Archives

Demographic shifts – the impact of retiring Baby Boomers and the rise of the Millennial generation – will likely have the most significant impact on real estate near- and long-term, according to The Counselors of Real Estate®, which today released its official CRE® 2015-16 Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate, a list it compiles annually. Demographic shifts rose to the top of this year’s list because of the sheer numbers of people and transactions involved in the evolving needs of both groups in coming years, and the far-reaching effect these will have on real estate across all sectors.

On June 23, the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations subcommittee reported out an FY 2016 THUD funding bill that demonstrates how budget caps are forcing short-term cuts with long-term consequences. While NHC understands the budget constraints facing the subcommittee, the cuts to vital housing investments in this bill are deep and damaging.  We call on Congress to forge a bipartisan compromise on spending that would allow essential long-term investments in housing and many other areas of need.

Appraisers tasked with valuing excess land are often met with unique challenges for developing opinions of the value for the unneeded tract, according to an article published this week in The Appraisal Journal.

WSSC’s commitment to safety is once again recognized as the Commission is honored for the second year in a row with the Wendell LaDue Utility Safety Award by the American Water Works Association (AWWA). The award recognizes WSSC’s stellar safety record, cutting-edge safety programs and overall leadership in safety and health

We are now entering the hot summer months where pop-up thunderstorms and lightning are very common, especially in the southeast. However, in many homes and businesses across the country there is a little known risk of fire that can by triggered by lightning strikes.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) marked up its FY16 spending bill on June 23. While not all of the details of the bill have been released, the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) is aware that the bill severely cuts the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), underfunds other important affordable housing programs, and contains provisions that threaten the wellbeing of low income individuals and families

U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Representatives Ted Poe (R-TX-02) and Mike Thompson (D-CA-05) re-introduced bipartisan legislation to level the energy playing field by giving investors in renewable energy projects access to a decades-old corporate structure whose tax advantage is currently available only to investors in fossil fuel-based energy projects

the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Housing announced the finalists of this year’s Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Awardcompetition, a program that honors developments that ensure housing affordability for people with a range of incomes. The winners will be announced later this year during a general session at the 2015 ULI Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

The Sacramento Promise Zone and Downtown Housing Forum

The American Bankers Association Community Engagement Foundation is accepting entries for the 2015 Community Commitment Awards through July 1. The Community Commitment Awards recognize innovative and high impact projects and programs in seven categories, including ‘Affordable Housing’ – a topic of particular importance during June’s “American Housing Month.” ABA will present the awards at its annual convention in Los Angeles, Nov. 8-10.CCAVideoIcon.jpg

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), alongside Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez and other officials, will speak at the induction of Frank Kameny into the Department of Labor’s Hall of Honor today, Tuesday, June 23, 2015, at 3:00 p.m., at the Department of Labor’s Frances Perkins Building (200 Constitution Ave NW)

Sevenly, a cause activation platform selling products that support nonprofit work around the world, is contributing to Habitat for Humanity through a new collection of Habitat-inspired apparel. For each item purchased from the Habitat-inspired collection, Sevenly will donate 7 percent of the sales price. Items from the collection feature themes such as community, partnership and building dreams

On the five year anniversary of the launch of the first comprehensive Federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness, USICH is pleased to release Opening Doors, as amended in 2015. This amended version sustains core elements of the original Plan, reflects what we have learned since 2010 when Opening Doors was first launched, and includes new strategies to drive increased progress. Our intention remains to ensure that the Plan serves as a living blueprint, containing the latest knowledge and best practices to prevent and end homelessness

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced today the award of more than $35 million in grants to provide an estimated 16,000 veterans with job-driven training for in-demand jobs to help them successfully transition from homelessness to sustainable housing and good civilian jobs

aving provided affordable housing on the Central Coast since 1970, local nonprofit Peoples’ Self-Help Housing will host its 45th Anniversary and Taste of Hope Celebration Friday, Nov. 13 at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The evening celebration at the museum’s outdoor courtyard will bring together an expected 200 guests, including area employers of all sizes, housing providers, developers, business and government leaders, non-profit leaders, architects, real estate professionals, and financial institution representatives

Sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 2.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 546,000 units in May, according to newly released data from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the highest new-home sales rate since February 2008.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced today the award of more than $35 million in grants to provide an estimated 16,000 veterans with job-driven training for in-demand jobs to help them successfully transition from homelessness to sustainable housing and good civilian jobs.

Expanding on a proposal first put forward in a column earlier this year, the Center for American Progress has released an in-depth report into how Congress can pair federal resources with state, local, and private sector dollars to modernize the nation’s aging infrastructure. Known as State Future Funds, this funding mechanism can provide states and cities with the capital they need to make low-carbon and resilient energy and transportation infrastructure improvements that guard against extreme weather events connected to climate change and help reduce carbon pollution.

Most U.S. housing markets are healthy with little chance of a downturn in the near term, indicates the latest quarterly housing market barometer released today by Nationwide, a leading insurance and financial services organization. The forward-looking Health of Housing Markets Report (The HoHM Report) evaluates the housing health outlook for the U.S. and 400 metropolitan areas and includes a national leading indicator score as well as regional readings and breakdowns.

The Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s Development Finance Institution, approved financing and insurance commitments to support eight private sector-led development projects in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.