Archives

February 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Obama Administration’s report to Congress on “Reforming America’s Housing Finance Market” proposes important measures to address the long-neglected shortage of rental housing that is affordable for the lowest income Americans

WASHINGTON, DC - February 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- For the first time, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development today published the most authoritative analysis of the extent and nature of homelessness among Veterans. According to HUD and VA’s assessment, nearly 76,000 Veterans were homeless on a given night in 2009 while roughly 136,000 Veterans spent at least one night in a shelter during that year.

Washington, DC - February 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The three co-creators of Foreclosure-Response.org – the Urban Institute, the Center for Housing Policy, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) – have compiled and released the newest data on seriously delinquent mortgages for all 366 U.S. metro areas.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home builder sentiment for the mature-market sector retreated in the last quarter of 2010 when compared to the same period a year earlier. The National Association of Home Builders' 55+ Housing Market Index for single-family homes dropped three points to 14 from a year ago following annual declines in the second and third quarters of 2010."The normal course of purchasing a new home in anticipation of or upon entering retirement has been interrupted by the fall in Baby Boomers' house values and reduction in their home equity," said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

WASHINGTON, DC - February 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today published the most authoritative analysis of the extent and nature of homelessness among American veterans. According to HUD and VA’s assessment, nearly 76,000 veterans were homeless on a given night in 2009 while roughly 136,000 veterans spent at least one night in a shelter during that year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) called on Congress today to repeal all new expanded 1099 reporting requirements imposed in recent laws that will harm job creation and place a major paperwork and cost burden on the nation's small businesses.Testifying on behalf of NAHB before the House Small Business Committee, Mike Kegley, a builder from Union, Ky., and president of the Home Builders Association of Kentucky, told lawmakers that the collection of W-9 forms, monitoring payments over the course of a year, and additional staff time will cost individual small businesses thousands of dollars per year

COLUMBIA, MD - February 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Enterprise Community Investment, Inc. (Enterprise), a national leader in affordable housing and community development, today announced that Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) has given the company approval to originate affordable multifamily loans nationally on its behalf. The new license granted to Enterprise rounds out the company’s agency platform, which already includes capacity to sell and service loans for Fannie Mae and FHA. Enterprise is among a handful of lenders approved to sell and service targeted affordable housing loans nationwide. These are loans on apartment properties with rents that are affordable to low- and very-low income individuals whose incomes are at or below 80 percent or 60 percent of the area median income, respectively.

Providence, RI - February 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Lincoln D. Chafee today announced his plans to reactivate the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH), which establishes a mechanism for Cabinet- and Director-level staff to come together to discuss better coordination of state activities for housing and homelessness. The ICH also develops strategies to address the problems associated with homelessness, makes recommendations aimed at reducing the number of homeless people in Rhode Island, and promotes and supports development of permanent supportive housing

WASHINGTON, DC - February 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International’s Board of Governors recently passed two new policy positions in response to important, emerging issues. Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) Policy Position: BOMA International supports amending, if not the outright repeal of, FIRPTA to increase the amount of foreign capital invested in the U.S. commercial real estate market

February 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- During an awards ceremony held at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Florida, the NAHB Research Center recognized twelve of the nation’s leading energy-efficient builders and remodelers with the Energy Value Housing Awards (EVHA). Now in its 16th year, the EVHA challenges builders to elevate standards for energy-efficient construction. Winners are selected from projects in three climate regions (Cold, Moderate, Hot) and five categories (Affordable, Custom/Demonstration, Multifamily, Production, and Existing Homes)

San Diego, CA - February 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today awarded Catherine Rodewald, Vice President of Prudential Mortgage Capital Company, with the CREF Distinguished Service Award at the Association's 21st Annual Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF)/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo held in San Diego, CA. The award was given to Rodewald in recognition of her dedication and prominent service to MBA and the mortgage lending industry.

SACRAMENTO - February 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the City of Sacramento announced today that the Sacramento City Unified School District will be one of the first to obtain a Center for Green Schools Fellow.

BEDFORD, N.H. - February 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- At its recent meeting, New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority’s Board of Directors approved the commitment of just over $1 million in federal HOME Investment Partnership funds that will be used to add 25 new affordable rental units to the state’s housing supply. In addition, this project will retain or create approximately 60 construction-related jobs during these challenging economic times.

Pierre, SD - February 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) is now accepting applications for the Emergency Shelter Grants Program. The Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) Program, which is funded by the U.S. Depar...

PIERRE, S.D. - February 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Citizens across South Dakota are invited to review and provide comments on South Dakota Housing Development Authority’s (SDHDA) Neighborhood Stabilization Program Plan (NSP) and its appropriation ...

FALLS CHURCH, VA. - February 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Noblis, in collaboration with CTG Energetics and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is pleased to announce the release of the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA’s) Sustainable Facilities Tool

Chicago, IL - February 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today announced nine grants totaling $5.6 million for research to explore the role housing plays in the long-term health and well-being of children, families, and communities. Recipients will mine and connect existing data sets, such as the U.S. Census and school statistics, in new ways to reveal insights into the effectiveness of housing policies and related public programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) applauded President Obama’s support for provisions in S. 1637, the Expanding Build...

February 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Finding Ways to Encourage Private Sector Energy Upgrades Will Do More to Cut Emissions and Create New Jobs than any “Cap & Trade” Scheme, Top Construction Official Notes

WASHINGTON, DC – The apartment industry continues its broad-based recovery, according to the National Multi Housing Council's (NMHC) latest Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions.