Yearly Archives: 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs has approved $8.8 million in grants to fund 164 projects in 37 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to rehabilitate currently operational transitional housing projects and acquire vans to facilitate the transportation needs of homeless veterans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- NAMB—The Association of Mortgage Professionals has announced that it has been invited by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to take part in a sit-down conference to discuss the role the mortgage broker plays in the recovery of the nation’s economic recovery. Representing NAMB at the meeting will be association President Don Frommeyer, CRMS, senior vice president of Amtrust Mortgage Funding in Carmel, Ind. Frommeyer will be joined by the leadership of other housing finance-related trade associations, including the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), National Association of Realtors (NAR), Real Estate Services Providers Council Inc. (RESPRO), and Impact Mortgage Management Advocacy & Advisory Group (IMMAAG), among others.

CAMBRIDGE - November 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Deval Patrick today announced over $73 million in affordable housing resources and tax credits for projects in 17 communities across the state, building on the Patrick Administration’s commitment to improving housing infrastructure to support growth and opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. During the announcement, Governor Patrick signed H.3492, “An Act Financing the Production and Preservation of Housing for the Low and Moderate Income Residents.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Strengthening house prices and increased interest rates in metros across the country contributed to lower housing affordability in the third quarter, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), released today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) --An estimated 36,468 new and resale houses and condos sold statewide last month. That was up 1.2 percent from 36,027 in September, and down 7.1 percent from 39,254 sales in October 2012, according to San Diego-based DataQuick.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) - HUD has issued a notice/request for comment on a proposed new “Small Multifamily Building Risk Share Initiative” intended to give owners of small rental properties access to longer term, fixed rate financing for rehabilitation and refinancing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) - A new housing brief from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that median home values in many small counties across the nation held steady after the most recent recession, while values in large counties declined.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Joliet, Ill., have settled housing discrimination litigation that will preserve affordable housing for low-income residents in the southwest Chicago suburb for at least the next 20 years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois and the Civil Rights Division announced today.

La Jolla, CA. - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Bay Area housing market continued its fits-and-starts march toward normalcy last month with ho-hum sales counts and continued price appreciation. Various below-the-surface technical indicators show a market still transitioning from a severely atypical state a few years ago to something more in line with long-term norms, a real estate information service reported.

Chicago - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fracking* -- one of today’s most hotly debated issues -- took center stage in San Francisco at the recent annual convention of The Counselors of Real Estate, an invitation-only professional association for senior level commercial real estate advisors

CHICAGO - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nov. 11, 2013—Scott R. Muldavin, CRE, senior advisor, Rocky Mountain Institute and executive director of the Green Building Finance Consortium, San Rafael, Calif., was presented the 2013 Committee Service Award by The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) at its Annual Convention in October in San Francisco. The honor recognizes Muldavin’s dedication to committee service within the organization—volunteerism behind the scenes that results in key contributions to advancing the CRE mission.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- On November 12, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the release of the Location Affordability Portal (LAP), a cost calculation tool that allows users to estimate housing and transportation costs for neighborhoods across the country. The LAP will help consumers and communities better understand the combined costs of housing and transportation associated with living in a specific region, street, or neighborhood and make better-informed decisions about where to live, work, and invest

Atlanta, Georgia - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (“Department”) entered into a Consent Order with Equity Loans, LLC, License Number 23300, located at 1150 Hammond Dr., Building E, Suite 650, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, to resolve allegations pertaining to violations of the Georgia Residential Mortgage Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- For the first time ever, a Yemeni delegation of drone strike victims’ family members, human rights experts and Yemeni political leaders will be visiting the US as part of the Global Drone Summit. Faisal Gaber, whose family members were killed by U.S. drones, will ask President Obama for an apology. The delegation will speak at the Friday press conference and at the Drone Summit on Saturday

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs has approved $8.8 million in grants to fund 164 projects in 37 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to rehabilitate currently operational transitional housing projects and acquire vans to facilitate the transportation needs of homeless Veterans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that 25 projects in 11 different states will share approximately $4.9 million in grants to provide enhanced services for homeless Veterans this year. This is in addition to the approximately $300 million in preventive grants awarded earlier this year through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.

DENVER - November 12, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Executives with RE/MAX Holdings, Inc., one of the world’s leading franchisors of real estate brokerage services, celebrated the company’s recent initial public offering (IPO) this morning with a visit to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 12, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Southern California home buying picked up last month compared with September but fell short of a year earlier as sales in inventory-starved, lower-cost markets continued to lag far behind 2012 levels. For the fourth month in a row the region’s median sale price more or less moved sideways, though it was still nearly 22 percent higher than October last year, a real estate information service reported.

WASHINGTON - November 12, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, today unveiled the Location Affordability Portal (LAP), a cost calculation tool that allows users to estimate housing and transportation costs for neighborhoods across the country. The LAP will help consumers and communities better understand the combined costs of housing and transportation associated with living in a specific region, street, or neighborhood and make better-informed decisions about where to live, work, and invest.

WASHINGTON, DC - November 12, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that recipients in 45 states, the Western Pacific and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will receive grants to make housing repairs and improve housing conditions for limited income rural residents. Acting Under Secretary for Rural Development Doug O'Brien announced the selections on Secretary Vilsack's behalf.