Yearly Archives: 2016

GBCI, the certification body for USGBC’s global LEEDgreen building rating system, announced it will now administer the Green Garage Certification Programthrough its acquisition of the Green Parking Council.

The Supreme Court announced today that it will hear the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) property rights case, Murr v. State of Wisconsin and St. Croix County, which deals with the important question of what constitutes the “relevant parcel” for determining whether a restriction on the use of property violates the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause

Consumers Energy is starting a new program to develop the next generation of field leaders, those who supervise electric and natural gas crews.

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced up to $220 million in new funding for a consortium of DOE national laboratories and partners to support critical research and development over the next three years to help modernize our nation's electrical power grid. The secretary also announced the release of DOE's comprehensive new Grid Modernization Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP), a blueprint for the Department's research, development, and demonstration agenda to enable a modernized grid

To capitalize on growing demand for expert property assessment and increased interest in online learning courses, the National Association of Realtors® is now offering a Pricing Strategies Advisor certification available entirely online through the new Center for Realtor® Development

All four indexes in the January 2015 National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions fell below the breakeven level of 50, indicating a decline over the past quarter. The last time Market Tightness (47), Sales Volume (46), Equity Financing (46) and Debt Financing (37) all landed below 50 was in October 2013.

“The Flint water crisis reached disturbing new heights this week with revelations that cases of Legionnaires' Disease there have spiked since it switched its water source to the Flint river. There were 87 cases in Genesee County from June 2014 to November 2015, 10 of which resulted in death. According to a national water quality expert, it’s possible that improper treatment of the river’s water is responsible for the outbreak.

The Department of Justice is proud to announce that we will once again commemorate the start of Sunshine Week with a kickoff event on Monday morning, March 14, 2016. To help us prepare for this event, OIP is seeking nominations for this year’s Sunshine Week FOIA Awards

Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors, a nationally-recognized real estate brokerage and advisory firm specializing in retail property sales, announced today that Eric Vu negotiated the sale of Hammer Plaza, a 20,388-square-foot multi-tenant shopping center, for $1.4 million, well above the asking price. Hammer Plaza was 55 percent vacant at the time of the sale.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is charging three Modesto, California, home loan modification companies and nine of their agents with violating the Fair Housing Act by targeting Hispanic homeowners for illegal or unfair loan audit and loan modification assistance because of their national origin

The American Land Title Association (ALTA), the national trade association of the land title insurance industry, released the following statement in response to the United States Department of Treasury Financial Crime Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) Geographic Targeting Orders (GTO) announced today

Rapidly changing demands of occupiers and the disruptive forces of technology, demographics, social change, and rapid urbanisation are permeating the European real estate value chain, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate® Europe 2016: Beyond the Capital, a forecast published jointly by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and PwC.

For the first time, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) this week awarded $5.9 million in grants to 26 Tribes to offer a permanent home and supportive services to Native American veterans who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (Tribal HUD-VASH) Program is a demonstration program that will combine $5.9 million in rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA to serve 500 Native American veterans.

As the debate around the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, people in America’s faith traditions continues to grow, the Center for American Progress will host a discussion on building transgender-inclusive churches and synagogues and discuss the case for trans affirmation and welcome in communities of faith based on Scripture and theology.

Results from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry's (NARI) fourth-quarter 2015 NARI Remodeling Business Pulse (RBP) data of current and future remodeling business conditions show strong expectations of growth in 2016.

Mortgage applications increased 21.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 8, 2016.  The previous week's results included an adjustment for the New Year's holiday.

As federal agencies deal with ongoing budget challenges, especially for capital projects, and aging assets facing significant maintenance backlogs, they are seeking new mechanisms to make sure they can continue carrying out their missions. Coupled with these funding constraints, agencies are under increased pressure to improve performance around energy and water use

Steven Bradshaw, Executive Vice President of Standard Mortgage Corporation, on behalf of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), testified today before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance at a hearing titled, "How to Create a More Robust and Private Flood Insurance Marketplace."

Radon—the silent killer—is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency encourages Americans around the country to test their homes for this naturally occurring radioactive gas. Winter is an especially good time to test because windows and doors are closed and families tend to spend more time inside where radon can be trapped.

Tom Woods, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Blue Springs, Mo., today issued the following statement on the passage of a House resolution (S. J. Res. 22) that would rescind the Environmental Protection Agency's "waters of the United States" rule: