Yearly Archives: 2010

ST. THOMAS, USVI - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As many Virgin Islanders were affected by recent floods caused by heavy rainfall, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urge citizens to take steps to lessen damages in future flooding events

UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS (USVI) - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials urge homeowners and individuals who suffered damages caused by the recent rains and floods and who have flood insurance, to file claims through their insurance agent or company without delay.

RE/MAX Commercial Forges Strategic Alliance with GreenPoint Partners to Deliver Sustainability Solutions for Commercial Real Estate. Denver, CO - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- RE/MAX Commercial® has joined the GreenPoint Network, an alliance for real estate firms dedicated to helping clients achieve profitable sustainability.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today NeighborWorks America, the nation’s leading trainer of community development professionals, announced that it intends to add five new e-learning courses to its roster of courses offered through the NeighborWorks online learning center in 2011.

Washington, DC - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of REALTORS® announced today that Realtor.com, NAR’s official website, will be going global, extending its lead as the world’s largest online source of residential property listings.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- During an event hosted by Vice President Joe Biden to announce initiatives to help middle class and low-income families secure their legal rights, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz will announce a new rule protecting homeowners from deceptive mortgage relief companies, and several law enforcement actions against mortgage loan modification and foreclosure rescue companies.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Homeowners will be protected by a new Federal Trade Commission rule that bans providers of mortgage foreclosure rescue and loan modification services from collecting fees until homeowners have a written offer from their lender or servicer that they decide is acceptable.

WASHINGTON, DC - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the November edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard (www.hud.gov/scorecard). The latest housing figures show continued signs of stabilization in house prices and high home affordability due in part to record low mortgage interest rates. The housing scorecard is a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market

Los Angeles, CA - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (CBRE) today announced that Mark Fewin has been promoted to Executive Managing Director and Global Leader of Project Management Services, effective January 1, 2011. Mr. Fewin succeeds Ken Loeber, who was named to Global Leader of Business Development for CBRE’s Global Corporate Services business line

Chicago, IL - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sustainable buildings are expected to generate stronger investment returns than traditionally managed properties, according to an ongoing study of a national office portfolio managed by CB Richard Ellis. The study found that owners of sustainably managed buildings anticipate a 4% higher return on investment than do owners of traditionally managed buildings, as well as 5% [more] increase in building value. Roughly 79% of owners surveyed believe that sustainable properties perform well in attracting and retaining tenants, yielding a 5% increase in building occupancy and 1% increase in rental income.

San Jose del Cabo, MX - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Associa Mexico Realty Services recently expanded its already diverse company profile by adding the Las Mananitas condominiums, one of the area’s finest beachfront properties.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- CampusMBA, the award-winning education division of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), today announced it has extended its partnership with Stamford, Connecticut-based Insurance Advisors LLC. Under the agreement, CampusMBA, in conjunction with Insurance Advisors, will offer live online workshops addressing insurance issues for commercial/multifamily real estate loans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 9.13 percent of all loans outstanding as of the end of the third quarter of 2010, a decrease of 72 basis points from the second quarter of 2010, and a decrease of 51 basis points from one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey. The non-seasonally adjusted delinquency rate decreased one basis point to 9.39 percent this quarter from 9.40 percent last quarter. The delinquency rate includes loans that are at least one payment past due but does not include loans in the process of foreclosure.

San Antonio, TX - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- USAA Real Estate Company announces the purchase of Patterson Court, a Class-A multifamily community located at 8112 Patterson Wood Drive in Little Lake Bryan, a master development in Orlando. The property was purchased from Atlanta-based Woods Partners. Details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

WASHINGTON, DC - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Improving financial conditions and recent encouraging signs from the labor market should set the stage for an above-par growth trend by mid 2011, according to the November 2010 Economic Outlook released today by Fannie Mae's (FNMA/OTC) Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group. Despite challenges, including uncertainty on the domestic fiscal policy and international fronts, improvement in economic activity will likely occur at a gradual pace moving into 2011. The economy showed a slight pickup in growth in the third quarter to 2.0 percent at an annualized pace, up from 1.7 percent in the previous quarter, and consumer spending posted the best showing since the end of 2006. Even with stronger than expected economic growth in the third quarter, the group forecasts continued sluggish growth at least through the first quarter of 2011.

PLEASANTON, CA and LA JOLLA, CA - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ellie Mae®, the enterprise mortgage origination technology provider for mortgage bankers, mortgage brokers, community banks, credit unions and other mortgage lenders, and Closing.com, the largest one-stop-shop for real estate closing services on the Web, have announced the launch of Encompass Assured GFE™ service powered by Closing.com’s SmartGFE® Service. With Encompass Assured GFE, Encompass360™ users can now create Good Faith Estimates, which are backed by a ClosingCorp compliance guarantee, directly from their Encompass360 systems.

McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (OTC:FMCC) today issued its 2011 funding calendars, which provide optional announcement dates for Reference Notes® securities and announcement and auction dates for Reference Bills® securities. The 2011 funding calendars are available on the Debt Securities page of the company’s Web site

McLean, VA - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) and the 15-year (FRM) rose dramatically this week, as did the 5-year ARM. The 1-year ARM remained unchanged from the previous week.

Washington, DC - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Housing Opportunity Fund, a National Association of REALTORS® grant program, has presented $50,000 to 15 local and state REALTOR® associations. Those associations will use the funds to promote and expand affordable housing opportunities in their communities.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing affordability remained near its highest level nationwide for the seventh consecutive quarter as interest rates dipped below 5 percent for the first time since the series was first compiled nearly two decades ago, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) released today.The HOI indicated that 72.1 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the third quarter of 2010 were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. The index for the third quarter almost equaled the record-high 72.5 percent set during the first quarter of 2009 and marked the seventh consecutive quarter that the index rose above 70 percent. Until 2009, the HOI rarely topped 65 percent and never reached 70 percent.