Yearly Archives: 2017

Home ownership is traditionally seen as the gateway into middle class life. Once you own a property, you have officially arrived. A survey carried out by House Logic found that 51% of people living in rented homes were keen to buy, which is perfectly understandable given the uncertainty of life in the private rental sector.

International award-winning KTGY Architecture + Planning announced today that Avenida Partners, LLC has begun construction of a new 230-unit service-enriched rental community for active adults age 55 and better in the metro Denver. Avenida Lakewood is located just six miles from downtown Denver and in the heart of Lakewood at the corner of Colfax Avenue and Owens Street

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency is working with local governments and residents in St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands to keep hazardous materials out of the environment and minimize the amount of waste going to landfills through household hazardous waste collection events

Today in Washington, President Trump’s top trade adviser held a public hearing on the Section 201 solar trade case. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), solar companies, utilities and many others showed the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the Trade Policy Staff Committee that tariffs on solar imports would deal a deep, self-inflicted wound to the American economy and help two foreign-based companies and their hedge fund investors.

David H. Stevens, CMB, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released the following statement applauding the Senate Banking Committee and Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) for approving today S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act.

Mayor Bowser released the following statement regarding the Council’s passage of the Homeless Services Reform Amendment Act of 2017. “Today, the District took another bold step forward to making homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring.

Homelessness crept up in the U.S., especially among individuals with long-term disabling conditions according to the latest national estimate by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD’s 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress found that 553,742 persons experienced homelessness on a single night in 2017, an increase of .7 percent since last year.

The Boulder Group, a net leased investment brokerage firm, has completed the sale of a single tenant net leased Advance Auto Parts located at 5414 Rowlett Road in Rowlett, Texas for $2,500,000.

The U.S. Senate today passed tax reform legislation that the National Association of Realtors® believes puts home values at risk and dramatically undercuts the incentive to own a home.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary, Pamela Hughes Patenaude will visit Puerto Rico this week to get a closer look at the island’s recovery from Hurricane Maria. Patenaude will be joined by members of HUD’s Disaster Recovery and Long-Term Housing Team.

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement today in connection with the proposed Senate tax reform measure

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced a $227 million project to rehabilitate Arlington Memorial Bridge, a historic and critical transportation link in the nation’s capital. As awarded, the project will save American taxpayers $35 million and 1.5 years of estimated construction time

Overall construction spending reached a record high in October, although public-sector investments in infrastructure continued to lag earlier levels, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said federal, state and local officials should address the growing shortfall in transportation, water and wastewater infrastructure in the interests of economic growth and public health and safety.

Senate Republicans approved a tax plan today that, if enacted, would harm millions of the lowest income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, veterans, and other at-risk populations in need of federal investments to help them afford a roof over their heads. With this vote, Republicans in Congress are one step closer to providing massive, unpaid-for tax cuts for the rich and powerful, draining resources needed for other critical investments, including affordable housing.

In its survey of Florida construction firms for the third quarter of 2017, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) finds the confidence to fill open positions over the next six months remains low. Continued hurricane rebuilding efforts will likely exacerbate the challenge to find enough skilled labor in Florida to meet the level of project demand. Confidence in other areas of the survey remains high.

David H. Stevens, CMB, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, offered the following statement praising efforts by Senate Leadership, Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Senator David Perdue (R-GA), to address language in Section 13221 of the Senate Tax Reform Bill relating to mortgage servicing rights (MSRs)

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency is working with local governments and residents in St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands to keep hazardous materials out of the environment and minimize the amount of waste going to landfills through household hazardous waste collection events.

One of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s (D-DC) top construction priorities, the Memorial Bridge, which is owned and maintained by the National Park Service (NPS), now has the total funds necessary to complete repairs, Norton said today. Norton, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, worked to secure $90 million for phase one funding from the Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) program in fiscal year 2016.