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Washington, DC, Nov. 15, 2007 - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved historic bipartisan legislation to reform mortgage and anti-predatory lending practices by a vote of 291 to 127. H.R. 3915, the “The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007” will establish a national standard to rein in the abusive lending practices that contributed to the current mortgage crisis

There are so many ways real estate professionals can get snagged by a lawsuit that it's hard to keep track of everything that poses a risk. But by looking at each transaction through the eyes of the buyer, you can protect yourself, trainer and author Barbara Nichols said at the 2007 NAR Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 15, 2007 – A bill designed to address abuses in the lending market would leave consumers worse off than if Congress did nothing at all, a group of national and local consumer and poverty law organizations told lawmakers today. The group is urging lawmakers to defeat H.R. 3915, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007, scheduled for a vote today in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“2007 has been a year of challenge; 2008 will be a year of opportunity for serious buyers and for REALTORS®,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun told a packed house at the NAR Conference Tuesday.

The Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) is now accepting entries for the sixth annual Building Excellence Awards. This unique competition recognizes the exceptional projects that SIPA members build with energy efficient structural insulated panels (SIPs)

LAS VEGAS, November 13, 2007 - A new consumer survey shows that buyers and sellers are very satisfied with their real estate professionals. Home buyers use many tools in the transaction process, and both buyers and sellers highly value the personal touch and services real estate professionals offer. The survey was released here today at the 2007 REALTORS® Conference & Expo.

RealtyTrac(R) released its Q3 2007 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows a total of 635,159 foreclosure filings — default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions — were reported on 446,726 properties nationwide during the third quarter, a 30% increase from the previous quarter and an increase of nearly 100% from the third quarter of 2006.

LAS VEGAS, November 13, 2007 - The level of for-sale-by-owner transactions remains at a record low, according to the National Association of Realtors® 2007 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. The survey was released today at the 2007 REALTORS® Conference & Expo, here through November 16.

Phoenix, AZ, November 13, 2007 – Homeownership counseling and education are more important now than ever given the recent rise in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures. Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE), one of the nation's largest investors in residential mortgages, and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation's largest Hispanic advocacy organization, are continuing their tradition of working together by educating Latinos in the Phoenix area on all aspects of homeownership, from maintenance to financial management and foreclosure prevention

When a market goes through uncertain times, investor caution reigns. And whether you're talking about the housing market or the financial services sector, there's been so much bad news lately that it makes sense for buyers and investors to remain wary.

Real estate professionals who want to work in property auctions need to adopt a new way of thinking, says Ted Cucuro, a senior broker associate with Sheldon Good & Co., Chicago. “We do everything in reverse,” Cucuro told attendees of an educational session at the 2007 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.

Washington, Nov. 8, 2007 — U.S. Senator Evan Bayh has enlisted the support of 15 Senate colleagues to join his call to provide property tax relief to 32 million homeowners across the country who do not itemize their federal tax returns by allowing them to deduct their state and local property taxes.

Triple-digit monthly parking fees, $12 movie tickets, clogged intersections and weekly grocery bills that rival some mortgage payments. Welcome to life in the Big Apple. And Los Angeles. And Chicago.

Reverse Mortgages are becoming popular in America. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) created one of the first. HUD's Reverse Mortgage is a federally-insured private loan, and it's a safe plan that can give older Americans greater financial security. Many seniors use it to supplement social security, meet unexpected medical expenses, make home improvements, and more.

Market It was a mystery that only the crack investigators at RSI — the REALTOR® Scene Investigation — could uncover.

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pat V. Combs, president of the National Association of Realtors, today urged Realtors to help restore confidence in the real estate market by educating the public about the value of housing as a good long-term investment. With the market's positive economic fundamentals, 2007 is turning out to be one of strongest years on record, she said.

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recently media attention has been heavily focused on the difficulties home sellers face with the current glut of inventory and the tightening of the sub-prime mortgage market. However, according to a Fall member survey and report from the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents, home buyers are also facing new challenges.

Home prices nationwide posted their biggest drop in 16 years last month, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Washington, DC – The House Committee on Financial Services today approved historic bipartisan mortgage reform legislation and anti-predatory lending practices by a vote of 45 to 19. H.R. 3915, the “The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007” will create a licensing system for residential mortgage loan originators, establish a minimum standard requiring that borrowers have a reasonable ability to repay a loan, and will attach a limited liability to secondary market securitizers.

Washington, DC, November 9, 2007 - Today, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) announced the first issuance of its new Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Mortgage-Backed Security (HMBS). The $116 million issuance is the first-ever government-guaranteed mortgage-backed security collateralized by Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured reverse mortgages (HECM).