News

The partnership between Realtors® and the Rural Housing Service supports homeownership in rural areas and helps those communities thrive, according to officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency that administers the RHS program, who held a briefing today during the Realtors® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.

Realtors® should prepare themselves now for the new disclosure requirements being implemented by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau later this year, and communication between all parties in the real estate transaction is essential in ensuring a smooth transition, according to speakers at a regulatory issues forum here at the 2015 Realtors® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.

With the surface transportation authorization expiring on May 31, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ranking Member of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, will host a public roundtable tomorrow, Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, for Democratic Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to showcase projects in their districts that are stalled due to uncertainty of federal surface transportation funding.  The Norton roundtable is during National Infrastructure Week (May 11-15), and will take place with just six legislative days until the expiration of federal highway and transit programs.  The roundtable will also feature a panel of transportation experts and officials

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) will unveil the first phase of the comprehensive redevelopment of Skyline Terrace (formerly Addison Terrace), during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 14, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will be immediately followed by tours of Skyline’s community center and an open house held in a recently completed townhome

Nationwide, the solar industry employs 174,000 Americans and pumps nearly $18 billion a year into the U.S. economy. Resch said this remarkable growth is due, in large part, to smart and effective public policies, such as the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), Net Energy Metering (NEM) and RPS laws.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, today announces that the 518-room Holiday Inn Resort® Montego Bay hotel has completed a $15 million renovation funded by ownership. The resort now features fully updated guest rooms, an ocean-view lobby with an open design and four restaurants offering a variety of cuisines including seafood, Japanese, Caribbean and Italian.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design, today announced the winners of the Future of Architecture Residential Design Contest and Showcase.

The competition attracted entries from architecture students and new architects from across the country, highlighting high-impact ideas in the field of residential design. Houzz promoted the showcase of all entries to the 30 million people who use Houzz every month, providing Future of Architecture participants with broad visibility for their work, and helping to educate the public on the value of good architecture and design.

The National Apartment Association (NAA) is pleased to announce the 2015 PARAGON award winners. The annual awards program recognizes the multifamily housing industry’s top communities, executives, employees and affiliate programs

The U.S. Census Bureau will offer a two-day media embargo period next week for subscribers to view the 2014 population estimates for all local governmental units, including incorporated places, minor civil divisions and consolidated cities. Housing unit estimates will be released for the nation, states and counties.

The NAA Education Institute (NAAEI) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Apartment Career Education (ACE) Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in the field of apartment career development and/or contributions made to, or on behalf of, the NAAEI, and its professional education interests and initiatives.

Realtor® leaders from across the country will converge on the nation’s capital this week to advance key real estate issues with regulators and members of Congress during the Realtor® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo, here through May 16.

Building energy codes – which have the potential to cut tens of thousands of dollars from the utility bills of home and commercial building owners – also have an interesting by-product: they can reduce hundreds of millions of metric tons of CO2.

Mortgage credit availability increased in April according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs® Market Clarity® business information tool

Ellie Mae® (NYSE:ELLI), a leading provider of innovative on-demand software solutions and services for the residential mortgage industry, announced today that it has partnered with DocuSign, Inc. (DocuSign®) to deliver advanced electronic signature capabilities to its mortgage lender clients.

With the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ana, and the violent tornadoes that swept through Texas and Oklahoma the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) wants to offer insurance recovery information to help in the wake of these storms

The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) received re-accreditation for its Certified Inspector program, which ensures the program maintains quality professional standards. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) has re-accredited the program through June 2019

The U.S. Department of Labor — in partnership with the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration and the Appalachian Regional Commission — today announced the availability of up to $35.5 million to help communities and workers successfully adapt to changes in the coal industry and power sector.

Researching and developing cutting-edge technologies is a key ingredient in achieving a global clean energy economy, and the Energy Department’s world-class national laboratories play a pivotal role in that process.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is providing more than $100 million in loans to build or improve 1,000 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines for rural electric cooperative utilities in four states.

"Investments we make to provide rural communities with electricity are critical to our nation's economy. Our commitment to rural electricity has powered our growing agricultural exports, a burgeoning bio-economy and the quality of life for rural Americans."

The House approved my request for $1.4 million for Rota and Tinian harbor improvements in the FY16 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill we passed on May 1. This is the first year of direct funding for the two projects, which will eventually cost about $3 million each. On Rota the Army Corps of Engineers will determine what changes need to be made to the harbor so that ships can get in no matter what the weather conditions