Monthly Archives: February 2011

Los Angeles, CA - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG) today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire the majority of the real estate investment management business of Netherlands-based ING Group N.V. (ING) for approximately $940 million in cash. The acquisitions include substantially all of the ING Real Estate Investment Management (ING REIM) operations in Europe and Asia, as well as Clarion Real Estate Securities (CRES), its U.S.-based global real estate listed securities business. CB Richard Ellis will not acquire ING’s U.S.-based private market real estate investment management company.

February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The House of Representatives is expected to vote on its FY11 spending bill, H.R. 1, this week. The bill would cause devastating reductions to non-defense discretionary programs and cut more than $5.7 billion from HUD programs compared to the FY10-enacted level of about $43.5 billion. In addition, the bill would make more than $394 million in rescissions from unobligated balances in HUD programs.

February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- WHAT: Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) 4th Quarter 2010 National Delinquency Survey (NDS) Media Conference Call. Conducted quarterly since 1972, MBA's National Delinquency Survey covers more than 40 million loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties, representing more than 80 percent of all first-lien residential mortgage loans outstanding in the United States

Washington, DC - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Jan. 18 announced a joint initiative to consider alternatives for a new mortgage servicing compensation structure. As part of that effort, FHFA has established a dedicated web link to post information, including background materials and issues for consideration

WASHINGTON, DC - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) capital reserves, FHA Commissioner David H. Stevens today announced a new premium structure for FHA-insured mortgage loans increasing its annual mortgage insurance premium (MIP) by a quarter of a percentage point (.25) on all 30- and 15-year loans. The upfront MIP will remain unchanged at 1.0 percent. This premium change was detailed in President Obama’s fiscal year 2012 budget, also released today, and will impact new loans insured by FHA on or after April 18, 2011.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes remained unchanged at 16 for a fourth consecutive month in February, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today. "While builders are starting to see more interest among potential home buyers, we are also dealing with a multitude of challenges, including competition from foreclosure properties and inaccurate appraisals of new homes, which are limiting our ability to sell," said NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno, Nev. "On top of that, an extremely tight lending environment continues to make it almost impossible to obtain credit for viable new and existing projects, and most do not see that situation improving anytime soon."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Most home buyers who claimed the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for buying their first home in 2008 are required to start repaying the credit in 15 annual installments, beginning with their 2010 tax returns. The credit—some form of which was offered for qualified home purchases in 2008, 2009 and 2010—has different repayment rules depending on when and under what circumstances the home was purchased. As tax season approaches, this may cause confusion among home buyers who received the tax credit.

EUGENE, OR - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. has revolutionized the online real estate solution of Portland, Oregon Broker Phuong Ha of Capital Investment Realty. Ha has enabled IDX Broker software onto his professional website, syncing thousands of Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS) property listings into his advanced search functions. The capabilities he now hosts create a dynamic search page for his website, making his listings more visible and accessible via his IDX-enabled online real estate solution.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Joanne Theunissen, CGP, has been elected 2011 Chair of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Sales and Marketing Council. The announcement was made Jan. 11 at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla. Theunissen is owner/designer for Howling Hammer Builders, Inc. in Mount Pleasant, Mich., and is also an active member of the HBA of Central Michigan and the Michigan Association of Home Builders.

DENVER, CO - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- RE/MAX Commercial® Practitioner Dave Smith, CCIM, completed one of the largest deals of his career, a contract that involved parties in two different countries and four U.S. states. The deal was recently named by the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) Institute’s Nebraska Chapter as a “Big Deal of 2010.” The buyer of the commercial property in Pueblo, CO, is from Tel Aviv, Israel who was using an agent in Los Angeles, CA, and the seller lives in Texas. Smith resides in Omaha, NE.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Existing research on development patterns and transportation provides no causal link between residential land use and greenhouse gas emissions and leaves tremendous uncertainty as to the interplay of these factors, according to a new publication from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The publication, “Climate Change, Density and Development,” provides a fact-based overview of the state of research on the relationship between development, density, transit and the production of greenhouse gases.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Thomas Vetter, MIRM, Master CSP, CMP, CSP, has been elected 2011 Chair of the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Institute of Residential Marketing, the education branch of the National Sales and Marketing Council (NSMC). The announcement was made Jan. 11 at the NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla.

WASHINGTON, DC - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, after the U.S. Treasury Department issued a white paper proposing several pathways to reform the mortgage markets, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) issued the following statement

BURLINGTON, VT - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Vermont congressional delegation today opposed a White House budget proposal that would nearly cut in half a heating assistance program for seniors and low-income families with children.

DENVER, CO - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Stacy Neir, a leading Broker Associate with Kentwood City Properties, and award-winning artist Michael Gadlin, will host a special “Art of Living” event on Sunday, February 27, 2011 from noon t...

EMERYVILLE, CA - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home sellers continue to discount their asking price in an attempt to entice buyers to move towards a purchase according to a report issued by national real estatebrokerage ZipRealty (www.ziprealty.com; NASDAQ: ZIPR). ZipRealty’smonthly Price Reduction report, which is generated from a review of MLS-listed properties in 26 markets, shows that inventory is up a modest 2.81 percent from January 2010, but the total number of homes where sellers have cut the asking price at least once was up 17.6 percent. This double-digit growth in discounted homes may be another indicator of a sluggish market.

Washington, D.C. - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today issued the following statement on the fiscal 2012 budget President Obama presented to Congress this morning

Washington, D.C. - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In response to the Administration's release of its report, “Reforming America’s Housing Finance Market”, John H. Dalton, President of the Housing Policy Council issued this statement:

Swarthmore, PA - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Fair Housing Council of Suburban Philadelphia (FHCSP), a single mother, and her minor child settled federal housing discrimination complaints filed against Bucks County property management company Quality Realty Associates (QRA) and agents Vincent Quattrocchi, Louis Quattrocchi and Cecelia Quattrocchi.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac need serious reform, we must get these reforms right. Among the Administration’s several proposals, only one—the one that maintains a limited role for the GSEs—even has potential for ensuring all families have access to home loans and achieving stability in the housing market.