Yearly Archives: 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 20, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told a joint congressional committee May 7 that the nation’s housing market has gone from boosting economic recovery to stalling it, HousingWire reported.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 20, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Over 620 homelessness and housing providers and advocates from around the state will converge in Yakima this Wednesday and Thursday for the 2014 Conference on Ending Homelessness.

WASHINGTON - May 20, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Reflecting the 11.5 percent growth in home prices last year, income and sales volume jumped for the third year in a row, according to the 2014 National Association of Realtors® Member Profile. The survey also found an increase in new and younger members to NAR in 2013

HOUSTON - May 20, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The deadline is approaching to obtain discounted hotel accommodations for the National Association of Real Estate Editors’ 48th Annual Real Estate Journalism Conference in Houston June 11-14.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 19, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Realtors® from across the country gathered today to discuss the effects of traffic and commuting on homebuying, and the general consensus is that traffic congestion is here to stay and there isn’t anything to be done about it.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 19, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs is taking steps to improve services for active and former military service members who are ready to buy a home, said officials from the VA Home Loan Guaranty program yesterday at an agency briefing for Realtors® during the Realtor® Party Convention & Trade Expo

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 19, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Yesterday, the Senate Banking Committee voted 13-9 to approved S. 1217, a bill to reform the nation’s housing finance system. The bill winds down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, replacing them with a system whereby a new government entity will issue mortgage backed securities that will carry a government guarantee standing behind prescribed levels of private insurance

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 19, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released her statement in advance of a “Save D.C. Home Rule” press conference today on efforts to protect D.C. home rule during the fiscal year 2015 appropriations process. In addition to Norton, the speakers are Kimberly Perry, Executive Director, DC Vote; Ezekiel Edwards, Director of the Criminal Law Reform Project, American Civil Liberties Union; Leslie McGorman, Senior Policy Representative, NARAL Pro-Choice America; Dana Singiser, Vice President for Public Policy and Government Affairs, Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Jon Lowy, Legal Director, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence; and William McColl, Political Director, AIDS United.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 19, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction firms added jobs in 39 states and the District of Columbia over the past 12 months and in 29 states and D.C. between March and April according to an analysis today by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials welcomed the mostly positive figures but cautioned that the industry’s recovery remained fragile, with construction employment levels below prior peaks in every state except North Dakota

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - May 19, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Charles Dunn Company, one of the largest full-service regional real estate firms in the western United States, has named Mario Gallo as multi-unit investment specialist. In his new role, Gallo will focus on investment sales in portions of the Westside Los Angeles multifamily market.

Chicago, IL - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Economic positives outweigh negatives according to real estate economists who addressed a standing-room only audience last week at The Counselors of Real Estate’s Midyear conference in Austin, Texas. The three-day event is noted for bringing together thought leaders from around the world, offering balanced perspectives on the most critical issues affecting real estate.

WASHINGTON - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Realtors® who specialize in commercial real estate expressed confidence and optimism in the market during a forum at the REALTOR® Party Convention & Trade Expo. Despite a sluggish economy, commercial practitioners are not only reporting improvements in the market, but they expect improvements to continue in the years to come.

WASHINGTON - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- New enhancements to residential listing site realtor.com® are giving consumers the features they want and ensuring that they can continue to rely on the site for the freshest and most comprehensive property listings. That was the message delivered today by Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Move Inc., operator of NAR’s official property listing website realtor.com®, during the Realtor® Party Convention & Trade Expo.

WASHINGTON - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing activity was sub-par in the first quarter of this year, dampened in part by severe weather patterns, but an uptrend is expected with healthy underlying demand over the balance of the year and through 2015, according to presentations at a residential real estate forum here during

Louisville, KY - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- An estimated $2.8 million in economic impact is expected in Louisville next week when more than 2,300 community development professionals from around the country convene in the city for the NeighborWorks Training Institute (NTI) May 19-23. The conference is hosted by NeighborWorks America, a national, congressionally chartered nonprofit that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Housing Conference (NHC) applauds the action of the Senate Banking Committee, which approved the Johnson-Crapo housing finance reform legislation S. 1217 today for consideration by the full Senate. We thank Senators Corker (R-Tenn.) and Warner (D-Va.) for starting this effort, Chairman Johnson (D-S.D.) and Ranking Member Crapo (R-Idaho) for carrying it forward, and the many other legislators from both parties who worked on and supported it. The bill addresses squarely the most pressing challenge in housing today: replacing the unsustainable patchwork left over from the financial crisis with a housing finance system that protects taxpayers, ensures widespread availability of mortgages, and creates housing opportunity for all

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Thursday, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs held a markup hearing on the Johnson-Crapo housing finance reform bill. The Johnson-Crapo plan uses the Corker-Warner proposal...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Thursday, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs passed the Johnson-Crapo housing finance reform bill out of committee. The Johnson-Crapo plan uses the Corker-Warner proposal ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) released the following statement today in response to the Senate Banking Committee’s markup of S. 1217, the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today announced the following new residential construction statistics for April 2014