Archives

Washington, D.C. - November 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The average incremental cost of constructing a new home to meet the current energy efficiency building code – the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) – comes to a mere $818.72, according to a recent study by the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP), a nonprofit advocacy organization that supports code adoption and implementation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Richard M. Daley today appointed Andrew J. Mooney as interim head of the City’s new Department of Housing and Economic Development, which will be formed through the consolidation of the City’s Department of Community Development and the Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning as of January 1, 2011.

November 25, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Mills announced progress in her negotiations with GMAC Mortgage LLC and Bank of America regarding their foreclosure practices in Maine. GMAC has agreed that it will temporarily halt sales on homes that have been foreclosed on, pending further talks to resolve the Attorney General’s concerns about the company’s foreclosure procedures

Washington, DC - November 25, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the holiday season approaches, the National Association of REALTORS® is giving thanks to American troops. NAR will provide care packages and housing assistance to support soldiers and their families here in the U.S. and abroad. Two national charities will receive support from NAR – Operation American Soldier and USA Cares.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- With Thanksgiving approaching, and millions of homeless and poor Americans struggling with hunger and the cold, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty today announced it has received a $75,000 from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. This support comes at a critical time, as the Law Center works to help implement the first-ever Federal Plan to End Homelessness.

Washington, D.C. - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Representative Charles W. Boustany, Jr., (R-Southwest Louisiana), today commended the Federal Emergency Management Agency for their efforts to assist Hurricane Rita survivors’ transition into long-term housing. FEMA announced today they are initiating a plan to help relocate the remaining residents still in temporary housing from the 2005 storms through federal, state, local and voluntary agency efforts

PHILADELPHIA, PA - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today the approval of a request from the state of West Virginia to extend FEMA’s temporary disaster housing program from November 1...

McLean, VA - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) and the 15-year (FRM) edged up slightly this week. The 5-year ARM also rose, while the 1-year ARM fell a bit from the previous week.

Boston, MA - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) --The U.S. retail real estate sector’s availability1 rate is expected to drop to 12.7% by the end of 2011, according to new analysis from CBRE Econometric Advisors (CBRE-EA). CBRE-EA forecasts that the ongoing pick-up in retail sales combined with limited supply will slowly decrease the national availability rate for neighborhood and community centers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 19, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 2.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 1.1 percent compared with the previous week.

MINNEAPOLIS, MI - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- United Properties announces that the Ford Center* has signed a lease with HGA Architects and Engineers for 80,000 sq. ft. in its historic office building in the Minneapolis Warehouse District. To ready the Ford Center for 2011 renovations, United Properties also recently received historic renovation design approval from the National Park Service and the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission, and approval for a building addition from the City of Minneapolis Planning Commission.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction employment expanded in 29 states between September and October, while fewer people are working in construction compared to last year in 39 states, the Associated General Contractors of America reported in an analysis of state employment data released today by the Labor Department. The new figures continue a nearly year-long trend of ups and downs in construction employment as the industry performs stimulus-funded work yet grapples with broad market uncertaint

Washington, D.C. (November 18, 2010) – Patrick “P.J.” Harrigan of Franklin American Mortgage Co. has been named the chairman of the Mortgage Action Alliance Steering Committee, the grassroots advocacy affiliate of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)

McLean, VA - November 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today issued the company's Monthly Volume Summary for October 2010. The summary, available on the company's Web site at www.FreddieMac.com/investors/volsum, provides information on Freddie Mac's mortgage-related portfolios, securities issuance, risk management and delinquencies, including data on seriously delinquent mortgage loans in related mortgage Participation Certificate (PC) pools.

Washington, D.C. - November 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the days grow colder and consumers gear up for another winter, many are looking for ways to beat the season’s high monthly energy costs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average U.S. household spends about $1,900 per year on home utility bills. With so much of a consumer’s monthly income spent on energy this winter, NeighborWorks America urges consumers to reduce their utility costs by weatherizing their homes this winter.

Washington, DC - November 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency today reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some ARM contracts, was 4.49 percent based on loans closed in October. This is a decrease of 0.06 percent from the previous month.

Washington, DC - November 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Existing-home sales retreated in October on the heels of two strong monthly gains, according to the National Association of REALTORS

SAN ANTONIO, TX - November 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) and Jefferson Bank are pleased to announce they have awarded a $176,445 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant to St. Peter-St. Joseph Children’s Home to assist with the construction costs of a 32-bed emergency center for adolescents between the age of 12 and 18 years old.

McLean, VA - November 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB) said today its maximum conforming loan limits for the first nine months of 2011 will be unchanged from those in effect during 2010 as the result of new calculations from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

McLean, VA - November 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC:FMCC) today announced that generally beginning December 1, 2010, the company will issue Jumbo/Super Conforming Pools under the three following prefixes