Yearly Archives: 2017

The Boulder Group, a net leased investment brokerage firm, has completed the sale of a single tenant Dollar General located at 7180 Highway 165 in Columbia, Louisiana for $1,295,000.

Today four national business groups representing the range of advanced and renewable energy companies in the United States submitted materials to U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry to inform the energy market study he called for last month.

The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one- to four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.71 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of the first quarter of 2017.  The delinquency rate was down nine basis points from the previous quarter, and was six basis points lower than one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) National Delinquency Survey.

Today four national business groups representing the range of advanced and renewable energy companies in the United States submitted materials to U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry to inform the energy market study he called for last month.

Led by a decline in multifamily production, nationwide housing starts fell 2.6 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.17 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department.

The Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to announce that its inaugural day of service, IBTS L.O.V.E. (Locally Organized Volunteer Event) will take place tomorrow, May 17, 2017.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the energy-efficiency progress made by the 345 leading public and private sector organizations in the Better Buildings Challenge. These efforts have led to a combined 240 trillion Btus and an estimated $1.9 billion in cumulative energy and cost savings. These results are summarized in the 2017 Better Buildings Progress Report released today that highlights accomplishments across the broader Better Buildings Initiative.

A coalition of Nevadans will be at the state legislature Tuesday afternoon to voice their opposition to proposed state water-law revisions that would make it easier to siphon groundwater away from rural Nevada, which could devastate local ecosystems and economies

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 55+ Housing Industry Council is now accepting applications for the 2018 Best of 55+ Housing Awards, which honor excellence in building design, marketing and lifestyle of housing for the mature adult. The awards also honor individual success by highlighting two 55+ Housing Industry Council members—one as Builder of the Year and one as Associate of the Year.

Pressured by the high cost of housing and other living expenses, 31 percent of American adults living in urban areas are "not too confident" or "not confident at all" of their ability to withstand a sudden financial emergency, according to the fourth annual NeighborWorks America consumer finance survey. In contrast, just 28 percent of rural adults and 25 percent of suburban residents reported a similar lack of confidence.

The strongest quarterly sales pace in exactly a decade put significant downward pressure on inventory levels and caused price growth to further accelerate during the first three months of 2017, according to the latest quarterly report by the National Association of Realtors®. Metro home prices have now accelerated for three consecutive quarters.

In a further sign that the housing market continues to strengthen, builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes rose two points in May to a level of 70 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This is the second highest HMI reading since the downturn.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Applications Survey (BAS) data for April 2017 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases decreased 4.3 percent compared to April 2016. Compared to March 2017, applications decreased by 20 percent relative to the previous month. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced that the Bureau of Reclamation awarded $23,619,391 to communities in seven states for planning, designing and constructing

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an agreement to allow the Pebble Mine project in southwest Alaska to proceed to regular permitting under the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The proposed mineral development project was preemptively denied by the Obama administration outside of the traditional NEPA process

As Drinking Water Week concludes, the American Water Works Association and water professionals across North America are advocating for investment in the repair and replacement of local water infrastructure.

In response to Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mel Watt’s testimony before Congress warning of a possible bailout of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) from the U.S. Department of Treasury and supporting retention of the GSEs' profits rather than turning them over to the U.S. Treasury, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition’s (NCRC) President and CEO John Taylor made the following statement.

When inventory is low, home prices tend to go up. Attempting to purchase a house in this type of market can make the already complex process of buying a home even more overwhelming. To help buyers successfully get through the buying process in a tight inventory market with as little stress and difficulty as possible, the National Association of Realtors® has these five suggestions and an infographic: https://www.nar.realtor/infographics/5-tips-for-buying-in-a-tight-market.

After a slip in business in 2015, the National Association of Realtors® Member Profile found that the income and sales volume of Realtor® members increased in 2016. The median gross income of Realtors® increased 8 percent in 2016 as the typical member had the highest number of transactions in recent years.