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February 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction charity organization AGC Charities, Inc. announced today that it will renovate the facility of a Honolulu-based charity group that supports families with seriously ill children as part of its annual Operation Opening Doors event in March. As part of that effort, contractors will donate their time, expertise and money to make a series of improvements to the headquarters of HUGS: Help, Understanding & Group Support for Hawaii's seriously ill children and their families

WASHINGTON, DC - February 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- As part of ongoing efforts to encourage the return of private capital in the residential mortgage market and strengthen the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, Acting FHA Commissioner Carol Galante today announced a new premium structure for FHA-insured single family mortgage loans. FHA will increase its annual mortgage insurance premium (MIP) by 0.10 percent for loans under $625,500 and by 0.35 percent for loans above that amount. Upfront premiums (UFMIP) will also increase by 0.75 percent.

Washington, DC - February 27, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the first pilot transaction under the Real Estate-Owned (REO) Initiative, targeted to hardest-hit metropolitan areas — Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and parts of Florida. With this next step, prequalified investors will be able to submit applications to demonstrate their financial capacity, experience and specific plans for purchasing pools of Fannie Mae foreclosed properties with the requirement to rent the purchased properties for a specified number of years.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 27, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Builders, remodelers and other building professionals interested in green building are invited to register for the 2012 National Green Building Conference and Expo. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in multiple cutting-edge education sessions, take advanced level courses, attend special sessions offered by the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance and earn credits towards NAHB’s green designations. Additionally, participants will be able to tour the show floor and visit the booths of numerous suppliers and manufacturers of green products.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 27, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Visnic Homes Inc. has been named the 2011 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Custom Home Builder of the Year. Ted Visnic Jr., president of Visnic Homes, was presented with the award this month during the 2012 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla.

WASHINGTON, DC - February 27, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- To ensure the Alabama Veterans home in Alexander City remains a comfortable and safe residence for Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs is awarding nearly $350,000 for improvements to the...

WASHINGTON, DC - February 27, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that it is charging Bank of America with discriminating against homebuyers with disabilities. HUD alleges that Bank of America imposed unnecessary and burdensome requirements on borrowers who relied on disability income to qualify for their home loans and required some disabled borrowers to provide physician statements to qualify for home mortgage loans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 27, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly-built, single-family homes declined by less than one percent in January from an upwardly revised number in the previous month to hit a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 321,000 units, according to data jointly released by HUD and the U.S. Commerce Department today

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 24, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly-built, single-family homes declined by less than one percent in January from an upwardly revised number in the previous month to hit a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 321,000 units, according to data jointly released by HUD and the U.S. Commerce Department today.

Las Vegas, NV - February 24, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ballen Group, a top team of Las Vegas Short Sale Specialists under the brokerage Keller Williams Realty Las Vegas has put together a comprehensive Las Vegas Short sale system for sellers. Home...

WASHINGTON, DC - February 24, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new study by the Center for Housing Policy confirms that falling home prices have not solved the housing affordability problems of the nation’s working households. In fact, the Center’s Housing Landscape 2012 report found that the share of working households paying more than half their income for housing rose significantly between 2008 and 2010 for both renters and owners

Washington, D.C. - February 23, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- On the heels of consecutive months of strengthening business conditions, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) has now reached positive territory three months in a row. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the January ABI score was 50.9, following a mark of 51.0* in December. This score reflects a slight increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings)

Washington, D.C. - February 23, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Robert Ivy, FAIA, EVP/Chief Executive Officer of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Henry Green, Hon. AIA, President of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) are pleased to announce the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding underscoring the two organizations’ mutual interest in the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance buildings and the desire to collaborate on issues surrounding these topics

SACRAMENTO, CA - February 23, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The state’s homebuilders pulled permits for fewer new single-family and multifamily homes in January when compared to the previous month and when compared to January 2011, the California Buildi...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 23, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Friday, Feb. 24, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) will participate in a panel discussion hosted by Democratic Governors Association on job creation, innovation and economic growth. The event comprises a series of panel sessions between governors and leaders from the business and labor communities to address policy issues. Panel session details include

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 23, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- CampusMBA, the award winning education division of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), today announced that it has developed two comprehensive, instructor-led online courses to provide training for industry professionals in order to comply with emerging servicing standards. CampusMBA's creation of the specialized courses comes as the residential mortgage servicing sector has been operating in a time of unprecedented challenges.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 23, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Housing Conference, known as the United Voice for Housing, will hold its Annual Budget Forum at the Capitol Visitor Center Feb. 24, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The Budget Forum will feature national housing experts in a discussion of the President’s FY 2013 budget proposals and what they mean for critical housing programs

WASHINGTON, DC - February 23, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Vincent C. Gray today announced the re- formation and leadership of a task force that will help him shape a comprehensive housing strategy for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 23, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., today issued the following statement regarding the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s proposal to revamp housing government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

WASHINGTON, DC - February 22, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Fair Housing Alliance(NFHA) announced today the launch of a new series of radio and print public service advertisements (PSAs). The advertisements are designed to teach individuals and families how to recognize and report discrimination in housing because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, familial status and disability, including discrimination in mortgage lending because of issues related to pregnancy and/or parental leave.