Monthly Archives: December 2007

It’s a turbulent time for many real estate practitioners — but headlines about sluggish sales and tighter financing hardly capture the whole story. More than ever, you need to be up to speed on the wide-ranging phenomena driving today’s dodgy marketplace.

Washington, DC - December 6, 2007 - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has opened the call for papers for educational sessions at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, which will be held November 19-21, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. The theme of the seventh annual conference will be Revolutionary Green: Innovations for Global Stability. All session proposals must reinforce the conference theme.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Move, Inc., the leader in online real estate search, has signed a new exclusive three-year content distribution agreement with online leader MSN. As a result, the more than 94.8 million(1) monthly MSN visitors will continue to have instant access to the largest online collection of resale homes, new homes, and rentals at Move.com and Move-operated REALTOR.com(R)

NuWire Investor recently published its 2007 list of the top 10 places to invest based on an analysis of nearly one hundred U.S. cities

If you’re thinking about selling your home, you may be considering using the services of a real estate broker or agent. But before you sign a listing agreement, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the agency that works for a competitive marketplace, wants you to be informed about your choices.

PropertyShark.com today released its November 2007 report covering first-time residential foreclosures in Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle and New York City. The number of new Seattle foreclosures jumped 118% in November 2007 over October 2007, and 33% over November 2006. The number of foreclosures rose in Los Angeles, 13.09% higher than last month and 233.7% higher than the same month in 2006. There were 643 residential foreclosure auctions scheduled in Miami-Dade County for November 2007

WASHINGTON - December 4, 2007 - Thousands of residents displaced by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes are continuing to have their rent paid through a new government initiative, the Disaster Housing Assistance Program, which is being administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 05, 2007 - The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 30, 2007. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 791.8, an increase of 22.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from 646.3 one week earlier

From advanced home sensors to computerized wine cellars, today’s cutting-edge homes are starting to think on their own. Learn about the latest gadgets and trends

Alexandria, Va. - Dec 4, 2007 - As the Bush administration huddles with major lenders to finalize a relief plan for subprime borrowers, new results today from a survey conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) warn against the government going too far. Almost half (48%) of U.S. adults aged 18 and older think a federal bailout of the subprime market would help either lenders who issue subprime mortgages or Wall Street banks who profit from subprime mortgages; in contrast, roughly a quarter (26%) believe homeowners who hold subprime mortgages would benefit most.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National surveys show that most of the 60 million Americans who live in homeowner and condominium associations are happy in their communities, but not all association boards govern as responsibly as they should. That can lead to homeowner frustration, factional conflict and, in the worst cases, expensive lawsuits.

Washington, D.C. - December 4, 2007 - U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is working to add an additional $1 billion in funds to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help families who are struggling with rising energy costs this winter. Sen. Menendez joined Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) in asking the president for an additional $1 billion in funding (Menendez.senate.gov/pdf/120307LIHEAPletter.pdf); he is also a co-sponsor of legislation Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT) introduced today – the Keep Americans Warm Act of 2007 would also increase funding to LIHEAP by $1 billion

When Doreen Cardin first put her house on the market, she was hopeful that the house would find a buyer right away. Cardin's husband, a mechanic, was unable to work. The loss of an income had proven tough for the young couple, who live 20 miles north of Seattle. They needed the money.

London-base global investment company LaSalle Investment Management told clients that the outlook for global real estate is strong, despite recent turbulence in the U.S. market and debt markets in general.

The assumption that the subprime mortgage crisis is limited to buyers with poor credit is mistaken, according to an analysis prepared for The Wall Street Journal, which examined more than $2.5 million in subprime loans made since 2000.

Washington, DC - December 3, 2007 - Kieran P. Quinn, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) applauded a proposal unveiled today by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to expand tax-exempt qualified mortgage bond programs to refinance existing loans. Under current law, these tax exempt bond programs can only be used to support purchase loans.

Americas Watchdog along with its Homeowner Consumer Center have just come up with a free and easy to understand guide, designed to help every homeowner with the mortgage process

Now that Alex Rodriguez has agreed to a new $275 million contract with the New York Yankees, the word in Manhattan real estate circles is that a $39 million East 80th Street townhouse may be in his future.

WASHINGTON - December 3, 2007 - In response to the Bush Administration's plan to help families avoid foreclosure, tens of thousands of homeowners are refinancing their exotic subprime loans with HUD's new government-backed mortgage product. HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson today announced that more than 33,000 borrowers have already refinanced their subprime home loans with FHASecure, a government-insured foreclosure avoidance initiative created in September.

WASHINGTON, December 03, 2007 - Many buyers judge a house by its exterior, or so it seems from the results of the 2007 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report. Three of the four projects with the highest national percentage of costs recouped this year were exterior upgrades.