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e National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI) posted a reading of 53 in the second quarter of 2016. Although it slipped one point from the previous quarter, it is still the 13th consecutive quarter with a reading above 50.

At a July 20 event hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro outlined steps HUD is taking to protect children from lead exposure, including developing procedures to contain lead hazards more effectively, improving lead-prevention policies, and partnering with other leaders and agencies to protect residents from lead poisoning. When asked why a lead problem still exists in 2016, Castro responded, "we have not dedicated the kind of resources that ought to be dedicated to the problem."

Efforts to improve the urban resilience of St. Petersburg, Florida; Boston; Detroit, Charleston, South Carolina; and Portland, Oregon are being supported by grants awarded by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to its district councils serving those areas. ULI is a research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use and creating sustainable, thriving communities worldwide; its district councils advance ULI’s mission in 53 metropolitan regions in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The second webinar in the new series from the National Institute of Building Sciences Off-Site Construction Council (OSCC) is only a week away. The webinar, “Precast Concrete Off-Site Construction: Techniques & Case Studies,” co-sponsored by thePrecast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, will be held July 26 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm CT (12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET) and again July 28 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm CT (12:00 pm to 1:00 pm PT).

On July 19, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued a mortgagee letter clarifying the conditions in which it will insure mortgages on properties that have Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) assessments. While PACE structures vary, states generally treat PACE assessments on properties as they do other special assessments, such as property taxes. Under this structure, the owner of the property with a PACE assessment pays off the obligation to the local government, not the party who provided funding for the improvements

Wanted: North America’s most advanced commercial buildings! New Buildings Institute (NBI) is initiating its annual review of advanced energy efficiency commercial projects including zero energy, emerging and ultra-low energy projects.

The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) will spotlight key multifamily challenges and elevate housing policy on the national agenda at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

Statement from the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA) released in response to the passage of “The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act” in Congress

Corcoran-SunCal, in partnership with the Boston Housing Authority, today announced the launch of its website for ‘One Charlestown’ - the redevelopment of the Bunker Hill Public Housing Development. OneCharlestown.com includes design and planning information, a review of the public engagement process and partnership with the Resident Working Group, as well as images and schematics of the historic project

The National Institute of Building Sciences issued an open letter today to delegates attending the upcoming American Bar Association (ABA) Annual Meeting in August informing of the potential long-term impacts should they vote to support a proposed resolution. The resolution—which advocates that copyrighted codes and standards incorporated by reference in legislation and regulation be made available for free—would alter the way codes and standards are developed in the United States

With temperatures headed for the high 90s in Michigan this week, Consumers Energy is offering information to help businesses and households manage their energy use while still staying cool and safe.

President Obama is committed to ensuring that every American family can choose to go solar and to cut their energy bills – and that every American community has the tools they need to tackle local air pollution and global climate change.

Nationwide housing starts rose 4.8 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.19 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. Overall permit issuance increased 1.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.15 million.

REALTORS® Land Institute member Bob King, ALC, Owner/Broker, United Country Land & Lifestyle Realty in Anderson, South Carolina, stated that “Timberland prices will be trending upward as an increase in new home construction drives up softwood sawtimber prices. Timberland prices will also be rising as more recreational land buyers come back into the market.”

Federal homelessness programs are vital, but not sufficient, to achieve the goal of ending homelessness for all Americans. We must enlist federal, state, and local "mainstream" programs that serve low-income people, like TANF, Medicaid, and Housing Choice Vouchers, in our efforts to end homelessness. The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness has released a guide to better coordinate such resources.

33, of Santa Ana, Calif., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 112 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for heading a mortgage loan modification scheme that defrauded more than 1,000 struggling homeowners across the United States.

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) released an analysis of home purchase lending in St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and the surrounding areas. The analysis reveals racial and income disparities in mortgage lending in all three cities.

Consumers Energy announced today it is expanding a program that provides free energy assessments and plans to reduce energy use for small businesses in Ingham, Jackson and Eaton counties. Already, the program has helped over 5,300 businesses in Kent County to use less energy and lower their costs.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $75 million to help families living in public housing and those participating in HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Program connect with services to further their education, find good jobs, and to set them on a path to self-sufficiency. Read more about the local impact of the grants announced today.

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in July fell one point to 59 from a June reading of 60 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today