Archives

ANCHORAGE, AK - March 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- What: Kickoff of AHFC's partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library; parents will sign up children to receive a free book monthly until their sixth birthday. Children will receive their fir...

New York, N.Y. - March 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Turner Construction Company announced that the First Quarter 2011 Turner Building Cost Index has slightly increased over the Fourth Quarter of 2011. The Turner Building Cost Index measures costs in the non-residential building construction market in the United States. The Turner Building Cost Index of 806 reflects a 0.62% increase from the Fourth Quarter 2010 and 0.88% increase from the First Quarter 2010.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman reported today that seven New Mexico housing agencies have been awarded a total of $524,949 in grant funding though the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development...

WASHINGTON, DC - March 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a commitment to insure a mortgage loan to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. The $66 million loan is made possible through the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Section 242 Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program.

WASHINGTON, DCv - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development posted a Notice of Funding Availability(NOFA) today for the six entities that were last week named finalists to receive the first Implementation Grant funding through HUD’s new Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CN).

Washington, D.C. - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- During the first two months of 2011 the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is not exhibiting the strength of business conditions that were seen in the final quarter of 2010. 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 February ABI score was 50.6, up slightly from a reading of 50.0 the previous month. This score reflects a modest increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 56.4, compared to a mark of 56.5 in January

Washington, D.C - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Economic pressures and the overall decline in home values resulted in the more modest design of kitchens and bathrooms in recent years. That trend appears to be changing towards homeowner preference for larger, and in some cases additional, kitchens and bathrooms. Households continue to desire products and features that promote energy efficiency and adaptability in the use of space for seniors and those with accessibility concerns.

March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Gov. John Hickenlooper announced today appointments to the State Agricultural Commission. The State Agricultural Commission formulates policy with respect to the management of the Department of Agriculture. The com...

WASHINGTON, DC - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International announced today that it will encourage its members to participate in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s 2011 Earth Hour. WWF’s global initiative asks that individuals, businesses, organizations and governments turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour, from 8:30-9:30 pm local time on Saturday, March 26, 2011. The aim of Earth Hour is to visibly demonstrate global concern about climate change and a commitment to find solutions that minimize negative human impact on the Earth.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today that public housing agencies across the United States will receive nearly $54 million to link low-income families with the necessary education and job training to put them on the path to self-sufficiency.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today issued a report summarizing efforts to the measure the extent of “worst case housing needs” among very low-income renter households with disabilities. HUD’s 2009 Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities finds that approximately 1 million households that included nonelderly people with disabilities had worst case needs.

MIAMI, FL - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today Fannie Mae and Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF) celebrated the one-year anniversary of Fannie Mae's South Florida Mortgage Help Center. Since opening its doors in March 2010, the South Florida Mortgage Help Center has reached out to more than 5,000 South Floridians and worked with more than 1,000 struggling families with loans owned by Fannie Mae. The South Florida Mortgage Help Center was the first of six Help Centers Fannie Mae opened in hard-hit cities across the country. Additional Help Centers are expected to open this year.

DENVER, CO - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- It’s a one-of-a-kind home that reflects innovative design expertise in one of downtown Denver’s historic buildings. The Starek Loft in the Volker Building was designed by Alice Starek and fellow ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes declined 16.9 percent in February to a record-low seasonally adjusted annual rate of 250,000 units, according to figures released today by the U.S. Commerce Department."Today's report is primarily a reflection of consumer uncertainty regarding the overall economy," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "A recent Gallup poll confirmed that the economy is Americans' top concern right now. At the same time, even qualified buyers who are ready to make a purchase are facing frustrating challenges in terms of tight consumer lending conditions and inappropriately low appraisal values on new construction."

Washington, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --The Hanley Foundation, in collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council and its Greenbuild International Conference & Expo; EcoHome magazine and Hanley Wood, is proud to announce the launch of the 2011 Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing. Entering its third year, this annual award honors an individual or organization that demonstrates extraordinary, lasting and far-reaching contributions to the advancement of sustainable housing in the United States. The award winner will receive $50,000, the largest annual grant given for advancing sustainable housing. The 2011 award will be presented at the USGBC Hanley Award Dinner at the Greenbuild Residential Summit in Toronto this October, which has become a magnetic annual event attracting green building leaders from all sectors of the industry

March 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- BURLINGTON—Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) has passed a major milestone: The Agency has issued more than $3 billion in bonds to finance homeownership and rental opportunities for low- and moderate-income Vermonters.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The economy continues to show increasing signs of self-sustaining momentum, however an unexpected jump in oil prices and the potential for further tightening of fiscal policy suggest less economic momentum than previously believed, according to the March 2011 Economic Outlook released today by Fannie Mae's (FNMA/OTC) Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group. Projected economic growth for the year was lowered to 3.5 percent — down slightly from 3.7 percent in February 2011, but up from 2.7 percent annual growth in 2010.

Washington, DC - March 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Keeping manufactured housing affordable by reducing the constraints on lending and instituting a responsible regulatory environment took center stage as over 90 MHI members flocked to Capitol Hill for the annual MHI Legislative Conference.

March 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- USAA Real Estate Company has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) prestigious ENERGY STAR, the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. This signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency. USAA Real Estate Company’s accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 18, 2010. USAA Real Estate Company is the only real estate company in America that has won nine ENERGY STAR awards.

Upper Marlboro, MD - March 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the NAHB Research Center hosted an online presentation for building product manufacturers on which products were most (and least) frequently used in homes Green Certified to the National Green Building Standard last year. The information was gathered and analyzed by the company’s market research division.