Archives

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 27, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The King County Housing Authority and KeyBank Public Sector through its affiliate Key Government Finance, Inc., have closed on a pool financing that positions a KCHA portfolio of 18 existing properties to take advantage of current low interest rates. The tax-exempt loan of up to $85 million will allow KCHA to refinance existing debt and finance the acquisition of three additional properties.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 27, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- If you walked into the office of Tamman Technologies on the evening of Saturday November 23rd, you would’ve assumed that the teams scattered throughout the space were employees working on a deadline. The empty coffee cups and half eaten pizza slices may have signaled at just how long of a day it had been, but the quiet chatter and intense focus showed that were no signs of slowing down.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 27, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- According to Housing Instability Among Our Nation’s Veterans, a study released Nov. 12 by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) 1.5 million veteran households suffered from severe housing cost burden in 2011, spending more than 50% of their income on housing. There were also significant disparities among veteran households, with veteran households headed by a racial minority, females, and those with a disability more likely to be cost burdened than their counterparts.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 27, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Issuance of new building permits rose 6.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.034 million units in October due primarily to a double-digit increase on the multifamily side, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.

Torrance, CA - November 27, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Designed by Nadel Architects, the Shores multifamily development is now open for rent at 4201 Via Marina in Marina del Rey, Calif. The $165 million complex, located just blocks away from both Venice Beach and the Marina del Rey docks, was created by one of the area’s first development teams – Jerry Epstein and actor Kirk Douglas, developers and owners of Shores, LLC; and Herb Nadel, architect and founding principal of Nadel Architects. Replacing a series of two-story, garden-style apartment buildings developed by Epstein and Douglas in the 1960s, the completion of Shores addresses the demand for higher-density, contemporary apartment living near the Pacific Ocean.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 26, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- National data show interest rates on mortgages interrupted their upward trend. Contract mortgage interest rates decreased 0.04 percent from September to October, according to an index of new mortgage contracts

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 26, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Upward momentum in U.S. house prices remained strong in the third quarter, as prices rose 2.0 percent from the previous quarter, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). This is the ninth consecutive quarterly price increase in the purchase-only, seasonally adjusted index and it marks the first time since 2009 that the national house price level is higher than it was five years ago.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 26, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that the 2014 maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will remain at $417,000 for one-unit properties in most areas of the country.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 26, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for October 2013:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 26, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Note: Kansas may not be the first state you think of for solar training, but Derek Reilley, Renewable/Sustainable Energy Program Director at Colby Community College in Colby, Kansas, may make you think differently. Colby Community College is a partnering training organization working with Salt Lake Community College in the Rocky Mountain RTP. Derek is the project lead for CCC’s solar training program. Here’s his update. eds.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The state has awarded $18.3 million in grants and loans to help fund 13 affordable housing developments across the state, including projects in Westport and Danbury, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Thursday. “Increasing the availability of affordable housing is a top priority because the benefits extend far beyond the families and communities immediately impacted,” Malloy said in a statement.

Washington, D.C. - November 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Last week, from the floor of the annual Greenbuild Conference’s International Summit, it was announced that Greenbuild for Europe and the Mediterranean region will launch in Verona, Italy in 2014.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for its Fiscal Year 2013 and Fiscal Year 2014 Continuum of Care (CoC) NOFA Program Competition. The NOFA is published on the Funds Available page of HUD's website and on HUD's OneCPD Resource Exchange on the FY 2013 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program NOFA: CoC Program Competition page.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction employment increased in 39 states over the past 12 months, the most widespread gains since April 2012, according to an analysis today by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials said action on needed infrastructure investments for water and transportation projects would help support continued employment growth for the industry.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) will hold public hearings on the FY2015 budget in December in Fitchburg and Boston:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that HUD will award $1.7 billion to support homeless assistance programs with the Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). Due to a record number of existing programs requesting funds to continue operating, flat funding from Congress and sequestration, this amount represents a 5% cut to existing programs and risks halting or even reversing recent reductions of homelessness in communities across the country.

WASHINGTON - November 22, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) held a hearing titled “Housing Finance Reform: Developing a Plan for a Smooth Transition.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 22, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today that nine communities across the U.S. will receive Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. The $4.37 million awarded today provides these communities the resources they need to craft comprehensive, community-driven plans to revitalize and transform public or other HUD-assisted housing and distressed neighborhoods. Read more about these local planning efforts.

Arlington, Va. - November 22, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today expressed concern over a controversial change in U.S. Senate rules and procedures that will allow the majority party to skirt a filibuster to confirm certain presidential appointments. Traditionally, 60 votes have been needed to confirm nominees and pass legislation, but by invoking this unprecedented rule change along partisan lines, the majority has lowered that threshold to a simple majority of 51 votes.

Arlington, Va. - November 22, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced a collaboration with Synergis Engineering Design Solutions, a Platinum provider of Autodesk products, to bring Building Information Modeling (BIM) training to ABC contractor members to make them more productive, efficient and profitable. The training is part of a larger effort known as Project Virtual