Clark E Wallace

Gov. Pete Wilson named Julie Wright, director of public relations for TRW's space and defense sector, as head of the state Department of Commerce. Wilson also appointed Clark E. Wallace of Orinda, a former president of the National Assn. of Realtors, as state real estate commissioner. Wright, from Marina Del Rey, will oversee a department that has 143 employees and a $44.5-million budget.

Gov. Pete Wilson named Julie Wright, director of public relations for TRW's space and defense sector, as head of the state Department of Commerce. Wilson also appointed Clark E. Wallace of Orinda, a former president of the National Assn. of Realtors, as state real estate commissioner. Wright, from Marina Del Rey, will oversee a department that has 143 employees and a $44.5-million budget.

The National Assn. of Realtors said its affordability index fell to 97.8% in October from a six-year high of 98.3% in September. The index, which measures the ability of a typical family to afford a home, means that a family earning the annual median income of $27,689 would have had 97.8% of the income needed to qualify for an existing home costing $75,600. Clark E. Wallace, president of the realtors group, said the affordability index closely follows the rise and fall of mortgage rates.

Ira Gribin, a San Fernando Valley-based real estate broker, has been elected first vice president of the National Assn. of Realtors. In the normal course of events, he will become president of the 700,000-member group in 1989. The 1987 president, installed with the other officers at the group's convention in New York, is William M. Moore, president of Moore & Co., Denver. He succeeds Clark E. Wallace of Moraga, Calif. Nestor R. Weigand Jr., Wichita, Kan., is president-elect.

Steady improvements in family income, lower interest rates and only modest increases in home prices have kept the U. S. housing affordability index above the 100 mark for two straight months, according to the National Assn. of Realtors. In December, 1985, the index rose to 100.2, the first time it had been above the 100 mark since 1978. In January, 1986, the index increased another 0.8 point to 101.0.

Clark E. Wallace, a Moraga (Calif.) realtor, has been elected president of the National Assn. of Realtors. He was installed here last week at the association's 78th annual convention. Other new officers are William Moore, Denver, president-elect; Nestor Weigan, Wichita, Kan., first vice president; Dorcas Helfant, Virginia Beach, Va., vice president and Phillip Stark, Madison, Wisc., treasurer. Stark will be serving his third term as treasurer of the 680,000-member association.

The National Assn. of Realtors today agreed to support a federal program using "testers" to visit home sales and rental agents to ensure they are not discriminating against minorities. As recently as May 2, the 700,000-member group testified against the proposal on Capitol Hill. Clark E. Wallace, the association president, said the change in stance was brought about by an agreement on guidelines with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr.

Sales of existing single-family homes fell 3.4% in November, the sharpest drop in nine months, a real estate trade group reported Monday. The National Assn. of Realtors said previously owned homes were sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.43 million units in November, following a 2.9% rise in October. Even with the decline, which was the sharpest since a 4% drop in February, sales were still 21.2% above where they were a year ago.

Sales of existing homes jumped 7% in August to an annual rate of 3.69 million units, the fastest sales pace of this decade, a real estate trade group reported Thursday. The National Assn. of Realtors said its monthly survey found that declines in mortgage rates helped spur sales in August following a smaller 1.8% increase in July. The increases pushed the annual rate of sales to its highest level since October, 1979, when a yearly pace of 3.77 million units was recorded.

Sales of existing homes climbed 1.2% in October to the second-highest level in the last six years, a real estate trade group said Monday. Existing single-family homes were sold at an annual rate of 3.49 million units last month, with lower mortgage rates given much of the credit for the strong sales pace, the National Assn. of Realtors said. Sales had hit 3.5 million units in August, the highest annual rate since October, 1979, when previously owned homes were sold at an annual rate of 3.

Housing prices in California are expected to rise 5% this year, keeping the average home price in the state dramatically higher than the national average, Bank of America said Friday. In its latest California housing outlook report, the bank said the average price for a California home will be $123,700 this year, up from $117,900 in 1985. The 5% rise is the biggest year-to-year increase since 1981, when prices rose 8.2%. Duane A.