Monthly Archives: March 2011

Washington, D.C - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Economic pressures and the overall decline in home values resulted in the more modest design of kitchens and bathrooms in recent years. That trend appears to be changing towards homeowner preference for larger, and in some cases additional, kitchens and bathrooms. Households continue to desire products and features that promote energy efficiency and adaptability in the use of space for seniors and those with accessibility concerns.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates marked a slight increase, with the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate rising to 4.96 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.41 discount and origination points.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Homebuyers often have many homes to check out as they make the rounds searching for the one that's just right. Zephyr has removed the hassle from that chore with its new Home Tour tool, which plots out multi-destination driving directions to create a customized home tour.

March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Gov. John Hickenlooper announced today appointments to the State Agricultural Commission. The State Agricultural Commission formulates policy with respect to the management of the Department of Agriculture. The com...

WASHINGTON, DC - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International announced today that it will encourage its members to participate in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s 2011 Earth Hour. WWF’s global initiative asks that individuals, businesses, organizations and governments turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour, from 8:30-9:30 pm local time on Saturday, March 26, 2011. The aim of Earth Hour is to visibly demonstrate global concern about climate change and a commitment to find solutions that minimize negative human impact on the Earth.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today that public housing agencies across the United States will receive nearly $54 million to link low-income families with the necessary education and job training to put them on the path to self-sufficiency.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today issued a report summarizing efforts to the measure the extent of “worst case housing needs” among very low-income renter households with disabilities. HUD’s 2009 Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities finds that approximately 1 million households that included nonelderly people with disabilities had worst case needs.

EUGENE, OR - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With thousands of properties being updated every day, real estate professional Ginny L. Gorman of Phillips Post Road Realty has integrated the revolutionary IDX Broker software onto her website, in an e...

DENVER, CO - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- It’s what matters most to buyers and sellers in today’s real estate market – working with a professional real estate agent who has the experience to get the job done. And statistics show, that is a RE/MAX agent. For the 13th consecutive year, nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX

MIAMI, FL - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today Fannie Mae and Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF) celebrated the one-year anniversary of Fannie Mae's South Florida Mortgage Help Center. Since opening its doors in March 2010, the South Florida Mortgage Help Center has reached out to more than 5,000 South Floridians and worked with more than 1,000 struggling families with loans owned by Fannie Mae. The South Florida Mortgage Help Center was the first of six Help Centers Fannie Mae opened in hard-hit cities across the country. Additional Help Centers are expected to open this year.

Reston, VA - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Wyoming ruled last week in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS), upholding the company’s ability to take any action required of a lender, including assigning the mortgage

DENVER, CO - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- It’s a one-of-a-kind home that reflects innovative design expertise in one of downtown Denver’s historic buildings. The Starek Loft in the Volker Building was designed by Alice Starek and fellow ...

March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- New research by the Center for Responsible Lending finds that banks and other loan servicers often foreclose when investors have more to gain from a loan modification. The study—“Fix or Evict? Loan Modifications Return More Value than Foreclosures”—also finds that the industry’s poor track record on loan modifications can’t be blamed on homeowners who re-default.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) has launched an all-new member benefit program designed to help its full electronic systems contractor (ESC) members market their businesses locally. CEDIA’s ESC Marketing On-Demand program features brochures, postcards, and other promotional materials which members can customize and print at affordable rates.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes declined 16.9 percent in February to a record-low seasonally adjusted annual rate of 250,000 units, according to figures released today by the U.S. Commerce Department."Today's report is primarily a reflection of consumer uncertainty regarding the overall economy," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "A recent Gallup poll confirmed that the economy is Americans' top concern right now. At the same time, even qualified buyers who are ready to make a purchase are facing frustrating challenges in terms of tight consumer lending conditions and inappropriately low appraisal values on new construction."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The IRS today released information on processing issues that are impacting a small percentage of tax returns involving repayment of the First Time Homebuyer Credit (FTHB), primarily involving 2008 home purchases. While most of these returns are processing normally, the IRS recognizes the hardship caused by delayed refunds, and it has assigned additional staff and resources to address the issues promptly.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications increased 2.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 18, 2011.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) WHAT:The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) 2011 National Policy ConferenceOn March 30-31, 2011 the real estate finance industry will convene in Washington, D.C. to educate the Administration and the Congress on issues that matter most to our industry. MBA's National Policy Conference 2011 gives attendees the opportunity to speak directly to lawmakers about what they do in their community, as well as the practical effect proposed changes may have on their business and the industry

Washington, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --The Hanley Foundation, in collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council and its Greenbuild International Conference & Expo; EcoHome magazine and Hanley Wood, is proud to announce the launch of the 2011 Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing. Entering its third year, this annual award honors an individual or organization that demonstrates extraordinary, lasting and far-reaching contributions to the advancement of sustainable housing in the United States. The award winner will receive $50,000, the largest annual grant given for advancing sustainable housing. The 2011 award will be presented at the USGBC Hanley Award Dinner at the Greenbuild Residential Summit in Toronto this October, which has become a magnetic annual event attracting green building leaders from all sectors of the industry

SAN DIEGO, CA - March 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Real Estate Mortgage Network, Inc. (REMN), a national mortgage lender based in River Edge, N.J., is happy to announce today the hiring of Tom Conklin as the company’s western division sales manager. Based in San Diego, Conklin will oversee REMN’s wholesale sales operations as the company continues to grow along the west coast.