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Friday’s edition of Investor’s Business Daily carried an Op-Ed by RE/MAX CEO Dave Liniger supporting recent government policies that mark a return to more reasonable mortgage standards. Friday’s edition of Investor’s Business Daily carried an Op-Ed by RE/MAX CEO Dave Liniger supporting recent government policies that mark a return to more reasonable mortgage standards.

In accordance with the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, HUD published a Notice in the June 12, 2015, Federal Register identifying Federal buildings and other real property HUD has reviewed for suitability for use to assist the homeless. The properties were reviewed using information provided to HUD by Federal landholding agencies or by GSA regarding their inventories of excess or surplus property. The list includes buildings and properties in Arkansas, Nevada, New Jersey, and Tennessee

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) today announced more than $3.5 billion in New Markets Tax Credit awards aimed at stimulating investment and economic growth in low-income urban neighborhoods and rural communities nationwide. A total of 76 organizations (Allocatees) across the country will receive tax credit allocation authority under the 2014 round of the New Markets Tax Credit Program

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announces five new partnerships that will award up to $6.5 million in federal funds to technical teams throughout the country. The cost-shared projects with industry, universities, and other stakeholders will address the challenge of enabling the nation's electric grid to handle increasing amounts of renewable energy

Ten years after the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history devastated homes and displaced tens of thousands of people from New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities, residents in that part of the country have come back to build a community that is even stronger and more connected to each other than elsewhere in the U.S. People living in the Gulf Coast region of the United States are more likely to be completely satisfied with their community, feel a stronger sense of ‘neighborly’ connection, and more readily recommend where they live to others than the people living in other parts of the country.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded nearly $6 million in grants to hundreds of national, regional and local organizations to help families and individuals with their housing needs and to prevent future foreclosures. The grants announced today are in addition to $36 million awarded in April. See list of all counseling agencies awarded funding today.

Commercial real estate markets are improving with Realtors® specializing in commercial real estate reported an increase in annual gross income, the number of sales transactions and sales volume, according to the 2015 National Association of Realtors® Commercial Member Profile.

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in June rose five points to a level of 59 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. This is the highest reading since September 2014

Following an announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack on May 29, 2015, the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) today announced that all 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. may now apply for up to $100 million in grants under the Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership (BIP). The funding is to support the infrastructure needed to make more renewable fuel options available to American consumers. The Farm Service Agency will administer BIP

This week, the House approved their version of the fiscal year (FY) 2016 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (H.R. 2577) by a vote of 216 to 210. The bill includes funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other related agencies.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today issued a revised policy under its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Program giving FHA-approved lenders expanded options to allow eligible ‘non-borrowing spouses’ the potential to remain in their home following the death of the last surviving borrower. Read FHA’s new mortgagee letter.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has charged the owners of a three-story Salt Lake City, Utah, apartment building with violating the Fair Housing Act by making housing

The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) announced today its concerns regarding the racial disparities in homeownership rates in the United States. Throughout the month of June, politicians, policy makers, financial institutions and organizations throughout the country will be hosting and participating in events, rallies and ceremonies that highlight the importance of homeownership. NAREB is offering solutions to increase Black homeowner rates.

Disasters of any type can be costly for businesses and even result in permanent closure. To help New Orleans businesses prepare for disasters, free workshops will feature Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety(IBHS) business continuity expert Gail Moraton.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global research and education organization dedicated to leadership in land use and creating thriving, sustainable communities, today released the fifth edition of one of its all-time best-selling titles, Real Estate Development: Principles and Process. Since the first edition was published in 1991, the book has served as one of the leading college textbooks for courses on real estate development, urban planning, architecture, and real estate finance.

Cities continuing to struggle with finances have been increasingly relying on user charges and fees, according to an analysis of freshly updated data from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s database on local government finance, Fiscally Standardized Cities

the Committee on Natural Resources approved six bills during a Full Committee markup on H.R. 387, H.R. 521, H.R. 1289, H.R. 1992, H.R. 2295, H.R. 2358, and H.R. 2647. On the passage of H.R. 2295, the “National Energy Security Corridors Act,” introduced by Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) and Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Rep. MacArthur commented

Home Innovation Research Labs recognizes 39 NGBS Green Partners for outstanding contributions to advancing green building in their communities and commitment to voluntary, market-driven, third-party certification of high-performance homes. The 2014-2015 Home Innovation NGBS Green Partners of Excellence include 9 residential building companies; 18 accredited verifiers – including 4 “Rising Stars” and several sustaining partners who’ve been recognized multiple years; 8 architectural firms; and 4 exemplary program advocates from across the country

The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved a funding bill late Tuesday that will prohibit local fair housing agencies and HUD from effectively enforcing the Fair Housing Act on multiple fronts. Lawmakers approved language that eliminates federal grant funding to local nonprofit fair housing centers making it easier for banks, landlords, and other housing providers to discriminate with impunity.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for May 2015 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases decreased by 9 percent relative to the previous month. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns.