Small business owners with eligible commercial real estate mortgages maturing after Dec. 31, 2012, will be able to secure more stable, long-term financing through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s temporary 504 refinancing program as a result of a change that will be published in The Federal Register by April 6.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications decreased 7.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 25, 2011.

HUNTINGTON STATION, N.Y. - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., has orchestrated the trade of Turnpike Plaza shopping center in Huntington Station. Kimco Realty Corporation purchased the 53,000-square-foot, grocery-anchored asset from Centro Properties Group for $7.9 million.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- John A. Courson, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), issued the below statement following today's release of the risk retention proposed rule.

AUSTIN, TX - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- While the overall residential real estate market is still down, sales of vacation homes fared better than sales of primary residences and investment properties in 2010. In fact, some consumers found low real estate prices, attractive mortgage rates and the potential for price appreciation compelling enough reasons to buy more than half a million vacation homes last year, according to proprietary research commissioned by HomeAway, Inc. as part of the National Association of Realtor’s (NAR) 2011 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) issued the following statement today after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 839 to eliminate the failed Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), which is funded by $30 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today welcomed members of Maine’s Housing Authorities to Washington to discuss their concerns and priorities regarding affordable housing opportunities through...

VIENNA, VA - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today released its analysis of suspicious activity reports (SARs) that call attention to possible fraud in the commercial real estate financing arena. The analysis, Commercial Real Estate Financing Fraud Suspicious Activity Reports by Depository Institutions, found that reported incidences of suspicious activity in commercial real estate financing as reported by depository institutions filing SARs almost tripled between 2007 and 2010, the period which FinCEN examined.

Sioux City, IA - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The City of Sioux City, Neighborhood Services Division has partnered with Inspection Services Division to develop a new program. “We have formed a unique partnership to help low-income elderly, and disabled homeowners with critical emergency repairs that have reduced life, health and safety hazards and improved homeowners’ quality of life” says Darlynn McMullen.

Washington, DC - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The market share of vacation- and investment-home sales1 held steady in 2010, although the sales volume declined with the overall market, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Washington, DC - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- High down payment requirements being proposed by federal regulatory agencies as part of the upcoming rulemaking under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act will unnecessarily burden homebuyers and significantly impede the economic and housing recovery, according to the National Association of Realtors®

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A plan unveiled today by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. that would require a minimum 20 percent down payment for "qualified residential mortgages" would disrupt the housing market and jeopardize the economic recovery, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

EUGENE, OR - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Colorado Springs, Colorado real estate professional Angela Byrne has revolutionized her website with the dynamic IDX Broker software. She now hosts thousands of property listings directly on her website...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev., today issued the following statement on legislative proposals by Congressional leaders to effectively eliminate the role of the GSEs in the U.S. mortgage market:“The National Association of Home Builders strongly supports efforts to modernize the nation’s housing finance system, including reforms to the government sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. We can’t go back to the system that existed before the Great Recession, but it is critical that any reforms be well-conceived, orderly and phased in over time.

Torrance, CA - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Westwood Financial Corp., one of the largest owner-operators of shopping centers in the U.S., announces the opening of a new management office in Atlanta. The move will help Westwood Financial reach its goal of doubling its Georgia retail portfolio over the next five years as the company continues to expand its portfolio through the Southeastern U.S.

POCATELLO, ID - March 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Seventy-five Pocatello area REALTORS® are preparing to shine at a luncheon being held in their honor on Thursday, March 31st. The Saluting Top Area REALTORS® (“STAR”) Awards will be given out during the IdaMortgage Appreciation Luncheon. Hosted by Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA), the event starts at noon at the Juniper Hills Country Club in Pocatello.

March 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, today made the following statement at a Committee hearing on the consideration of proposals to reform the housing finance system

WASHINGTON, DC - March 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that, effectively immediately, it is taking control of the Housing Authority of the City of Lafayette (HACL), citing num...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michael D. Berman, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association, testified today before the Senate Banking Committee at hearing titled, “Public Proposals for the Housing Finance System.”

DES PLAINES, IL - March 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Whether you are planning to take advantage of the buyer's market this Spring, are looking to sell or rent or expecting to stay in your current home for years to come, now is a great time to schedule a home inspection. According to the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), April is National Home Inspection Month and the association is reminding consumers about the importance of hiring a certified home inspector.