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WASHINGTON, DC - May 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced the final Fiscal Year 2011 block grant allocations to approximately 1,200 state and local governments under the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), and the Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG). Read more about how HUD’s block grant programs will be allocated at the state and local level.

COLUMBUS, OH - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) is partnering with The Ohio State University (OSU) to launch the Homeownership Investment Program. The program will provide additional support for OHFA homeowners before and after they purchase their home, to increase their mortgage sustainability and overall financial well-being. The new program will enhance the streamlined homebuyer education currently offered by the Agency in conjunction with OHFA's successful affordable mortgage program for first-time homebuyers.

May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) today noted that the Michigan Saves Home Energy Loan program will be increasing its loan cap from $12,500 to $20,000, effective June 1. The higher loan cap will eliminate a barrier for consumers who want to invest in deep energy efficiency for their home, and will give a greater boost to those who want to purchase solar photovoltaic systems.

HOBOKEN, N.J. - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- One of Hoboken’s newest luxury rental communities, 800 Madison Street, traded this week. Commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.’s Metropolitan Area Capital Markets Group orchestrated the property’s sale from Tarragon Corp. to CB Richard Ellis Investors.

West Hartford, CT - May 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Connecticut Real Estate Investors Association, or CT REIA, in association with Dave Lindahl, is announcing a free wealth building conference for real estate investors on June 4 and 5, 2011. This event will take place from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Comfort Inn, 900 East Main Street in Meriden CT. This is a free event. VIP seating and bonus sessions are also available for a nominal fee. Seating is very limited and interested parties are urged to register well in advance

Washington, D.C. - May 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today welcomed an announcement that a conditional loan guarantee has been awarded to the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project in Nevada. The facility will create new clean energy jobs in the Silver State and boost the supply of renewable energy needed to power local homes and businesses."This is a smart investment that will create new Nevada jobs and increase our supply of clean renewable energy. That is why I fought Republican efforts to cut the loans for renewable energy projects like this new solar plant near Tonopah. Nevada's future is in clean energy and we can create jobs and strengthen our economy by investing in the development of more solar, wind, geothermal and other sources of renewable power found in abundance right here at home in the Silver State," said Berkley.

CHICAGO, LONDON, SINGAPORE - May 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Cross-border direct commercial real estate investment volumes reached US$37 billion in Q1 2011, up 25 percent from a year ago, according to the recent Global Capital Flows report from Jones Lang LaSalle. Inter-regional volumes (capital moving between the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific) rose to US$26 billion, a 70 percent increase over Q1 2010. This emphasises the appetite real estate investors have for acquiring foreign assets and far exceeds the 40 percent gain across the total market (cross border plus domestic investment) in the first quarter.

LAS VEGAS, NV - May 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Faris Lee Investments, the nation’s largest retail-specialized investment sales and advisory firm, has been named the exclusive broker to market The District at Green Valley Ranch, a 384,107-square-foot landmark retail community center located in Green Valley Ranch, a leading master planned community located near Las Vegas at Green Valley Parkway and Interstate 215.

Phoenix, AZ - May 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The admonition, “Go west, young man!” was taken to heart by William Shirley Fulton from his Waterbury, Connecticut home and lucrative manufacturing business. 1600 acres sprawling amidst the desolate beauty of Texas Canyon in Cochise County, Arizona was Fulton’s find, becoming home and investment. The Amerind Foundation became the passion of Fulton’s life as he established it in 1937. Fulton’s life and accomplishments are more than his personal and family legacy; they function as a primer on how to survive and thrive in today’s economic domestic climate. The Amerind Foundation in its structure, organization, scope of work and active research and programs well illustrates the vitality of contemporary non-profit practice in America.

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - May 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Another bank-owned building, another auction: a common story in the Las Vegas area. So what makes this auction different? It is conducted entirely online, as have many hundreds of other successful auctions on the Freedom Realty Exchange®, the global online real estate auction marketplace.

May 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Celebrity couple Katy Perry and Russell Brand have decided to sell their luxury Los Angeles home after living in the property for just two years. The couple, who married in October last year, have put their 1922 Mediterranean style property on the market for US$3.395 million. The house comes complete with a three car garage, four bedrooms, a swimming pool and views over Los Angeles

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - May 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mark Lucescu, President of Lucescu Realty, one of the most active real estate investment brokerage firms in the U.S., announced today that the firm has closed, or currently has in escrow, approximately $500 million in retail property transactions and has opened a new office in Las Vegas to better serve its clients. Lucescu Realty most recently represented separate sellers, and procured the buyers, in the sale of Park West Place, a 757,000 sq. ft. power center in Stockton, Calif., which was acquired for $92.5 million; and Gilroy Crossing, a 474,000 sq. ft. power center in Gilroy, Calif., which was acquired for $68.5 million.

West Hartford, CT - May 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) CT REIA Business Entrepreneur Workshop June 13, 2011 - 6:30 to 9:00 PM Sheraton Four Points. 275 Research Parkway. Meriden, CT Admission for the general public is $49. Special price for CT REIA - Only $24

Washington, D.C. - May 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Monticello, N.Y.-based investment adviser with fraudulently offering and selling securities in two upstate New York real estate funds he managed.

Las Vegas, NV - May 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Statistics released today by the Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® (GLVAR) show an increased number of local homes sold in April compared to one year ago.

BEDFORD, N.H. - May 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- At its recent meeting, New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority’s Board of Directors approved the commitment of nearly $3 million in federal tax credits that will be used to support construction of 21...

WASHINGTON, DC - May 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae's latest national housing survey finds that Americans expressed more cautious optimism during the first quarter of 2011 than in the fourth quarter of 2010, but they continue to lack confidence in the overall strength of the housing market and economic recovery. The First-Quarter 2011 Fannie Mae National Housing Survey polled homeowners and renters between January 2011 and March 2011. Findings were compared to similar surveys conducted throughout 2010 and December 2003.

Washington, DC - May 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Now is the time for Realtors® to come to the aid of their industry, on behalf of the nation’s 75 million home owners, aspiring home owners, real estate investors, and the nation’s economy. That was the message delivered today during “59 and ½ Minutes: A Member-Director Forum” during the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here.

West Hartford, CT - May 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Connecticut Real Estate Investors Association, or CT REIA, in association with Dave Lindahl, is announcing the May 2011 CT REIA monthly meeting for real estate investors. This event will take place on Monday May 23, 2011, from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 100 Berlin Road, Cromwell, CT. This event is free for CT REIA members and $30 for not-yet-members.

IRVINE, CA - May 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- RealtyTrac® (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, and SmartZip Analytics (www.smartzip.com), a leader in real estate analytics, today announced that SmartZip’s HomeScore™ has been integrated on nearly 2 million foreclosure and for-sale properties posted on the RealtyTrac website, allowing users to instantly locate properties that have the best potential for appreciation over time