RealEstateRama
Soft-Market Secrets To Selling A High-End Home
Sales of new homes dropped last month to their lowest level in more than 12 years. Mortgage applications have fallen to their lowest level in a year. Bidding wars are pretty much done
OFHEO Releases New Mortgage Market Note About The Conforming Loan Limit And High-Cost Areas
Washington , DC – The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) has published a new Mortgage Market Note on the conforming loan limit. The Note provides background information on the potential implications of increasing the conforming loan limit in high-cost areas, as proposed in pending House and Senate legislation.
Online Real Estate Firms Adopt New Publishing Format
Leading online real estate companies Yahoo! Real Estate, Zillow.com®, and Trulia.com today announced they will share a new standard data format for the distribution of real estate listings online.
OFHEO Issues Policy Guidance On Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Mortgage Fraud Programs
Washington, DC – The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) has issued a revised Policy Guidance on the Examination of Mortgage Fraud Programs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The guidance details the standards for overseeing and evaluating policies and programs the Enterprises have developed to minimize mortgage fraud.
USAA Real Estate Company Announces Oversubscription To US Industrial REIT II
San Antonio, TX - January 10, 2008 - USAA Real Estate Company announced today the successful conclusion of fundraising for the US Industrial REIT II. The fund has raised $450 million in equity commitments from ten institutional investors including domestic pension funds, insurance companies and other fund investors, $50 million more than originally planned.
Best And Worst Cities For Renters
Writing a monthly rent check often feels like lighting money on fire. You'll never again see that cash, you build no equity and there are no tax benefits.
Behringer Harvard Completes Offering of Opportunity REIT I
DALLAS, January 7, 2008 — Behringer Harvard today announces that Behringer Harvard Opportunity REIT I, Inc., a non-traded real estate investment trust (REIT), reached full subscription. The Opportunity REIT generated approximately $530 million in gross offering proceeds through the sale of approximately 53.1 million shares in its primary offering.
Rep. Maloney: Widespread Private Sector Job Losses Indicate Housing/Credit Spillover
WASHINGTON, DC - January 4, 2008 - Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ December 2007 employment situation
Best and Worst Places for Home Inspection
ASHI Reveals its 2007 State Rankings: Louisiana, New Jersey and Arizona Retain Top Three Spots for Protecting Consumers; Homeowners in Florida, Pennsylvania and California Beware
Centerline, Freddie Mac Complete $2.8B Bond Portfolio Securitization
New York, NY – Centerline Holding Company (NYSE: CHC), the parent company of Centerline Capital Group (Centerline or the Company), and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) announce completion of a securitization of Centerline's $2.8-billion tax-exempt affordable housing bond portfolio with Freddie Mac. The transaction closed December 27, 2007.
Orleans Homebuilders Announces Strategic Disposition of Certain Land Positions
Orleans Homebuilders, Inc. (Amex: OHB) announced today, that it closed nine transactions to dispose of approximately 1,400 lots, within five states prior to its December 31st taxation year end. The Company separately executed option agreements on approximately 350 lots in two communities in different states, for a net decrease in its owned and controlled lot count of approximately 1,050 lots.
Freddie Mac Purchases $198 Million Capmark Mortgage Pool
McLean, VA - December 31, 2007 - Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) announced that it has purchased a $198 million pool of cross-collateralized, cross-defaulted mortgages from Capmark Finance, Inc (Capmark Finance). Freddie Mac put together a flexible financing solution for the borrower, Capri Capital Partners, LLC, that met its tight timeline to acquire Capri Apartments.
Newly Launched Mortgage Relief Formula Helps Homeowners Stop Foreclosure, Lower Payments Without Getting New...
More homeowners are turning to the newly launched Mortgage Relief Formula for do-it-yourself secrets of stopping foreclosure and getting out of crushing mortgage debt. New Mortgage Relief Formula home study course reveals secrets of how to get mortgage lenders to lower their payments without refinancing. Homeowners learn how to sell their own house in days, without a broker, and how to sell when they owe more than their house is worth
National Home Prices Face Modest Decline
While some housing markets in Florida, Nevada, and California have had sharp declines, nationally home prices have been far less dramatic.
NAR Says Terrorism Insurance Law Will Protect Commercial Market
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The commercial real estate market and the health of the nation's economy as a whole will benefit from the reauthorization of the federal government's terrorism risk insurance program, which President George W. Bush signed into law yesterday.
Easy-to-Use Videos Turn Homes into Stars
Users of VizzVox say the online solution for creating commercials and short movies enables them to appeal more to the real estate fantasies of potential buyers, unlike real estate postcards and Sunday open houses.
How to deal with unreasonable clients
Is there a mismatch between your clients’ expectations and the reality of your local market? It’s your job to bring them back to reality.
Bush Administration announces record $1.5 billion to support homeless programs nationwide
WASHINGTON, December 21, 2007 - A record number of local homeless programs across America will receive an unprecedented $1.5 billion in Continuum of Care grants announced today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This historic-level funding will offer transitional and permanent supportive housing to more than 168,000 homeless individuals and families.
Statement on President Bush’s Signing of Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief By NAR President Richard...
WASHINGTON, December 20, 2007 - “On behalf of the many individuals and families who would have been burdened by a tax after losing their home, the National Association of Realtors® thanks President George W. Bush for signing the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act into law.
MHI Vigorously Opposing Freddie Mac’s Tax on Homeownership
Arlington, Va., Dec. 20, 2007 – The Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) vigorously opposes Freddie Mac’s recent announcement that, as of March 1, 2008, it will be charging an additional “delivery fee” to lenders to purchase manufactured home mortgages of 50 basis points (or 0.5 percent of the loan balance). This delivery fee will be added to the current penalty of 0.5 percent of the loan balance that they already charge for manufactured home mortgages.
