RealEstateRama

Chapel Hill, NC and Washington, DC - March 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new study shows the risk of mortgage default is one-third lower for energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR-rated homes – a factor lenders and Congress should consider when making mortgage loans and policy

AUSTIN, TX - March 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Austin real estate market continued to gain steam in February, according to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR). As cited in the report, the volume of home sales in Austin outpaced last year significantly and the price for Austin-area homes continued to rise

Washington, D.C. - March 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) applauds the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee vote today to confirm Richard Cordray as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

Washington, DC - March 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac; NYSE: AGM and AGM.A) today announced that it achieved record business volume and core earnings for the year ended December 31, 2012. Farmer Mac' outstanding business volume, consisting of loans, guarantees, and commitments, rose to $13.0 billion as of December 31, 2012, up from $11.9 billion as of December 31, 2011. Farmer Mac's 2012 core earnings, a non-GAAP measure, increased 15.7 percent to $49.6 million ($4.51 per diluted common share), continuing the upward trend from $42.9 million ($3.97 per diluted common share) in 2011

Washington, D.C. - March 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rebuilding Together, a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home, is joining forces with AARP on a new pilot to help even more homeowners age-in-place.

DETROIT - March 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rock Ventures today grew its real estate footprint in the heart of Detroit’s emerging technology district with the acquisition of the 1001 Woodward office tower.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) held a hearing titled “Bipartisan Solutions for Housing Finance Reform?” The hearing was an opportunity for the Committee to hear from housing finance experts to explore potential areas of bipartisan agreement

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- “Home Energy Efficiency and Mortgage Risks” was released today (March 19) by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center for Community Capital and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting energy efficiency. The report can be downloaded at www.ccc.unc.edu and at imt.org/resources/detail/home-energy-efficiency-and-mortgage-risks.

Washington, DC - March 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- On March 20-23, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition will hold its annual conference, and bring together hundreds of community organizations from across the nation. This year’s conference theme is “A Just Economy: Building Community Prosperity from the Ground Up.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing must be given a bigger role in care and support, according to a cross-party report from MPs and peers published today. The report on the draft care and support bill warns that without greater focus on prevention and integration with health and housing, the care and support system will be unsustainable.

Seattle - March 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Technology-powered real estate broker Redfin (www.redfin.com) today released its Real-Time Home Price Tracker for February 2013, showing home prices increasing 13.2 percent year over year across 19 major U.S. markets. Inventory continued its downward trajectory, falling 31.8 percent from February 2012. Meanwhile, home-selling velocity was on the rise with more than one-third of homes going under contract within 14 days of their debut. Here are the key metrics

DENVER - March 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Kentwood Real Estate and Pamela Darby, the company’s Director of Relocation, garnered prestigious awards during the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) annual conference held February 26-28, 2013 at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. LeadingRE is a global network of 500-plus market-leading real estate firms representing more home sales than any other real estate network.

Washington, D.C. - March 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Former HUD Secretary and Senator Mel Martinez will testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs tomorrow at 10:00AM EST on behalf of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Housing Commission. The hearing will evaluate bipartisan solutions for housing finance reform.

San Francisco, CA - March 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- In its ongoing objective to provide a well-equipped repository for agents and their clients, Zephyr Real Estate has created a library of neighborhood photography that will ultimately cover the 89 neighborhoods of San Francisco. The photos are being developed to assist agents in promoting listings as well as to help buyers learn more about the amenities and lifestyle of the neighborhood in which a property is located.

ATLANTA - March 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], one of the world’s largest hotel companies, announces the opening of the new Holiday Inn Express® Romulus/Detroit Metro Airport, less than a mile from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and less than 30 minutes from the downtown business district.

DENVER - March 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Dee Chirafisi and Deviree Vallejo, leading real estate professionals with Kentwood City Properties, are co-sponsoring the 11th Annual Platte River Half Marathon & Buckhorn Exchange Relay on Sunday, April 17, 2013. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Chirafisi and Vallejo are once again sponsoring mile 13 of the half-marathon, and both will be participating in the race.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announces grant funding will be made available for a non-profit organization to administer the following District of Columbia Homebuyer Assistance Programs: Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP); Employer-Assisted Program (EAHP); the Home Purchase Rehabilitation Pilot Program; the Negotiated Employee Assistance Home Purchase Program (NEAHP); and the Home Purchase Assistance Step-Up Program. The Department intends to make funds available to one non-profit organization for these activities.

Seattle - March 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Redfin (www.redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate broker, today announced a list of the nation's fastest real estate markets, as defined by having the most homes going under contract in 24 hours or less. Redfin has coined the term "Real Estate Flash Sales" to describe this new phenomenon in the real estate market.

Norwood, MA - March 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- As exclusive buy-side advisor to Berkshire Realty Ventures, LLC ("Berkshire"), Cushman & Wakefield's Senior Housing Capital Markets Group, a division within the Equity, Debt & Structured Finance Group, has advised on a $40 million joint venture between Berkshire, a New York based real estate private equity firm, and LCB Senior Living. LCB Senior Living is a newly formed senior housing owner/operator consisting of the former management team of Newton Senior Living, a well-regarded senior housing operator in the Northeast that was acquired by Lazard Freres in 2005.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate & Urban Policy debunks the myth that households with vouchers lead to increase in neighborhood crime; finds that recipients tend to settle in neighborhoods with existing high crime rates