Monthly Archives: June 2016

The National Institute of Building Sciences has added a civil engineer to its employee roster. JiQiu (JQ) Yuan, PhD, PE, comes on board as a project manager. He will be supporting activities of both the Building Seismic Safety Council and Multihazard Mitigation Council.

Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) announced that the US Forest Service will receive future federal funding to make Staircase Road, a key access point in Mason County to Lake Cushman and Olympic National Park, more safe and reliable for homeowners and visitors. The Federal Highway Administration has approved an award to the US Forest Service (USFS) of up to $2.5 million to make long-term improvements to Staircase Road under the Federal Lands Transportation Program

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of both the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced new resources to help homeless veterans secure stable housing and supportive services.

General Services Administration (GSA) Public Buildings Service Commissioner, Norman Dong, finalized negotiations with Miami Dade College (MDC) on a lease that will lead to long term use and renovation of the historic David W. Dyer Building. GSA’s transfer of underutilized properties such as Dyer building to state and local municipalities helps support communities and promotes economic growth.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) opened its call for entries for the 2016 NAHB Pillars of the Industry Awards competition. Multifamily owners and developers, property managers, architects, interior designers and multifamily industry professionals are invited to enter the competition.

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition applauded a letter from 32 Members of Congress to FHFA Director Mel Watt, and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, urging them to ensure that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are adequately capitalized. NCRC members first introduced and urged Members of Congress to sign on to this letter at the 2016 NCRC Annual Conference Hill Day

The undersigned national organizations – representing developers, owners, investors and lenders of affordable rental housing in urban, suburban, and rural areas – appreciate the opportunity to comment on the OCC’s white paper on Supporting Responsible Innovation in the Federal Banking System. Banks are a critically important source of financing for affordable rental housing.

At the fifth annual Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Women in Clean Energy Symposium today, nine distinguished women across multiple disciplines will be honored for outstanding leadership and accomplishments in clean energy. The Symposium is being held at Stanford University and is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), and Stanford University Precourt Institute for Energy.

To support Habitat for Humanity’s work in local communities throughout the U.S., professional builders in 31 states will work alongside nearly 250 Habitat homeowners to build or repair a place they can call home during Habitat’s nationwide Home Builders Blitz, June 6-10

A flurry of financial obstacles and lifestyle choices are stalling the journey to homeownership for many young adults, but becoming a homeowner is currently more feasible in some less expensive metro areas with steady job growth and lower qualifying incomes needed to buy, according to new research by the National Association of Realtors

Mortgage credit availability decreased in May according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs® Market Clarity® business information tool.

To help end veteran homelessness, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are awarding nearly $38 million to help more than 5,200 homeless veterans find a permanent place to call home. The rental assistance announced today is provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA.

Next week, a panel of nationally renowned land use and urban development  experts convened by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) will visit Broward County to advise county and city officials on how to transform the Arena Site in western Sunrise into a dynamic destination that catalyzes economic development in the area, and compliments the existing sports and entertainment facility, surrounding neighborhoods, and established and future businesses. ULI is a multi-disciplinary research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use and the creation of thriving communities worldwide.

Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors, a nationally-recognized real estate brokerage and advisory firm specializing in retail property sales, announced today that President Ed Hanley and Senior Vice President Kevin Fryman represented the buyer and seller in the sale of Seven Trees Shopping Center, a 150,338-square-foot Target-anchored shopping center in San Bernardino, Calif. The sale price was $8.57 million.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today named 12 persons who will constitute the first-ever Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee (HCFAC). Established under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, this advisory panel will help HUD's Office of Housing Counseling improve upon all the efforts to provide consumers with the knowledge they need to make informed and lasting housing decisions.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced that in April of 2016 it welcomed 19 new regular members to its ranks, which currently numbers more than 2,200 member companies

The U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) program has honored Sarah Kurtz and Suzanne Tegen of the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for their leadership and achievement in the field of renewable energy.

Mortgage applications decreased 4.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 27, 2016.

Consumers Energy is replacing the wood stairs at the South Tail Water at Tippy Dam, and the site will be temporarily closed while the work is performed from June 15 to 30

As the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) celebrates National Homeownership Month in June, builders continue to demand affordable housing for all Americans, calling for sensible reforms to burdensome regulations that increase the cost of housing.