RealEstateRama    Real Estate Newsrooms, Research Centers - Government, Nonprofit & Business
RealEstateRama   -   Site   -   in News   -   in Media   -   in Social   -   Web

News

News

Builder Confidence Declines Three Points in June

WASHINGTON, D.C. - - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- After holding at a low but steady level for the past six months, builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes declined three points in June to a reading of 13 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today. The last time the index was this low was in September of 2010

E-Verify a Step Forward in Solving Immigrant Worker Problems, NAHB Testifies

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As Congress looks into mandating E-Verify, a voluntary Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S., the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today urged lawmakers to ensure it is a fair, efficient and workable system and noted that this should be only one component in achieving comprehensive immigration reform.Testifying on the "Legal Workforce Act" (H.R. 2164) before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, Barry Rutenberg, first vice chairman of NAHB and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., said that Congress should not end its efforts to address immigration issues after considering a compulsory E-Verify program for all U.S. employers.

E-Verify a Step Forward in Solving Immigrant Worker Problems, NAHB Testifies

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As Congress looks into mandating E-Verify, a voluntary Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S., the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today urged lawmakers to ensure it is a fair, efficient and workable system and noted that this should be only one component in achieving comprehensive immigration reform.Testifying on the "Legal Workforce Act" (H.R. 2164) before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, Barry Rutenberg, first vice chairman of NAHB and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., said that Congress should not end its efforts to address immigration issues after considering a compulsory E-Verify program for all U.S. employers.

Voters Strongly Support Politicians Who Embrace Pro-Housing Policies, Mortgage Deduction, Poll Finds

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nearly three out of four American voters believe that it is reasonable and appropriate for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote homeownership, a sentiment that cuts across partisan and regional lines across the country, according to a recent poll conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

HUD RULING AWARDS NEARLY $50,000 IN ALABAMA RACE DISCRIMINATION CASE

WASHINGTON, DC - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that a HUD Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) has ordered a Marshall County, Alabama, landlord to pay $49,165 in damages and penalties for violating the Fair Housing Act. HUD initially charged Phillip and Opal Maze, respectively the rental manager and owner of a Marshall County mobile home, with discriminating based on race in December 2009. In an order that became final on May 25, 2011, the ALJ found that Phillip Maze discriminated against a white family and an African American man because one of the family members was dating the African American man

HUD ISSUES 2010 ANNUAL HOMELESS ASSESSMENT REPORT TO CONGRESS

WASHINGTON, DC - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- According to its latest national homeless assessment, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports the number of homeless persons in the U.S. held steady between 2009 and 2010, despite the economic downturn. For the first time, HUD’s annual report reveals how the Recovery Act’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) helped to mitigate homelessness in America, assisting nearly 700,000 persons in the first year of the program

Hentschel Wins Prestigious Felt Award for Work on Serbian Surplus Military Property

CHICAGO, IL - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- John J. Hentschel, CRE®, president, Hentschel Real Estate Services, an Abingdon, Maryland-based real estate advisory and consulting firm, has been honored with the 2011 James Felt Creative Counseling Award for his work as a special advisor to the Urban Institute as part of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Municipal Economic Growth Activity, a program designed to promote economic development in the Republic of Serbia through commercialization of strategically located surplus military properties. The award was presented May 3 by The Counselors of Real Estate® at the organization’s Midyear Meetings in San Diego.

Merkley, Snowe, Reed, Whitehouse Offer Amendment to End Worst Mortgage Abuses

WASHINGTON, DC - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) offered the Regulation of Mortgage Servicing Act of 2011 as an amendment to the Public Works...

Sentencing of Real Estate Agent Concludes Prosecution of Mortgage Fraud Scheme

PORTLAND, OR - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jennifer Venable, 29, of Beaverton, Oregon, was sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Jones of the United States District Court on June 8, 2011, to 5 years’ probation and ordered to pay $15,000 in res...

Mayor Bloomberg, Harlem RBI, New York Yankee Mark Teixeira and Officials Announce Development of...

New York, NY - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea, Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott and Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Matthew M. Wambua, New York Yankee Mark Teixeira and Harlem RBI Executive Director Rich Berlin today announced a partnership to develop a landmark, mixed-use facility in East Harlem that will include approximately 90 new affordable housing units, the DREAM Charter School and Harlem RBI’s program and office space. Scheduled to open for the 2014-2015 school year, the new school space will accommodate up to 450 students between kindergarten and eighth grade. The announcement took place on Harlem RBI’s Field of Dreams in East Harlem, where the Mayor was also joined by Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, parents and students from DREAM Charter School and Harlem RBI program participants and alumni.

Office of Consumer Affairs Advises Tenants in Tornado-Damaged Apartments to Make Thoughtful, Long-Term Decisions...

BOSTON, MA - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Following up on concerns from tenant-rights groups in Western and Central Massachusetts, the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation is urging tenants of tornado-damaged homes to make careful decisions when deciding whether or not to break their lease.

MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA APPOINTS FOUR COMMISSIONERS TO HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the appointment of four new commissioners to the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) Board of Commissioners: Isabel Ayala, Kimberly Freeman, Dennis Hernandez, and Mitchell Kamin.

DOE and The Appraisal Foundation Announce New Partnership to Focus on Energy Performance and...

WASHINGTON, DC - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As part of the Obama Administration's efforts to improve commercial building efficiency 20 percent by 2020, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced a partnership with The Appraisal Foundation that will help expand access to energy efficiency and building performance information for commercial buildings and help American businesses to reduce energy waste. Under the new partnership, the Department of Energy and The Appraisal Foundation will work to ensure that appraisers nationwide have the information, practical guidelines, and professional resources they need to evaluate energy performance when conducting commercial building appraisals. This will help enable investors, building owners and operators, and others to accurately assess the value of energy efficiency as part of the building's overall appraisal.

Feinstein, Waxman Urge Action on Critical Construction Projects for Homeless Veterans in Los Angeles

Washington, DC - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) today sent a letter to Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Jack Lew, asking them to promptly finalize a request to Congress for construction projects, including $20 million for homeless veterans projects on the West Los Angeles campus.

Survivors Have Questions About Mortgage Pay Offs

COLUMBIA, MO - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Many disaster survivors may be faced with questions about mortgage payoffs. Some applicants may receive insurance proceeds and their bank or mortgage holder may require the total mortgage be paid in full. This is known as a forced payoff, possibly leaving the applicant with an unmet need or unable to repair their home

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL COST INCREASES PLAGUE CONTRACTORS IN MAY AS FINISHED BUILDING PRICES REMAIN FLAT,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Contractors suffered from a new round of price increases for key materials in May but were largely unable to pass their costs along to customers, according to an analysis of producer price index figures released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the ongoing cost squeeze—a result of sluggish demand for construction—threatens to drive more construction employees and firms out of work unless public officials lower barriers to public and private investment

DELAURO, PICARD ANNOUNCE $669,865 HOUSING, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRANT FOR WEST HAVEN

Washington, DC - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) and West Haven Mayor John Picard announced a Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant of $689,865 to the City of West Haven today.

Gary Peters Leads Fight to Protect Homeownership

Royal Oak, MI - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- For more than a generation, millions of American families have been able to purchase their own homes thanks to the availability of the thirty-year, fixed rate mortgage. But in the aftermath of the housing collapse and the financial crisis, the thirty-year mortgage is in danger of disappearing altogether as banks and government regulators consider making major reforms to the housing market.

Schuette Encourages Southeast Michigan Homeowners with Foreclosure Concerns to Attend Free Counseling Event June...

LANSING, MI - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette today encouraged Southeast Michigan homeowners struggling with foreclosure to attend a June 15th homeowner counseling and lending meeting organized by the United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the Foreclosure Intervention and Neighborhood Stabilization Collaborative (FINSC). The event will provide free counseling services and facilitate lender meetings for homeowners from Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties who may be struggling with foreclosure

MBA Announces Nomination of E. J. Burke as 2012 Vice Chair-Elect

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today announced the nomination of E. J. Burke, Executive Vice President and Group Head of KeyBank Real Estate Capital and Corporate Banking Services, to be its Vice Chair-Elect. Mr. Burke will be elected by MBA members at the Association's 98th Annual Convention, which will be held in October in Chicago, Illinois. He currently serves as Chair of MBA’s Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board of Governors (COMBOG) and is a member of the MBA Board of Directors. An active member of MBA, Mr. Burke has served in a number of leadership positions, including as Chair of MBA's Investors Council.

Recent NAHB Press Releases

NAHB

New Home Sales Hold Steady in February

A small rise in mortgage rates in February led to a flat reading for new home sales. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in February edged 0.3% lower to a 662,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to newly released data by the U.S.

Random NAHB in News

USA TODAY

Rising mortgage rates, home prices are becoming a toxic cocktail in...

Millenials are entering the housing market at a tumultuous time - many want to buy, but few can seem to afford it. Follow along with the Gliddens, a Washington, DC couple looking to set down
Forbes

I Want A Better House