Monthly Archives: July 2011

WASHINGTON, DC - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today released a new online publication, "Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers." Available on the website of the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau at http://www.dol.gov/wb/, the guide explains the unique experiences and needs of women veterans, and provides organizational self-assessment tools to aid service providers, such as social workers and community service organizations, that assist this population

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Trade Commission is mailing 450,177 refund checks worth almost $108 million to homeowners who were allegedly overcharged by Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. As part of the FTC’s efforts to protect financially distressed homeowners, the FTC reached a settlement with Countrywide last year over allegations that the company collected excessive fees from borrowers who were struggling to keep their homes.

EUGENE, OR - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. and Bill Marshall had united to present San Diego, California home seekers with a unique and thorough online real estate solution. Marshall has employed IDX Broker software on his website, and by doing so, created an innovative search page that gives his clients access to thousands of San Diego Regional MLS (SANDICOR) listings. Additionally, Marshall has widened his coverage to include Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) listings, giving his clients a more dynamic and comprehensive real estate search page to utilize throughout their online property search.

EUGENE, OR - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, IDX, Inc. announces Bill Austin has enabled an IDX solution to his real estate website and now hosts a dynamic search function. Austin MLS (ACTRIS) listings are now easily integrated onto the website he hosts, making thousands of Texas property listings accessible for agents, brokers and home seekers alike. The Texas online real estate search will never be the same, thanks to Austin and his IDX-enabled website.

Los Angeles, CA - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc (NYSE:CBG) today announced that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has awarded CB Richard Ellis a contract to serve as its exclusive provider of strategic corporate real estate solutions nationally. CB Richard Ellis will provide transaction management services for USPS, including leasing and disposition. USPS’s portfolio consists of approximately 35,000 facilities, totaling over 300 million sq. ft.

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Commercial real estate owner/operator Prism Capital Partners, LLC is set to break ground this summer on Phase I of The Parkway Lofts, a multifamily adaptive reuse in Bloomfield and East Orange, N.J. The project will convert a 114-year-old, 365,000-square-foot former General Electric Company warehouse property, located on the Garden State Parkway, into 361 loft-style apartments. At build out, the 14.5-acre site will be transformed into a distinctive, high-density residential village also featuring 150 for-sale townhomes, a clubhouse and other lifestyle amenities, to be built as part of Phase II.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new Federal Trade Commission Rule will strengthen consumer protections by banning deceptive claims about consumer mortgages in advertising or other types of commercial communications. The Rule is designed to create a level playing field for legitimate businesses to compete in the marketplace.

Washington, DC - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Existing-home sales eased in June as contract cancellations spiked unexpectedly, although prices were up slightly, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Torrance, CA - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Experts with the University of Southern California Lusk Center for Real Estate say population growth and demographic shifts – particularly the ongoing maturation of a diverse, well-educated Gen Y – will drive improvements in the real estate market over the next 10 years

New York , NY - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today appointed Victor A. Gonzalez as the first public housing resident to be named a member of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Board. In April 2011, the City announced it would add a new seat on the Board, creating a new Resident Board Member position. More than 600 residents from all five boroughs applied. Gonzalez’s appointment is effective July 20, 2011, when he will join NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea, Vice Chair Emily Youssouf and Board Member Margarita López at his first board meeting. NYCHA board members form the Authority’s governing body and are responsible for voting on contracts, resolutions, policies, motions, rules and regulations and administrative matters.

Washington, DC - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Mike Turner, Co-Chair of the Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus, has introduced legislation to encourage homeowners to preserve homes of historical significance across the coun...

WASHINGTON, DC - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Green Affordable Housing Coalition kicks off its first forum Wednesday, July 20, convening experts in housing preservation, finance, and green retrofits for a discussion on how to address challenges and barriers to finding the financial support needed to “green” existing affordable housing. Key issues to be discussed include what green retrofit financing sources are available now, what financing sources are still needed, and what roadblocks could interfere with much-needed green retrofits of multifamily affordable housing.

La Jolla, CA. - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The number of California homes that went into foreclosure fell to a four-year low last quarter, the result of a more stable housing market as well as policy changes in the mortgage servicing industry, a real estate information service reported.

OLYMPIA, WA - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Washington State Foreclosure Fairness Act Mediation Program begins Friday, July 22. The program, a result of bipartisan legislation (SSHB1362, Chapter 58, Laws of 2011 (PDF)*) during the 2011 sessio...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a federal court has temporarily halted a telemarketing operation that targeted consumers trying to sell their timeshare properties. The defendants allegedly charged consumers thousands of dollars, falsely claiming they had buyers lined up for sales that supposedly would be reviewed and approved by the FTC. As part of its continuing crackdown on con artists who prey upon financially distressed consumers, the FTC seeks to permanently end the defendants’ deceptive practices and make them refund consumers’ money.

LOS ANGELES, CA - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) applauds Gov. Jerry Brown on signing SB 458 (Corbett) into law. SB 458 extends the protections of SB 931 (2010), to ensure that any lender that agrees to a short sale must accept the agreed upon short sale payment as payment in full of the outstanding balance of all loans.

HARTLAND, WI - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --Visionary Apps LLC (www.visionaryapps.com), creators of innovative smart-phone and tablet tools that aim to improve people’s lives, today announced that its popular Complete ForeclosuresSM application (app) for the iPhone and iPad is now exclusively powered by data from RealtyTrac® (http://www.realtytrac.com/), the leading online marketplace of foreclosure properties. One of the many new features is the RealtyTrac® Single Property Details Purchase feature which will allow Complete Foreclosures to offer full details on EVERY listing, whereas before some of the property listings only had partial details.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As President Obama and Congress continue their negotiations on a package to increase the debt ceiling, the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and the National Apartment Association (NAA) are urging lawmakers to reject proposals to change the tax treatment of carried interest,[1] which would have a devastating effect on affordable housing.

Carson CA - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Colliers International, the second largest global real estate services organization, has negotiated a 10-year lease renewal for a property 91,603 square foot building located at 2202 E. Del Amo Blvd., Carson, Calif. The renewal is valued at over $7 million.

CINCINNATI, OH/TEANECK, N.J. - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Encelium Technologies will showcase its innovative energy management and lighting control systems at GovEnergy 2011: A River of Energy Solutions Workshop and Trade Show, Booth #834, from Sunday, August 7 to Wednesday, August 10, 2011, at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the trade show, attendees will get an insider’s look at Encelium’s new Polaris 3D, its next generation of lighting control software for the company’s Energy Control System (ECS).