed in full by going to www.homeprice.spdji.com. Additional content on the housing market can also be found on S&P Dow Jones Indices' housing blog: www.housingviews.com.

YEAR-OVER-YEAR
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 5.1% annual gain in July, up from 5.0% last month. The 10-City Composite posted a 4.2% annual increase, down from 4.3% the previous month. The 20-City Composite reported a year-over-year gain of 5.0%, down from 5.1% in June.


Portland, Seattle, and Denver reported the highest year-over-year gains among the 20 cities over each of the last six months. In July, Portland led the way with a 12.4% year-over-year price increase, followed by Seattle at 11.2%, and Denver with a 9.4% increase. Nine cities reported greater price increases in the year ending July 2016 versus the year ending June 2016.

MONTH-OVER-MONTH
Before seasonal adjustment, the National Index posted a month-over-month gain of 0.7% in July. The 10-City Composite recorded a 0.5% month-over-month increase while the 20-City Composite posted a 0.6% increase in July. After seasonal adjustment, the National Index recorded a 0.4% month-over-month increase, the 10-City Composite posted a 0.1% decrease, and the 20-City Composite remains unchanged. After seasonal adjustment, 12 cities saw prices rise, two cities were unchanged, and six cities experienced negative monthly prices changes.

ANALYSIS
"Both the housing sector and the economy continue to expand with home prices continuing to rise at about a 5% annual rate," says David M. Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices. "The statement issued last week by the Fed after its policy meeting confirms the central bank's view that the economy will see further gains. Most analysts now expect the Fed to raise interest rates in December. After such Fed action, mortgage rates would still be at historically low levels and would not be a major negative for house prices,

"The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Index is within 0.6% of the record high set in July 2006. Seven of the 20 cities have already set new record highs. The 10-year, 20-year, and National indices have been rising at about 5% per year over the last 24 months. Eight of the cities are seeing prices up 6% or more in the last year. Given that the overall inflation is a bit below 2%, the pace is probably not sustainable over the long term. The run-up to the financial crisis was marked with both rising home prices and rapid growth in mortgage debt. Currently, outstanding mortgage debt on one-to-four family homes is 12.6% below the peak seen in the first quarter of 2008 and up less than 2% in the last four quarters. There is no reason to fear that another massive collapse is around the corner."

SUPPORTING DATA
Table 1 below shows the housing boom/bust peaks and troughs for the three composites along with the current levels and percentage changes from the peaks and troughs.

2006 Peak		2012 Trough			Current
Index	Level	Date	Level	Date	From Peak  (%)	Level	From  Trough (%)	From  Peak (%)
National	184.62	Jul-06	134.01	Feb-12	-27.4%	183.57	37.0%	-0.6%
20-City	206.52	Jul-06	134.07	Mar-12	-35.1%	190.91	42.4%	-7.6%
10-City	226.29	Jun-06	146.45	Mar-12	-35.3%	204.92	39.9%	-9.4%

Table 2 below summarizes the results for July 2016. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices are revised for the prior 24 months, based on the receipt of additional source data.

	July 2016	July/June	June/May	1-Year
Metropolitan Area	Level	Change (%)	Change (%)	Change (%)
Atlanta	132.49	0.4%	0.8%	5.3%
Boston	191.58	0.6%	0.5%	4.2%
Charlotte	141.60	0.4%	0.8%	5.3%
Chicago	137.65	0.9%	1.2%	3.7%
Cleveland	112.78	0.5%	1.4%	2.5%
Dallas	166.32	0.7%	0.9%	8.3%
Denver	187.42	0.9%	1.1%	9.4%
Detroit	108.81	0.8%	1.4%	5.3%
Las Vegas	152.18	0.5%	0.7%	5.4%
Los Angeles	251.17	0.6%	0.7%	5.5%
Miami	215.41	0.4%	0.7%	7.0%
Minneapolis	154.40	0.6%	1.1%	5.0%
New York	183.90	0.6%	0.8%	1.7%
Phoenix	161.94	0.8%	0.7%	5.2%
Portland	207.46	1.2%	1.6%	12.4%
San Diego	227.53	0.6%	0.4%	6.0%
San Francisco	228.42	0.0%	0.4%	6.0%
Seattle	203.70	0.6%	1.4%	11.2%
Tampa	184.47	0.7%	0.5%	7.8%
Washington	217.28	0.4%	0.7%	2.0%
Composite-10	204.92	0.5%	0.7%	4.2%
Composite-20	190.91	0.6%	0.8%	5.0%
U.S. National	183.57	0.7%	0.9%	5.1%
Sources: S&P Dow Jones Indices and CoreLogic
Data through July 2016

Table 3 below shows a summary of the monthly changes using the seasonally adjusted (SA) and non-seasonally adjusted (NSA) data. Since its launch in early 2006, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices have published, and the markets have followed and reported on, the non-seasonally adjusted data set used in the headline indices. For analytical purposes, S&P Dow Jones Indices publishes a seasonally adjusted data set covered in the headline indices, as well as for the 17 of 20 markets with tiered price indices and the five condo markets that are tracked.

	July/June Change (%)		June/May Change (%)
Metropolitan Area	NSA	SA	NSA	SA
Atlanta	0.4%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.6%
Boston	0.6%	0.0%	0.5%	-0.4%
Charlotte	0.4%	0.3%	0.8%	0.3%
Chicago	0.9%	-0.5%	1.2%	-0.6%
Cleveland	0.5%	0.2%	1.4%	0.0%
Dallas	0.7%	0.3%	0.9%	0.2%
Denver	0.9%	0.5%	1.1%	0.3%
Detroit	0.8%	-0.3%	1.4%	-0.3%
Las Vegas	0.5%	0.1%	0.7%	0.2%
Los Angeles	0.6%	0.2%	0.7%	0.1%
Miami	0.4%	0.2%	0.7%	0.6%
Minneapolis	0.6%	-0.3%	1.1%	-0.2%
New York	0.6%	-0.4%	0.8%	-0.5%
Phoenix	0.8%	0.5%	0.7%	0.2%
Portland	1.2%	0.7%	1.6%	0.7%
San Diego	0.6%	0.1%	0.4%	0.1%
San Francisco	0.0%	-0.1%	0.4%	-0.2%
Seattle	0.6%	0.3%	1.4%	0.5%
Tampa	0.7%	0.2%	0.5%	-0.1%
Washington	0.4%	0.0%	0.7%	0.0%
Composite-10	0.5%	-0.1%	0.7%	-0.2%
Composite-20	0.6%	0.0%	0.8%	-0.1%
U.S. National	0.7%	0.4%	0.9%	0.2%
Sources: S&P Dow Jones Indices and CoreLogic
Data through July 2016