News

Washington, DC - April 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of existing-home sales rose in March, continuing an uneven recovery that began after sales bottomed last July, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

COLUMBIA, MD - April 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The 16th Annual MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing is officially open for entries. Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. and MetLife Foundation have focused this year’s competition on best practices in the area of green and service-enriched affordable housing for seniors. The deadline for entries is May 31, 2011.

April 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Unemployed workers and others facing temporary financial hardships in our area have a new avenue to seek mortgage help while they get back on their feet.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - April 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. General Services Administration will break ground on the new Federal Bureau of Investigation field office building to be located at 5425 West Amelia Earhart Drive, Salt Lake City. Th...

RICHMOND, VA - April 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jodi D. Robinson, age 38, a Richmond realtor and owner of Citicorp Investments, a Virginia LLC, pled guilty today to a five-year mortgage loan fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341. Robinson is facing a sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million dollars when she is sentenced by Chief United States District Judge James R. Spencer on July 31, 2011. Neil J. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth R. Taylor, Special Agent in Charge of HUD's Office of Inspector General; Keith Fixel, the Inspector in Charge of the Postal Inspection Service; and Michael Morehart, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, announced today's guilty plea

April 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Earlier today in federal court in Minneapolis, a 39-year-old contractor from Ham Lake pleaded guilty to participating in a mortgage fraud scheme. Andrew Paul Stoner pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Stoner, who was charged on March 10, 2011, entered his plea before United States District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery.

Washington, D.C. - April 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected five recipients to receive the 2011 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards. Biennially, representatives from the AIA and the American Library Association (ALA) gather to celebrate the finest examples of library design by architects licensed in the U.S. The 2011 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards honor five separate projects.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nationwide housing starts rose 7.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 549,000 units in March from an upwardly revised number in the previous month, the U.S. Commerce Department reported today. Coming on the heels of disappointing declines in February, this gain was represented in both the single- and multifamily sectors, and was mirrored by substantial improvements in building permit issuance for the same period."While the overall rate of new-home production remains quite low and is still being weighed down by significant uncertainties among both home builders and buyers, this latest report is encouraging," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "It means that some builders are cautiously beginning to re-stock their extremely thin inventories of new homes in anticipation of gradual improvement in consumer demand as the economy slowly inches toward recovery."

April 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Earlier today in federal court in Minneapolis, a 49-year-old Champlin woman pleaded guilty to her role in a mortgage fraud scheme involving at least 200 properties—principally in north Minneapolis—and mortgage proceeds of approximately $35 million. Gayle Deann Claus pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Claus, who was indicted on June 15, 2010, along with two co-defendants, entered her plea before United States District Court Judge David S. Doty.

Sioux City, IA - April 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Sioux City Human Rights Commission will host a Landlord and Property Manager Workshop on Thursday, May 5, 2011 in the third floor conference room at the Long Lines Family recreation Center, 40...

Sioux City, IA - April 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Sioux City Human Rights Commission in partnership with the Siouxland Human Investment Partnership (SHIP) and Midtown Family Community Center will host an educational event “Fair Housing in Siouxland” on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, at the Midtown Community Center, 525 14th Street, between 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is launching a new campaign in Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles called Know It. Avoid It. Report It. This campaign has two objectives. First, it aims to direct homeowners facing foreclosure to trusted resources and housing counselors.

Washington, DC - April 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Realtors® now have access to an errors and omissions insurance program from the National Association of Realtors®’ newest REALTOR Benefits® Partner, Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Inc.

Washington, DC - April 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Realtors® welcomed middle school students from across the country this week to participate in the annual School of Future Design Competition. The competition encourages students to work in teams to plan and design a school that will improve the learning environment and the facility’s energy efficiency, be sensitive to the environment, and is integral to the surrounding community. This year’s winners were announced last night during an event held at NAR’s D.C. offices.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes slipped back one notch to 16 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for April, released today. The index has now held at 16 for five of the last six months.

Washington, DC - April 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Rep. Walz introduced legislation to protect servicemembers from abusive, illegal mortgage practices

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The following statement was issued by the Center for Responsible Lending, the Community Mortgage Banking Project, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Mortgage Insurance Companies of America, the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors in advance of the April 14th House Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises hearing on the Qualified Residential Mortgage:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Henry V. Cunningham Jr., CMB, Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) board member and chairman of the MBA Residential Board of Governors, testified today on behalf of MBA before the House Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises at a hearing on, "Understanding the Implications and Consequences of the Proposed Rule on Risk Retention," providing the perspectives of both the commercial and residential real estate finance markets.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- An administrator working for the Federal Trade Commission has mailed 1,410 refund checks to consumers allegedly defrauded by Home Assure LLC, a so-called mortgage foreclosure rescue service. The FTC alleged that the company charged consumers an up-front fee and falsely claimed its special relationships with lenders would enable it to get favorable loan modifications or stop foreclosure

April 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Loudoun County Treasurer H. Roger Zurn Jr. reminds taxpayers that the deadline for payment of the first half personal property tax is Thursday, May 5, 2011.