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RealEstateRama News
Prepared Remarks of David H. Stevens at MBA’s National Secondary Market Conference and Expo
Good morning! We have an exciting event with the biggest crowd in a decade. It's great to be back in New York City. The energy of this town is infectious. Great to have this conference here and let that energy contribute to a great event
HUD AWARDS $6 MILLION TO 29 PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCIES TO SUPPORT EMERGENCY, SAFETY AND...
In an effort to address emergency, safety and security needs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $6 million to 29 public housing authorities to help fight crime and drug activities at their public housing properties.
Builder Confidence Falls Two Points in May
Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in May dropped two points to a level of 54 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. It is a nine-point increase from the May 2014 reading of 45.
Realtors Help Make Home Possible for Vets, Say VA Officials
Officials from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs encouraged Realtors® to help debunk misconceptions regarding the VA Home Loan Guaranty Program yesterday at an agency briefing held during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.
Realtors® Eagerly Await A-OK to Fly UAVs
There will be a time when Realtors® can legally fly an unmanned aerial system, or drone, around property listings to capture images for marketing purposes, but that time has not yet arrived, at least not completely. That’s according to Federal Aviation Administration officials who told Realtors® today during the When, Where and How can I Use My Drone session at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo
NAR Board Approves Nationwide Broker Data Entry System
The NAR Board of Directors at its 2015 meeting May 16 in Washington, D.C., approved a partnership between NAR and its wholly owned subsidiary Realtors Property Resource® and another company, UpStream RE, LLC, to create a data entry and collection system for the brokerage community using the RPR® advanced Multi-list platform (AMP™)
Senate Bill Would Eliminate Critical Post-Crisis Lending Rules
On May 12, Senator Richard Shelby unveiled a discussion draft of a bill that would, among other things, undermine key banking and mortgage reforms established by the landmark Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection law.
Habitat for Humanity applauds Senator Richard Shelby’s inclusion of donated appraisals in proposed updates...
Among the Dodd-Frank regulatory requirements that the U.S. Senate Banking Committee plans to address through legislation unveiled earlier this week is a small clarification that will provide significant savings for the more than 1,400 Habitat for Humanity affiliates operating locally across the United States.
Walkable Urban Places are the Future of Real Estate Development
Realtors® from across the country gathered today to learn about the importance and benefits of walkable urban communities in real estate development during a panel organized by the REALTOR® University Richard J. Rosenthal Center for Real Estate Studies during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.
GOODLATTE, HENSARLING, MARINO, AND DUFFY CONTINUE INQUIRY INTO MORTGAGE LENDING SETTLEMENTS
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law Subcommittee Chairman Tom Marino (R-Pa.), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) pressed Attorney General Lorretta Lynch for answers regarding controversial terms in certain Department of Justice (DOJ) mortgage lending settlements
USDA Seeks Applications to Expand Economic Development in Rural Communities
Agriculture Under Secretary Lisa Mensah today announced that USDA is seeking applications for grants to support rural community economic development.
NAMB Joins Other Mortgage Industry Leaders in Calling for Grace Period on TRID
The Association of Mortgage Professionals - joined other mortgage industry leaders this week in calling for a good faith grace period for compliance with the massive TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure requirements that are scheduled to go into effect August 1, 2015.
Realtor.com® Strengthens Ties to Realtors® with New Website Improvements
In a move to better position itself for the future and further align itself with Realtors®, Move, Inc., operator of realtor.com®, the official listing site of the National Association of Realtors®, this week introduced new site features to better connect Realtors® and consumers. The announcement, made at the 2015 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo, comes at a time when realtor.com® is experiencing substantial year-over-year growth.
Help for Remodelers, Consumers from House Lead Paint Bill
Responding to ongoing concerns from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and affiliated trade groups, bipartisan legislation to make much-needed improvements to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) rule was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), along with eight original co-sponsors
Applications for New Home Purchases Increased Slightly in April
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for April 2015 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases increased by 0.3 percent relative to the previous month. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns
Climate Change, Not the Clean Power Plan, Poses the Most Significant Threat to Grid...
Today, the Center for American Progress released a column showing that extreme weather events, which will become more severe and frequent as the climate continues to warm, pose the most significant threat to electricity grid reliability. CAP released this column to challenge assertions that the Environmental Protection Agency’s, or EPA’s, Clean Power Plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants could harm the reliability of the nation’s electric grid.
While the commercial market still faces its share of challenges, Realtors® specializing in commercial...
After soliciting industry feedback and identifying growing contract needs, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has developed four new contract documents to the industry standard, AIA Contract Documents portfolio. The release of these new documents coincides with the AIA’s National Convention in Atlanta and includes the following new documents:
Commercial Market Continues Recovery, Says NAR Chief Economist
While the commercial market still faces its share of challenges, Realtors® specializing in commercial real estate expressed confidence in the marked improvement seen in the market over the last year at a commercial economic issues and trends forum at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.
AIA Contract Documents and MasterSpec to Collaborate
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ARCOM, the specification experts, announced today that they will be collaborating together to enhance the exchange of project information between AIA Contract Documents and the MasterSpec® specification system published by ARCOM.
Subcommittee Surveys Impact of CFPB Rule Change on Mortgage Settlement Process
The Financial Services Housing and Insurance Subcommittee held a hearing on Thursday to examine how proposed changes to the mortgage settlement process are expected to impact consumers and lenders. The changes proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are scheduled to take effect on August 1.