Yearly Archives: 2014

PHOENIX - April 30, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Westwood Financial Corp. (WFC), one of the largest privately held owner-operators of retail properties in the U.S., has announced that Flower Child, a farm-fresh fast-casual restaurant, has opened at the firm’s Camelback Village shopping center in Phoenix.

PHOENIX - April 30, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rainbow Housing Assistance Corporation, a nonprofit organization that provides service-enriched housing programs throughout the country, has selected affordable housing icon David A. Smith, whose work has impacted thousands of residents in 12 countries, to address Rainbow’s Annual Service Awards on May 1 in Phoenix.

Irvine, CA - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Avison Young, the world’s fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm, announced today that it has completed the $7.15-million sale of a class A office building totaling 58,854 square feet (sf) in Corona, CA.

ALBANY - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New York Department of State will host a public meeting of the State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council onWednesday May 7, 2014,10:00 a.m. at the Department of State, 99 Washington Avenue in Albany, 123 William Street in NYC, and 65 Court Street in Buffalo.  The meeting will be held via Videoconferencing

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, issued the following statement today after Chairman Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) announced the committee will continue discussions on the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act (S.1217), legislation introduced last year by Corker and Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) and cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 10 senators:

CHICAGO - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers today invited valuation professionals to provide additional input on the organization’s proposed standards of valuation practice, one of the Appraisal Institute’s three previously announced major strategic initiatives.

Tacoma, Wash. - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The City of Tacoma worked closely with BNSF Railway over the last seven years to reach agreements on donations of BNSF properties to the City and property access to BNSF’s site in South Tacoma.

BOSTON - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- On the second anniversary of the first-in-the-nation foreclosure prevention program HomeCorps, Attorney General Martha Coakley once again urged Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to engage in principal reduction as a means to keeping people in their homes. AG Coakley also released the report Rebuilding the Commonwealth: Recovering from the Foreclosure Crisis and Setting the Foundation for Future Success , offering a transparent record of the actions taken during the crisis and documenting the ways more than $850 million was recovered and provided to Massachusetts homeowners and investors since 2007

NEW ORLEANS, LA - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced a new multi-year initiative focused on race, reconciliation and community-building. Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Welcome Table New Orleans, will bring citizens of different racial groups and backgrounds together to build relationships that lead to improvements in key areas throughout the city.

LANSING, Mich. - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michigan’s housing industry is bracing for its best year since the start of the Great Recession in 2008, including projected increases in new housing starts, rising home prices and a decline in foreclosures, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) announced today during the kickoff of the 16th annual Building Michigan Communities Conference.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Most areas of Colorado saw an increase in housing inventory (properties available for purchase) during the first quarter of 2014 compared to the previous quarter (Q4 2013) ) according to Quarterly Market Statistical Reports released today by the Colorado Association of REALTORS® (CAR). New listings increased 35 percent statewide from Q4 2013 to Q1 2014 and 5 percent compared to Q1 2013. At the same time, overall sales slowed down 19 percent in Q1 2014 compared to Q4 2013 and slightly less than 1 percent compared to Q1 2013.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- We have been using the word “historic” a lot since Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki announced the Five-Year Plan to End Veteran Homelessness at the end of 2009.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and American Advisors Group (AAG), the largest reverse mortgage lender in the country, announced a collaboration to focus on fair lending to older adults. NCRC will serve in an advisory role to assist AAG with providing Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) to qualified borrowers age 62 and older.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Decades ago, when consumers wanted to purchase or return goods, it typically involved a trip to a store. Now, items can be purchased and returned easily without leaving one’s home or business. Those means – whether a physical retail setting, catalog, television or smartphone – are considered channels, and just like television, consumers appreciate having many options.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction employment expanded in 197 metro areas, declined in 87 and was stagnant in 55 between March 2013 and March 2014, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted, however, that construction employment stands to suffer if Congress allows federal highway funding to stop this summer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) kicked off consideration of bipartisan Housing Finance Reform. However, at the request of some of the Members of the Committee for more time Chairman Johnson agreed to recess the markup for a short period while Members continue to work on finding additional common ground.

New York, NY - April 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Triangle Equities today announced the execution of the lease for a long-vacant three-acre site in the St. George neighborhood of Staten Island, paving the way for construction to begin on the $200 million mixed-use Lighthouse Point development. Directly adjacent to the St. George Ferry Terminal and the Stapleton waterfront, Lighthouse Point will include more than 100 residential units, a hotel, a diverse mix of retail shops and dining options, considerable public open space, and parking.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Next Tuesday, the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will consider housing finance reform legislation that has the potential to benefit millions of extremely low income Americans who are at the greatest risk of being or becoming homeless. The draft Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2014, commonly referred to as the “Johnson-Crapo” bill, would provide an estimated $3.75 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund each year. NLIHC urges the Committee to preserve the funding provided for the National Housing Trust Fund as the bill moves forward

Albany, NY - April 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that $3 million is being made available to provide air conditioners to eligible low-income New Yorkers with documented medical conditions that are exacerbated by extreme heat. The Cooling Assistance Component of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) will begin May 1

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- HUD announced $29 million in grants to assist more than 1,200 extremely low-income persons and families living with HIV/AIDS annually. This funding will provide these households with a stable living environment, which is essential to accessing healthcare and HIV related services. In addition to housing assistance, these local programs will provide access to the needed supportive services such as life skills, job readiness services and employment training