Archives

Concord, CA - March 1, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- With 35 years of real estate experience, Barrett & Company Real Estate today continues their legacy of innovation with the launch of a new website at

WASHINGTON, DC - February 29, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) held the second in series of hearings on the state of the housing market and barriers to economic recovery. The Committee heard from HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, Federal Reserve Board Governor Elizabeth Duke, and Federal Housing Finance Agency Acting Director Edward DeMarco.

February 29, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Councilmember Steven Neal, 9th District, The Long Beach Housing Development Company (LBHDC) and developer/property manager Abode Communities announced $25.8 million in renovations to Evergreen Apartments, three a...

Washington, DC - February 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Amid the continuing national foreclosure crisis that has impacted millions of Americans, a unilateral decision by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to block all forms of principal write-down ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, ranking Republican on the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, today made the following statement at a hearing to examine the state of the housing market.

Washington, D.C. - February 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sen. David Vitter today offered the following statement after a hearing in the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on the state of the housing market.

Washington, DC - February 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some ARM contracts, was 4.25 percent based on loans closed in January. This is an increase of 0.10 percent from the previous month

NEW YORK, NY - February 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ariel Property Advisors has been retained to sell a Washington Heights development site at 605 W. 161st Street near Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. The asking price is $3.15 million.

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)