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MEMPHIS, TN - July 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Memphis-area home sales for June rose 4.5 percent from a year ago, with 1,612 total sales recorded in the Memphis Area Association of REALTORS® MAARdata property records database. Existing home sales we...

WASHINGTON, DC - July 4 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the June edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard– a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- ForeclosureListings.com has noticed falling and rising trends in foreclosures in recent months. Why? When the supply of homes outweighs the demand for them, the prices shrink. When the values are attractive enough to investors with enough money to withstand the smaller return on the investment, the supply is reduced and the prices sustain at a present level until the next surge of depressed properties are on the market available at discounted prices.

Las Vegas, CA - June 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Las Vegas region home sales held at a five-year high last month, rising modestly from both April and a year earlier as sales of distressed properties continued to account for nearly 70 percent of the resale market. Price measures moved little month-to-month but the declines from a year earlier steepened amid higher levels this year of foreclosure resales and sub-$100,000 transactions, a real estate information service reported.

WASHINGTON, DC - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $83,941,360 in grants through the National Farmworker Jobs Program to combat the chronic unemployment and underemployment experienced by migrant and seasonal farmworkers who depend primarily on agricultural labor jobs. A total of $78,253,180 will go to 52 organizations nationwide to provide training, employment and support services for farmworkers and their families. An additional $5,688,600 will go to 16 organizations to provide temporary or permanent housing assistance

Washington, D.C. - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The collapse of the housing market resulted in greater interest in smaller homes and lot sizes, but that appears to be leveling off. There continues to be interest from homeowners in investing in their properties, particularly with regards to outdoor living space. Accessibility within the home remains a concern, especially for an aging population, along with ongoing demand for more flexible and open design within homes. Business conditions for residential architects are showing improving conditions with the highest billings score since mid-2007.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications decreased 2.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 24, 2011.

Washington, DC - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Pending home sales rose strongly in May with all regions experiencing gains from a year ago, pointing to higher housing activity in the second half of the year, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Washington, DC - June 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency 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 4.74 percent based on loans closed in May. This is a decrease of 0.06 percent from the previous month. This Contract Rate series can be found at http://www.fhfa.gov/Default.aspx?Page=251.

VIENNA, VA - June 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today, in its First Quarter 2011 Mortgage Loan Fraud (MLF) analysis, reported that the number of MLF suspicious activity reports (SARs) rose to 25,485 up 31 percent from 19,420 in the first quarter of 2010. FinCEN attributes the increase to large mortgage lenders conducting additional reviews after receiving demands to repurchase poorly performing mortgage loans. In the first quarter of 2011, 86 percent of MLF SARs reported activities which occurred more than two years prior to the filing of the SARs.

NEW YORK, NY - June 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- BFC Partners and Halstead Property Development Marketing today announced that 75 percent of the available homes at Toren, Brooklyn’s iconic new condominium tower, have been sold.

AUSTIN, TX - June 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Purchasing a home is the biggest investment that most consumers will ever make, therefore it is vital to have all of the information available about the property prior to signing on the dotted line. To help consumers know detailed information about the "life story" of their new home, BuildFax, the nation's leading provider of historical building permit data, is now offering consumers access to a free detailed report about the home, including relevant permit data regarding key upgrades and repairs made to the property.

Washington, DC - June 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a maximum grant of $5,821,833.60 under the Emergency Homeowners Loan Program (EHLP). This award represents approximately 25 percent of the total $22,990,954 allocated under EHLP.

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- More than 30,000 California families will face higher down payments, higher mortgage rates, and stricter loan qualification requirements if conforming loan limits on mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are reduced beginning October 1, 2011, according to analysis by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes declined 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 319,000 units in May, according to figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department today. The decline only partially offsets a larger gain that was registered in April."Today's report indicates that new-home sales are holding fairly steady at a relatively low rate, with both April and May sales numbers running above the first-quarter average," noted Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "In view of the slow progress of economic recovery and the challenges builders continue to face with regard to rising materials prices, access to construction credit, competition from foreclosed homes and inaccurate appraisals, the averages for the last two months combined represent some very slow improvement which should continue as expected economic gains boost consumer confidence."

WASHINGTON, DC - June 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Independent mortgage banks and subsidiaries made an average profit of $346 on each loan they originated in the first quarter of 2011, down from $1,082 per loan in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) First Quarter 2011 Mortgage Bankers Performance Report released today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications decreased 5.9 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 17, 2011.

Washington, DC - June 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. house prices rose 0.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from March to April, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s monthly House Price Index. The previously reported 0.3 percent decrease in March was revised to a 0.4 percent decrease. For the 12 months ending in April, U.S. prices fell 5.7 percent. The U.S. index is 19.3 percent below its April 2007 peak and roughly the same as the January 2004 index level.

ORLANDO, FL - June 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida’s existing home and existing condo sales rose in May, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Existing home sales increased 3 percent last month with a total of 17,228 homes sold statewide compared to 16,790 homes sold in May 2010, according to Florida Realtors.

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- California pending home sales rose in May, posting the first year-over-year increase in 18 months, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today