Yearly Archives: 2014

SAN DIEGO, - January 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- DataQuick®, a provider of advanced real estate information solutions powered by data, analytics and decisioning, has announced substantial enhancements to CMV-Portfolio, the company’s automated property valuation model (AVM). The enhancements are desiged to improve valuation accuracy and increase by up to 20 percent the likelihood that an automated property valuation will fall within 10 percent of the actual sales price.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced the availability of up to approximately $600 million in grants for non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives that serve very low-income Veteran families occupying permanent housing through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- New mortgage regulations resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act will harm homeownership, reduce credit, and prevent credit-worthy borrowers from obtaining an affordable mortgage, witnesses from Habitat for Humanity, community banks and credit unions told a House Financial Services subcommittee today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Realtors® are not only strong advocates for homeownership, but also for their communities, and many contribute countless hours of their time to enhance the lives of others. For six years now, Realtor® Magazine’s Good Neighbor Society has helped Realtors® expand and develop their charitable efforts through the Volunteering Works Grant and Mentoring Program. The program, which assigns expert mentors to Realtors® who want to expand their community service outreach, is now seeking entries

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The South Florida-based defendants in an alleged mortgage relief scam will surrender their assets and be banned permanently from providing mortgage relief and debt relief services to consumers under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. This settlement represents the FTC’s largest judgment to date against a purported mortgage assistance relief provider.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced the availability of up to approximately $600 million in grants for non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives that serve very low-income Veteran families occupying permanent housing through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.

Alexandria, VA - January 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Industry and AHMA Awards. The list includes both individuals and organizations whose professionalism, dedication and accomplishments in assuring quality housing for low-income Americans raises the standards of he multifamily affordable housing industry.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the ConsensusDocs coalition announced important updates to the standard arbitration provisions in their agreements. Twenty-one revised contracts have been published. Revisions reflect the applicable statute of limitations from state law and how it should apply to arbitration. Currently, there is a split in some state laws interpreting this issue. The revised language also now contains a “savings clause” in case it is unclear whether a claim must go through arbitration or the courts

Hartford, CT - January 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (D-CT-5), Senator\ Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT-4) announced that five Connecticut public housing authorities secured $300,093 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help hire and retain Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program coordinators. The following five Connecticut public housing authorities will receive the funds: Meriden, New Britain, Danbury, Norwalk, and Greenwich

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the December editionof the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard – a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. The latest data show progress among many key indicators. Home values continue to rise, contributing to both an increase in homeowners’ equity and a decline in underwater borrowers. While there is much good news in this scorecard, officials caution that the overall recovery remains fragile. The full Housing Scorecard is available online at www.hud.gov/scorecard.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- When people are making decisions about buying a home, they deserve the best possible guidance. Housing counselors and legal aid lawyers provide that sort of impartial advice, and you also offer much-needed help with rental and credit issues. But you also have been invaluable advisors to many homeowners in trouble. In fact, you are, to my mind, the unsung heroes of the foreclosure crisis, which would have done much greater damage to American consumers and American communities if not for your persistent service to those in need.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction employment declined by 16,000 in December but the industry unemployment rate fell to 11.4 percent, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the new employment data was likely impacted by cold weather, but also reflects underlying weakness in the construction sector

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded nearly $16.3 million in grants to help public housing residents to gain access to education, job training and employment.

Washington, DC - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mel Watt, who was sworn in on January 6, 2014 as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, today announced the appointment of four special advisors —Megan Moore, Bob Ryan, Eric Stein and Mario Ugoletti — to provide counsel on policy and strategic decisions at the FHFA.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Rebuilding Together, a national nonprofit with a vision of a safe and healthy home for every person, announced that after an extensive nationwide search, it has selected Susan Hawfield as vice president of Affiliate Services, effectively immediately. As the vice president of Affiliate Services, Hawfield will be responsible for the development and oversight of programs and services that support the health, sustainability, growth and success of the Rebuilding Together affiliate network

CHICAGO - January 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- New rules taking effect on January 10, 2014, will create a safer mortgage market with fewer tricks and traps, says Woodstock Institute. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is implementing rules that require mortgage lenders to ensure that borrowers can reasonably repay their loans, provide protections for borrowers who fall behind on their mortgages, and help current homeowners stay abreast of the status of their mortgages.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Four years after an earthquake devastated Haiti and killed some 220,000 people and displaced 1.5 million, housing, sanitation and health care remain woefully inadequate, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Co-Director Mark Weisbrot said today. Weisbrot noted that while some 200,000 people are still stuck in internally displaced person (IDP) camps, and many others have been forcibly evicted onto the streets – and while under-funded sanitation and health care allow a cholera epidemic to continue to ravage the country -- many of the urgently-needed funds meant to assist the people of Haiti have gone instead into the pockets of contractors, or have been used to fund projects that benefit foreign corporations far more than they do Haitians.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- “Realtors® applaud the decision by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt to delay increases in guarantee fees on loans purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In a September 2013 letter, NAR called on FHFA to refrain from changing its fee structure until completing an analysis to determine the effectiveness of its fee pricing policy at bringing private enterprise back into the market.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released additional resources for consumers as part of its campaign to educate the public about the new protections provided by the Bureau’s mortgage rules. These new materials include sample letters that consumers can send to their mortgage servicers. The Bureau is publishing these educational materials in anticipation of the January 10, 2014 effective dates for its mortgage rules.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The housing market is on its way to a major recovery thanks to U.S. monetary policy. The best real estate markets in the country have seen improvements in the double-digits over the past year. However, a series of wild cards will drive the market in 2014 as the economy changes. MoneyJournal.com released its best real estate markets forecast for the New Year today.