Archives

March 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Chris Beutler said the City today sent dangerous building notices to the owners of two "O" Street buildings damaged by fire December 12. The notices give the owners 10 days to repair or demolish the buildi...

MANHATTAN, NY - March 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Salmanson Capital, LLC, a Manhattan-based real estate firm that specializes in the acquisition and repositioning of student housing assets, has acquired an off-campus student housing complex serving U...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- At $9.4 billion, Los Angeles County, Calif. leads the country for counties spending the most money on remodeling, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).Rounding out the top 5 list is Cook County in Illinois, Orange and San Diego counties in California, and Maricopa County in Arizona

Washington, DC - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new Consumer Federation of America (CFA) survey has found that the public overwhelmingly believes that improving the energy efficiency of home appliances is critically important and strongly supports appliance efficiency standards. In a report released today, CFA reveals that home energy costs now take an equal bite out of consumers’ pocketbooks as gasoline expenditures. And similar to their support for fuel economy standards, Americans want energy efficiency standards for home appliances. With oil prices skyrocketing, reducing home energy costs has become critically important to American consumers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Peter Polhemus, president and CEO of Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders in Chatham, Mass, has been named the Custom Home Builder of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders."We are honored to be the first company in New England and also the first truly integrated architectural and building firm to receive this prestigious award," Polhemus said.

Upper Marlboro, MD - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- High-performance green homes don't happen by chance. Green homes achieve their above-code efficiencies and improvements for homeowners as the result of taking an integrated, whole-house approach to the entire building process. To help educators convey these important green construction concepts to construction students, the NAHB Research Center recently unveiled a new resource that is available online.

Las Vegas, NV - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger told a gathering of more than 5,000 real estate agents that the worst of the housing crisis has passed. At the annual convention of the global real estate franchisor, Liniger said that the industry must continue to pursue the training that will help homeowners in distress, but should also start planning for a post-crisis environment.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A recent study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that while consumer hesitation on home buying is waning, the recent housing downturn has changed what Americans are looking for in their next home.The survey research on consumer preferences, which is presented annually at the NAHB International Builders’ Show, suggests that the severity of the recession has left an indelible mark on prospective home buyers, who have shifted their perspective on the housing they want and need.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Life -changing stories of working families benefiting from a range of federal housing programs will be at the forefront of this week’s annual Legislative Conference of the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA).

NEW YORK, NY - March 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Labor has taken legal action to seek debarment of Lettire Construction Corp., a New York City general contractor, and Nicholas Lettire, president of the company, from working on future federally funded contracts for a period of three years.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) urges members of the House of Representatives to show their support for homeownership and the mortgage interest deduction by co-sponsoring H. Res. 25."This resolution acknowledges the importance of homeownership to individual households, the economy and the nation," said NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno, Nev. The resolution also states that the mortgage interest deduction "may well be the most important component of housing-related tax policy in America today" and should not be further restricted, he said

SIOUX CITY, IA - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- MyPad Down Payment Assistance Program was created to overcome the greatest barrier to homeownership, down payment. MyPad provides an opportunity for qualified low to moderate income individuals and families to purchase affordable homes by receiving money from the Home Investment Partnership for down payment on a home. Homebuyers will never have to repay the gift from MyPad as long as the home purchased remains owner occupied throughout the 5 year period of the deferred payment loan

WASHINGTON, DC - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the February edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard. The latest housing figures show increased existing home sales as home affordability remains high, but officials caution that the market remains fragile, as prices are unsettled.

Washington, DC - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today released its 2010 list of top 10 states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita, based on the U.S. 2010 Census information. The District of Columbia leads the nation, with 25 square feet of LEED-certified space per person in 2010, with Nevada being the leading state, with 10.92 square feet per person in 2010.

Lake Buena Vista, FL - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The 2011 RESNET Building Performance Conference was the venue for the U.S. Green Building Council’s launch of a new online scoring tool for green homes. The LEED for Homes Scoring Tool is a web-based application that offers anyone an easy way for anyone to explore the LEED for Homes green home building program. By easily and simply breaking the LEED for Homes rating system down into either a Quick Score path and a deeper dive Credit by Credit path, all project team members can better understand which green features they want to incorporate into a new green home

WASHINGTON, DC - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today is awarding $7.8 million in grants to 14 local projects in nine states to conduct a wide range of activities such as research on the cost effectiveness of home-based interventions for children with asthma and novel strategies for reducing risks from lead-contaminated soil and house dust (see attached). For the first time, HUD is awarding $2 million of those grants to improve indoor environmental conditions and links to education and medical services for asthmatic children and other residents living in public and assisted multifamily housing

WASHINGTON, DC - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- More than 250 communities across the country will be able to increase the economic impact of their local community development and affordable housing programs through nearly $50 million in “capacity-building” grants awarded today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funds awarded today will support three national organizations and are ultimately expected to produce approximately 8,000 units of affordable housing nationwide, and generate more than $1 billion in total development investment.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Multifamily home owners and developers, property managers, architects, interior designers and multifamily industry professionals are invited to enter the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 2011 Pillars of the Industry Awards competition.The Pillars Awards highlight excellence in apartment and condominium design and development, innovative financing strategies, and superior property management and marketing. Since its inception in 1990, the Pillars Awards program has earned its reputation as the most prestigious awards program of its kind

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - March 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Due to federal budget cuts to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) applicants will receive lower average payments beginning March 2, 2011.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In the wake of in the House of Representatives’ passage last week of H.R. 1, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011, housing and community development advocates continue their push for funding for communities with a letter to Senate leadership.