Getting Ahead
3rd Quarter 2021


In this issue:

Red-Hot US Housing Market Begins to Cool

Fines Doubled for Mask Mandate Violators

Retailers Are Gearing Up for a Huge Holiday Season

A Fall Checklist of 10 Things You Gotta Do Before Winter Sets In

Red-Hot US Housing Marketing Begins to Cool

Though the demand for homes remained strong across the United States in August, there are clear signs that the housing market is past its peak.

A report from residential brokerage Redfin found that pending sales across 400 metro areas were up 6% year over year in the four weeks that ended Sept. 5. Still, the 69,563 homes that went into contract represented a 9% decrease from the high point set in May 2021.

The decrease in pending sales is just one indicator of a softening in the competitiveness of the housing market: the number of homes with an accepted offer within two weeks on the market fell nine percentage points from the 2021 peak set in March, and the share of homes sold above asking price dropped to 50.1% from 55% in early July 2021, according to Redfin.

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Fines Doubled for Mask Mandate Violators
HackerEmployees commuting on public transportation and on work travel should be aware that fines have been doubled for people who violate the federal mandate to wear masks in airports and on planes, trains and buses. We've gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other media outlets.

New Fines

Penalties for first-time offenders have been raised to at least $500. Second-time mask refusers may be fined as much as $3,000. But enforcement remains a challenge. Since the Transportation Security Administration announced that everyone except children under 2 years old and people with certain disabilities must wear masks on airplanes and in airports in the U.S., the agency has received more than 4,000 reports of mask-related incidents, according to an agency spokesman. Yet only 126 people have faced fines.

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Retailers Are Gearing Up for a Huge Holiday Season

The Delta variant continues to be a concern for retailers. But expectations for a merry holiday season remain intact.

What's happening: US retail sales increased last month as consumers continued to dish out on clothing, furniture and groceries. Sales beat economists' expectations, increasing 0.7% in August from the month prior, the Census Bureau said Thursday.

And new forecasts from Deloitte, Bain & Company and Mastercard predict a huge sales boom in the coming months, the most important time of the year for retailers.

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A Fall Checklist of 10 Things You Gotta Do Before Winter Sets In
WorkersWhen the last of summer's heat is a faint memory, and you're pulling out your hoodies more than your shorts, it's time to tackle a few simple chores that'll make winter more pleasant and prevent some nasty surprises next spring.

This fall checklist helps...

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