Yearly Archives: 2014

WASHINGTON - May 23, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the Obama Administration announced the launch of the National Resource Network (the Network), a pilot program designed to serve as a "311 for Cities." The program will allow communities nationwide to connect to a network of private and public sector experts that will provide local governments with strategic help on key economic issues and aid the turnaround of local economies. The Network demonstrates the Obama Administration's continued commitment to partnering with mayors, city managers and other local government leaders to provide them with resources to help build ladders of opportunity and promote economic growth and prosperity for residents

Washington, D.C. - May 23, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Conference of Mayors President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson issued the following statement today in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 22, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Representative Daniel Webster (FL-10) issued the following statement following his vote in favor of the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 3080, Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014, which passed the House of Representatives by a 412-4 vote today

WASHINGTON - May 22, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Existing-home sales increased for the first time this year in April, while inventory meaningfully increased and home price growth moderated, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Monthly sales gains in the West and South offset a modest decline in the Midwest while the Northeast was unchanged

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 22, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded more than $40 million in grants to hundreds of national, regional and local organizations to help families and individuals with their housing needs and to prevent future foreclosures. HUD’s housing counseling grants, and the additional funding they help to leverage, will assist more than 1.5 million households find housing, make more informed housing choices, or keep their current homes. See a list of all counseling agencies awarded funding today

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 22, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- As changes in consumer demand continue to spark global interest in industrial real estate, nearly 500 commercial real estate executives from across North America will gather at I.CON: The Industrial Conference, June 5-6, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City, New Jersey, to address investment strategies, analyze emerging market opportunities and assess the impact of transportation, trade and technology (among other elements) on the booming industrial real estate sector.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 22, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- “In particular, we want to commend Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) for their leadership on this bill.

Washington, D.C. - May 22, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today lauded the inclusion of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) that is based on H.R. 2750, the Design-Building Efficiency and Jobs Act.

JACKSON, Miss. - May 22, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- FEMA does not duplicate benefits that homeowner or renter insurance covers, but it may be able to provide disaster assistance when insurance coverage is not enough to cover the damage. The only way to obtain that potential benefit is to register now for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched USGBC+, a new magazine for its community of nearly 13,000 member organizations that are committed to USGBC’s mission to create sustainable buildings and communities for all within this generation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Doug O'Brien today announced that USDA is seeking applications from eligible lenders for loan guarantees to finance the construction or rehabilitation of rural rental housing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Alliance to End Homelessness announced today that New Jersey Senator Cory A. Booker will deliver a keynote address on Wednesday, July 30 at the luncheon plenary of the 2014 National Conference on Ending Homelessness. The conference will take place at the Renaissance Washington Hotel from July 29 to 31, 2014

San Francisco, CA - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- PCCP, LLC announced today it has formed a joint venture with Specht Development, Inc. to speculatively develop Interstate Crossroads Distribution Center, a Class A, 493,000-square-foot industrial building in the Airport Way submarket of Portland, OR.

Washington, - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing today which focused discussion on bipartisan legislation (H.R. 605, H.R. 4557) introduced by Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) to protect insurance policyholders by eliminating provisions buried deep in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law that essentially permits the federal government to force your insurance company to “bail out” a failing Wall Street Bank

New York - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Charlie Lewis, a broker at Warburg Realty(r), one of Manhattan's leading residential real estate companies, has been appointed as a board member to Brooklyn Community Services (BCS)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, ConsensusDocs is publishing the industry's first standard design-build agreement for design professional services on federal projects. The comprehensive agreement provides the business and contractual terms and conditions for a design-builder to hire an architect or engineer on a design-build project in a manner consistent with federal contracting laws and practices. The new agreement includes language that addresses new regulations for affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities from the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) that recently took effect

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ending homelessness for families and children is a priority for the nation and for every community. We know that the experience of homelessness has devastating effects on families and their children. For this reason, The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and Federal partners have adopted a vision of an end to family homelessness – that no family will be without shelter, and homelessness in communities across the country will be a rare and brief occurrence. To achieve this end, we must work together to build systems to end family homelessness by developing coordinated entry systems, ensuring that interventions like rapid re-housing are tailored to the needs of families, improving linkages to mainstream systems, and building upon evidence-based practices for serving families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness

Washington, D.C. - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and other leading national organizations sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid calling on him not to give the current Johnson-Crapo housing finance reform legislation a floor vote in the Senate. The letter outlines the groups' concerns with the bill and warns of the negative impact for first-time buyers and minority, working-class, and rural families if the bill were to become law.

WASHINGTON - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has negotiatedanagreement between the National Fair Housing Alliance, the Austin Tenants’ Council, the National Association of the Deaf,and Bell Partners, a Greensboro, NC-based apartment owner and operator that controls more than 64,000 homes in 15 states, settling allegations that the company’s properties in Texas and Georgia denied housing to deaf persons

Washington, D.C. - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) has reverted into negative territory for the last two months. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the March ABI score was 49.6, up slightly from a mark of 48.8 in March. This score reflects a decrease in design activity (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 59.1, up from the reading of 57.9 the previous month