Monthly Archives: January 2011

Denver, CO - January 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- RE/MAX, LLC will be sponsoring an 18-city concert tour to benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, an organization that RE/MAX and its agents worldwide have raised more than $100 million to support since 1992. The concert features 9-year-old child prodigy, musician, composer and actor Ethan Bortnick who is rapidly becoming an international sensation.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On January 12th, an affiliate of USAA Real Estate Company executed a Joint Venture Agreement with Gables Residential to develop Class-A multi-family properties at select urban infill sites as well as purchase an interest in several of Gables’ best-in-class stabilized properties. The development and acquisitions amount to over $400 million of Class-A multi-family assets

Dallas, TX - January 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (CBRE) has appointed Michael Caffey as Senior Managing Director and Dallas/Fort Worth market leader. In that role Mr. Caffey will be responsible for overseeing all business lines for CB Richard Ellis in the North Texas market area as well as the Company’s Oklahoma affiliate operations. Mr. Caffey is currently a Managing Director in CBRE’s Dallas office. He succeeds Mark Fewin, who was named last November as Global Leader for Project Management Services

NEW YORK, N.Y. - January 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates were mostly lower this week, except for the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate, which held at 4.94 percent according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.38 discount and origination points.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Green-built homes will take an increasingly large percentage of the market in direct proportion to their price – because home buyers’ prime motivation today is cost effectiveness, according to representatives from four suppliers and product manufactures who spoke today at the National Association of Home Builders International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla.“The key is value for every stakeholder in the process,” from the manufacturer to the builder and the home buyer, said Richard Davenport, director of sustainable construction for BASF.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- New job creation amid a slowly recovering economy is creating increased demand by new renters seeking to move into apartments. However, the lack of credit needed to finance the development of apartments is already causing rents to increase and is likely to lead to a shortage of available apartments in the next few years.“Although we are forecasting construction of 133,000 new multifamily residences in 2011,” said the National Association of Home Builders’ chief economist, David Crowe, “that is far short of the 250,000 to 300,000 units that would be required to keep supply and demand in balance

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A joint study by the 50+ Housing Council of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the MetLife Mature Market Institute shows the recession has made 55+ buyers more practical when selecting a new home. Design considerations have become less important, and financial concerns have become more prominent.Previous studies from these two organizations found that most 55+ buyers depended on home sale proceeds to finance a new purchase. The most recent data shows that option diminished during the economic downturn.

WASHINGTON, DC - January 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development today awarded nearly $127 million in grants to 48 local projects to conduct a wide range of activities intended to protect children and families from potentially dangerous lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards (see chart below)

Orlando, FL - January 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With the current state of the national economy, consumers are looking for ways to reduce costs wherever they can – operation of their homes is certainly no exception. In direct response to their customers' needs, and their own desire to "do the right thing," many home builders and remodelers have taken strides to incorporate features that make homes more energy efficient, comfortable, cost-effective to operate and maintain, and generally more friendly to the natural environment. Tuesday night, at a dinner celebration just prior to the start of the 2011 International Builders' Show, an elite group of these conscientious residential professionals received EnergyValue Housing Awards (EVHA) for new and existing homes

DENVER, CO - January 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Kentwood City Properties, one of three strategically-located offices that comprise Kentwood Real Estate, has recorded its highest historic residential real estate sales volume since the office was formed in 1999. The office and its leading real estate professionals posted total sales volume of nearly $340 million for 2010, approximately $35 million more that its previous high sales volume.

Cincinnati, OH - January 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With the help of a brand new network of empowered real estate brokers and agents, home buyers can now receive a sizeable part of the real estate broker commission similar to the side deals relocation companies have been receiving for years. Real estate brokers have long shared commissions with relo companies and out-of-state brokers that refer home buyers to their office. Now, select brokers in the EmpoweredBuyer.com network are extending the commission-sharing to a new breed of knowledgeable home buyers.

CHICAGO, IL - January 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE), the world's largest network of leading independent real estate brokers, continued to expand in 2010, with over 50 new offices and 2,300 sales associates added during the year. A strong pipeline of new member candidates ensures additional growth in early 2011.

CHICAGO, IL - January 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® has selected reOneSpot™ as a preferred partner to provide its network of 600 brokerage firms worldwide a low-cost, intelligent, web-based enterprise solution that securely enables collaboration and sharing of activities, documents, feedback and communications between brokers, agents and their clients in one easy-to-use integrated location. This all-in-one solution platform helps real estate brokers and associates improve efficiency and productivity with tools that enhance and streamline the regular, day-to-day activities involved in today’s business of real estate.

McLean, VA - January 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®). The survey results showed lower mortgage rates for both long- and short-term rates, with the 30-year reaching a four-week low

WASHINGTON, DC - January 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Bankers Association sent a letter today to the heads of the eight regulatory agencies involved in writing new rules on risk retention for mortgage loans as required by the Dodd/Frank Act. ABA supports a broad safe harbor, known as the Qualified Residential Mortgage or QRM, which would not be subject to risk retention requirements.ABA said imposing too broad a risk retention requirement is likely to cause lenders to leave the marketplace, reduce the amount of credit available to eligible borrowers, and harm the fragile economic recovery.

New Orleans, LA - January 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A panel of distinguished national real estate experts from the Consulting Corps of The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) will be working with the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) this week to map strategy for 37 properties in the school board’s portfolio

EMERYVILLE, CA - January 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- ZipRealty, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZIPR) announced today a series of changes to enhance the Company’s focus on core strengths in technology, online marketing and its most attractive local real estate markets. The restructuring and organizational changes are expected to position ZipRealty to achieve positive cash flow in 2011 and provide a solid platform for long-term growth.

EMERYVILLE, CA - January 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The number of price-reduced homes on the market this December remained at high levels compared to 2009, rising 23.4 percent according to a report surveying 26 US markets issued by national real estate brokerage, ZipRealty (www.ziprealty.com; NASDAQ: ZIPR)

McLean, VA - January 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today announced a new offering of Structured Pass-Through Certificates ("K Certificates"), multifamily mortgage-backed securities. The company expects to offer approximately $1 billion in K Certificates ("K-010 Certificates"), which are expected to price the week of January 17, 2011 and settle on or about February 10, 2011.

Washington, DC - January 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has named the recipients of its 2010 LEED for Homes Awards, recognizing projects, developers and home builders who have demonstrated leadership in the residential building marketplace. The awards were presented during the Residential Summit on Thursday, Nov. 18, during the 2010 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo held in Chicago, Ill. The 2010 award categories recognize innovative multi and single family projects, production builders, affordable housing projects and developers, an overall commitment to LEED for Homes, and Project of the Year.