RealEstateRama

Miami, FL - July 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federated Companies, a leading national real estate investment and development firm, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the contract to purchase seven lots of land totaling 3.25 acres in the Bayside Development area of Portland, Maine. The land is located on Somerset and Elm Streets, is currently owned by the City of Portland and received unanimous approval from the City Council of Portland to be sold to The Federated Companies. The Federated Companies' worked diligently to incorporate the city's concept into the master plan for the mixed-use site which includes housing, retail, a medical office, and a public parking structure. The company will continue to develop the master plan and timeline with the city.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 1 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) approved $45 million to enable Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) to expand its housing microfinance lending (HMF) – a growing impact investment sector that will help thousands of low-income families around the world build, improve, and maintain decent homes.

COLTON, CA - July 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Inland Empire-based Hodgdon Group, a full-service real estate brokerage, development and construction team, announced today that it has completed the conversion of the former Wickes Furniture building at the Centre Pointe Marketplace in Santa Clarita, Calif., for the opening of an Ashley Furniture HomeStore on July 1, 2011.

Northbrook, IL - July 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Boulder Group, a net leased investment brokerage firm, has completed the sale of a single tenant net leased Pamida property located at 1500 East Sheridan Street in Ely, MN for $2,650,000.

Herndon, VA - July 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Institute for Building Technology and Services (IBTS) today opened its new Municipal Services Center on Sullivan Road which will be the hub for public service delivery to the city's 27,000 residents.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Research Support Facility (RSF) located on the campus of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been certified LEED® Platinum for New Construction by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable building design and construction.

Providence - July 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Community Builders and YouthBuild USA today announced an innovative partnership in Providence that will provide opportunities for low-income young people enrolled in local YouthBuild programs to build and renovate affordable housing and pursue careers in the real estate industry. Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, U.S. Senator Jack Reed, and U.S. Congressman David Cicilline, along with students and local and national YouthBuild leaders, spoke at the event announcing the partnership.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- ForeclosureListings.com has noticed falling and rising trends in foreclosures in recent months. Why? When the supply of homes outweighs the demand for them, the prices shrink. When the values are attractive enough to investors with enough money to withstand the smaller return on the investment, the supply is reduced and the prices sustain at a present level until the next surge of depressed properties are on the market available at discounted prices.

WASHINGTON, DC - June 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Executives from the private, public and nonprofit sector today joined Events DC (Washington Convention and Sports Authority) and Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise) for the launch of Greenspace, NCR, the District’s first green learning and resource center located at Nationals Park in the Capital Riverfront neighborhood. During the event, Greenspace unveiled its plans for a $2 million, 12,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility designed to meet the LEED platinum standard of the U.S. Green Building Council. Leveraging an exceptional network of partnerships, Greenspace intends to build the skills, knowledge and capacity of professionals, policymakers and the public to create ground breaking green communities across the region.

Arlington, VA - June 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Thayer Long, president and CEO of the Manufactured Housing Institute, issued the following statement on in the IBIS World, Inc. research report falsely characterizing the state of the manufactured housing industry.

New York, NY & Greenwich, CT - June 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick Goldman and Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD) jointly announced today the completion of a $23 million refinancing and arrangement of up to $13 million in construction financing for the City Club Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The loan will allow for the construction of up to 66 additional rooms to be built above the existing small luxury hotel, home to Daniel Boulud’s DB Bistro Moderne, which occupies a prime location on 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

WASHINGTON, DC - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $83,941,360 in grants through the National Farmworker Jobs Program to combat the chronic unemployment and underemployment experienced by migrant and seasonal farmworkers who depend primarily on agricultural labor jobs. A total of $78,253,180 will go to 52 organizations nationwide to provide training, employment and support services for farmworkers and their families. An additional $5,688,600 will go to 16 organizations to provide temporary or permanent housing assistance

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- USAA Real Estate Company, co-developer with Cambridge Development Group of The Preserve on Fredericksburg, announced the sale of the 376-unit Class-A multi-family project located in San Antonio, Texas to an undisclosed institutional investor. Will Balthrope with the Balthrope Group of Institutional Property Advisors, a Marcus & Millichap Company, represented USAA in the transaction. Details of the purchase and sale agreement have not been disclosed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- CRL, the National Consumer Law Center and other groups yesterday filed a joint comment letter on why a new proposal by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency makes no sense, will not stand up in court, and should be withdrawn. [Read the letter: http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/policy-legislation/regulators/comments-to-the-occ-we.html.]

Detroit, MI - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Quicken Loans Inc., the nation’s largest online home lender, today became the first mortgage provider to offer a mobile app that enables clients to apply for a home loan from the palm of their hand with the launch of “MyQL Mobile.” The app, available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, guides clients from their initial application to the closing table, all part of the company’s mission to provide a home loan experience that is “Engineered to Amaze.”

DALLAS, TX - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- HomeVestors of America, Inc. (“HomeVestors”), known for its registered trademark We Buy Ugly Houses®, has been diligent in protecting its trademarks. For many years HomeVestors has aggressively pursued a campaign to stop third parties from improperly using the company’s federally registered and protected trademarks in their business activities

DALLAS, TX - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- HomeVestors of America, Inc., known as the “We Buy Ugly Houses®” company, announced that national public voting is now under way in the “2011 Ugliest House of the Year®” contest in six regional markets across the USA. Have your voice heard and compare your opinion with others by voting in the 2011 “Ugliest House” contest.

VIENNA, VA - June 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today, in its First Quarter 2011 Mortgage Loan Fraud (MLF) analysis, reported that the number of MLF suspicious activity reports (SARs) rose to 25,485 up 31 percent from 19,420 in the first quarter of 2010. FinCEN attributes the increase to large mortgage lenders conducting additional reviews after receiving demands to repurchase poorly performing mortgage loans. In the first quarter of 2011, 86 percent of MLF SARs reported activities which occurred more than two years prior to the filing of the SARs.

Des Plaines, IL - June 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A nationwide survey of remodeling contractors by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) reveals a significant increase in the cost of a remodeling project due to current federal regulation. Regulation that according to survey results, is unwelcome to homeowners who do not have small children living in their home. And regulation that is certain to negatively impact scores of small remodeling businesses.

AUSTIN, TX - June 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Purchasing a home is the biggest investment that most consumers will ever make, therefore it is vital to have all of the information available about the property prior to signing on the dotted line. To help consumers know detailed information about the "life story" of their new home, BuildFax, the nation's leading provider of historical building permit data, is now offering consumers access to a free detailed report about the home, including relevant permit data regarding key upgrades and repairs made to the property.