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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

IRVINE, CA - June 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- RealtyTrac® (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™ for May 2011, which shows foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 214,927 U.S. properties in May, a 2 percent decrease from April and a 33 percent decrease from May 2010. The report also shows one in every 605 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing during the month of May.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rising energy prices, government incentives and enhanced public image are driving energy efficiency in buildings to new heights as a growing number of building owners race to reduce energy consumption, according to the results of the fifth annual, global Energy Efficiency Indicator survey

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A weak economy and tightened financing conditions contributed to a slowdown in California home sales and median price during May, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates increased this week, following a nine-week streak of declines. The benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.71 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.41 discount and origination points.

NEWARK, NJ - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Cape May County campground, accused of failing to tell mobile home owners it would take half the profit when their mobile home was resold, plus a 10 percent sales commission, has agreed to pay restitution to affected consumers, under terms of a settlement reached with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nationwide housing starts rose 3.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 560,000 units in May, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Commerce Department. The gain partially offsets a larger decline that was registered in April."While the upward movement registered in today's report is somewhat good news, housing production continues to bounce along the bottom near historic lows, and is only running at a level necessary to replace dilapidated or destroyed units," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. He also noted that "Amidst this fragile marketplace, the nation's policymakers should be aware of a recent poll that confirms the strong value that most American voters continue to place on homeownership and housing choice.

La Jolla, CA. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Bay Area housing market in May posted modest month-to-month gains in sales and median prices, but those same measures fell sharply from year-ago levels, which had been pumped up artificially by homebuyer tax credits. Move-up buying and new-home sales were especially weak last month, while the share of sales involving distressed properties, cash buyers and investors remained far above normal, a real estate information service reported.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications increased 13.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 10, 2011.

Salisbury, MD - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- While many real estate agents have struggled through a turbulent housing market, four year veteran Holly Campbell has risen to the challenge and continues to help local homebuyers and sellers realize their dreams.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- South Carolina REALTORS® (SCR) today released its May 2011 Market Reports. For the nation as a whole, the National Association of REALTORS® reports that the homeownership rate has shifted from 69.0 percent in 2005 to 66.5 percent, so far in 2011.