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LOS ANGELES, CA - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) applauds Gov. Jerry Brown on signing SB 458 (Corbett) into law. SB 458 extends the protections of SB 931 (2010), to ensure that any lender that agrees to a short sale must accept the agreed upon short sale payment as payment in full of the outstanding balance of all loans.

HARTLAND, WI - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --Visionary Apps LLC (www.visionaryapps.com), creators of innovative smart-phone and tablet tools that aim to improve people’s lives, today announced that its popular Complete ForeclosuresSM application (app) for the iPhone and iPad is now exclusively powered by data from RealtyTrac® (http://www.realtytrac.com/), the leading online marketplace of foreclosure properties. One of the many new features is the RealtyTrac® Single Property Details Purchase feature which will allow Complete Foreclosures to offer full details on EVERY listing, whereas before some of the property listings only had partial details.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As President Obama and Congress continue their negotiations on a package to increase the debt ceiling, the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and the National Apartment Association (NAA) are urging lawmakers to reject proposals to change the tax treatment of carried interest,[1] which would have a devastating effect on affordable housing.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following severe storms, flooding, mudslides, and landslides in May and June.

Columbia, MO - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mitigation experts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be in Kennett to offer free rebuilding information and answer questions about how to strengthen property against future st...

Washington, DC - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Stability in the housing market will lead to a quicker and greater economic recovery, according to the National Association of Realtors®. In a letter to Shaun Donovan, secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Timothy Geithner, secretary of the Treasury; and Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, NAR offered its recommendations for helping stabilize and revitalize the housing industry and economy.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nationwide housing starts rose 14.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 629,000 units in June, according to figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department today. This was the best pace of housing production since the beginning of the year, and was attributable to significant gains registered in both the single-family and multifamily segments as well as every region of the country."Today's numbers are an encouraging sign that builders are responding to improving consumer interest in new homes and apartments by gradually replenishing their extremely thin inventories in places where demand is evident," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "That said, the lack of access to construction credit remains an impediment to starting new projects and getting building crews back to work in markets that are improving."

COLUMBIA, MO - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Missourians who suffered damage or loss from the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding and received a disaster loan application from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are urged to complete and return the application by the July 29, 2011 deadline.

Reston, VA - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Another ruling from the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division declined to reconsider a non-judicial foreclosure initiated by Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS), as mortgagee, underscoring former borrowers’ lack of standing under Michigan law to challenge a foreclosure after the statutory redemption period has expired, further limiting the applicability of the Michigan Court of Appeals’ decision in Residential Funding v. Saurman/Bank of New York Trust v. Messner (“Saurman”).

AUSTIN, TX - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) today announced a series of major funding awards designed to help homeless Texans secure permanent housing and strive toward self-sufficiency, bringing greater stability to individuals and the communities in which they live.TDHCA awarded a total of $4.9 million in federal funds to 44 nonprofit organizations renovating or converting buildings for use as emergency shelters, as well as to help provide an array of essential services to homeless individuals.

Olympia, WA - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Washington State Foreclosure Fairness Act Mediation Program begins Friday, July 22. The program, a result of bipartisan legislation (SSHB1362, Chapter 58, Laws of 2011) during the 2011 session, make...

TRENTON, NJ - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor announced that a Paulsboro woman who formerly worked as a local administrator of the New Jersey Home Energy Assistance (HEA) Program was sentenced to state prison today for defrauding the program of more than $20,000 by filing false applications to obtain benefits. In addition, a second former local administrator of the program pleaded guilty today to stealing over $40,000 in program benefits through the submission of fraudulent benefit applications.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) today urged New Mexicans who are at risk of foreclosure to take advantage of a new federal program that has made more than $10 million available in interest-free, for...

BIRMINGHAM, AL - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Tornado survivors can get answers on how to plan and accomplish their permanent housing goals at a Housing and Recovery Expo in Jefferson County on Saturday, July 23.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose two points to 15 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for July, released today. The gain largely offsets a three-point dip recorded in June, and marks the ninth time out of the past 10 months in which the index has held within the same three-point range."The improvement in builder confidence in July is a positive sign that the outlook perhaps isn't quite as bleak as was feared in June," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "While builders continue to confront serious challenges with regard to competition from foreclosed properties that are priced below replacement cost, inaccurate appraisals of new homes, and a very restrictive lending environment for new home construction, select markets are showing gradual improvement as consumers begin to take advantage of very favorable buying conditions."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders commends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for rejecting a proposal to add third-party clearance testing to the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP).“We’re pleased that the EPA listened to the concerns of remodelers about the extreme costs the proposed clearance testing would have imposed,” said Bob Peterson, NAHB Remodelers chair and a remodeler from Fort Collins, Colo. “Home owners are saved from spending a great deal of money on lead testing. If remodeling is more affordable, home owners will be able to hire an EPA-certified renovator to keep them safe from lead dust hazards during renovation.”

Atlanta, GA - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home buyers across Georgia may have reduced access to mortgage funds this fall if Congress decides to reduce current Federal Housing Administration loan limits. That’s just one of the many issues th...

Washington, DC - July 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As policymakers consider changes to government programs and incentives that could dramatically change the nature of home ownership in this country, the National Association of Realtors® is once again bringing these issues to people across the country with the second phase of the Home Ownership Matters Bus Tour.

HARRISBURG, PA - July 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The board of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency yesterday conditionally approved $11.2 million in funding and approximately $30 million in tax credits for the construction of affordable multifamily housing developments located throughout Pennsylvania.

Washington, DC - July 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) announced recently that the Housing Authority of the City of Austin will receive $366,540 in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist homeless veterans obtain affordable housing in the Austin area. The grants, funded under the HUD-VASH program, combines HUD Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance with case management and clinical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.