Archives

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 17, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Apartment market conditions weakened a bit in January compared with three months earlier. The market tightness (41), sales volume (41) and debt financing (42) indexes were all a little below the breakeven level of 50, although the equity financing index rebounded to 50. Higher interest rates may largely explain the modest decline in both sales volume and debt financing. With considerable equity capital continuing to look for apartment opportunities, a number of respondents noted a growing divide between would-be buyers and sellers on pricing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 16, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes fell one point to 56 in January from a revised December reading of 57 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today.

FRESNO - January 16, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arrest of five individuals who allegedly ran a statewide housing scheme by using adverse possession laws to fraudulently seize at least 23 homes in nine counties.

MOONACHIE, N.J. - January 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rebuilding Together, a national nonprofit organization, is teaming up with Lowe’s to revitalize a Moonachie, N.J. neighborhood as part of Kickoff to Rebuild, a Super Bowl XLVIII-sanctioned event

Alexandria, VA - January 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Industry and AHMA Awards. The list includes both individuals and organizations whose professionalism, dedication and accomplishments in assuring quality housing for low-income Americans raises the standards of he multifamily affordable housing industry.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the ConsensusDocs coalition announced important updates to the standard arbitration provisions in their agreements. Twenty-one revised contracts have been published. Revisions reflect the applicable statute of limitations from state law and how it should apply to arbitration. Currently, there is a split in some state laws interpreting this issue. The revised language also now contains a “savings clause” in case it is unclear whether a claim must go through arbitration or the courts

Hartford, CT - January 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (D-CT-5), Senator\ Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT-4) announced that five Connecticut public housing authorities secured $300,093 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help hire and retain Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program coordinators. The following five Connecticut public housing authorities will receive the funds: Meriden, New Britain, Danbury, Norwalk, and Greenwich

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the December editionof the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard – a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. The latest data show progress among many key indicators. Home values continue to rise, contributing to both an increase in homeowners’ equity and a decline in underwater borrowers. While there is much good news in this scorecard, officials caution that the overall recovery remains fragile. The full Housing Scorecard is available online at www.hud.gov/scorecard.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction employment declined by 16,000 in December but the industry unemployment rate fell to 11.4 percent, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the new employment data was likely impacted by cold weather, but also reflects underlying weakness in the construction sector

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded nearly $16.3 million in grants to help public housing residents to gain access to education, job training and employment.

Washington, DC - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mel Watt, who was sworn in on January 6, 2014 as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, today announced the appointment of four special advisors —Megan Moore, Bob Ryan, Eric Stein and Mario Ugoletti — to provide counsel on policy and strategic decisions at the FHFA.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Rebuilding Together, a national nonprofit with a vision of a safe and healthy home for every person, announced that after an extensive nationwide search, it has selected Susan Hawfield as vice president of Affiliate Services, effectively immediately. As the vice president of Affiliate Services, Hawfield will be responsible for the development and oversight of programs and services that support the health, sustainability, growth and success of the Rebuilding Together affiliate network

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Four years after an earthquake devastated Haiti and killed some 220,000 people and displaced 1.5 million, housing, sanitation and health care remain woefully inadequate, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Co-Director Mark Weisbrot said today. Weisbrot noted that while some 200,000 people are still stuck in internally displaced person (IDP) camps, and many others have been forcibly evicted onto the streets – and while under-funded sanitation and health care allow a cholera epidemic to continue to ravage the country -- many of the urgently-needed funds meant to assist the people of Haiti have gone instead into the pockets of contractors, or have been used to fund projects that benefit foreign corporations far more than they do Haitians.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- “Realtors® applaud the decision by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt to delay increases in guarantee fees on loans purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In a September 2013 letter, NAR called on FHFA to refrain from changing its fee structure until completing an analysis to determine the effectiveness of its fee pricing policy at bringing private enterprise back into the market.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- New mortgage lending rules to protect consumers from risky loan products will take effect this Friday, and Realtors® will be on the front lines as homebuyers access safer mortgages that meet strong underwriting standards, said Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray at an event held today by the National Association of Realtors®

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 7, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Markets in 56 out of the approximately 350 metro areas nationwide returned to or exceeded their last normal levels of economic and housing activity, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Leading Markets Index (LMI), released today. This represents a net gain of two from the previous month. The index’s nationwide score of .86 indicates that, based on current permits, prices and employment data, the nationwide average is running at 86 percent of normal economic and housing activity

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 7, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) gained new leadership as Mel Watt was sworn in as the new director. Mr. Watt brings deep knowledge of and a fresh set of eyes on some of the most complicated housing policy questions facing our country. I am confident that he will give all issues before him a thorough and objective analysis, backed by his values that are rooted in social and economic justice

Washington, DC - January 6, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Honorable Melvin L. Watt of Charlotte, North Carolina was sworn in today to a five-year term as the first Senate-confirmed Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The oath was administered by The Honorable Anthony Foxx, U.S. Secretary of Transportation and former mayor of Charlotte, NC. FHFA was created by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 to oversee Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks and is responsible for oversight of the $5.5 trillion mortgage finance market.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 3, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Total construction spending increased between October and November and for the year amid growing private-sector demand, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted, however, that the spending levels were held back by declining public sector investments for both the month and the year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 2, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded nearly $57 million in grants to help residents receiving housing assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher Program to gain access to education, job training and employment. HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Family Self-Sufficiency Program (HCV-FSS)helps public housing authorities across the country to hire or retain more than one thousand service coordinators who will work directly with families to connect them to the supportive services that meet their individual needs and to become gainfully employed.