Laws & Taxes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today announced the following new residential construction statistics for April 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Top Construction Official Urges Congress to Act Swiftly to Pass Water Resources Reform & Development Act Released Today By a House-Senate Conference Committee to Help Economy, Lauds Bipartisan Support for Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the Senate Banking Committee approved S. 1217, the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2013, by a bipartisan vote of 13-9. The legislation included a bipartisan agreement drafted by Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Crapo and is designed to stabilize the housing finance market and strengthen the American economy. It will create greater competition in the housing finance system and reduce risk to the taxpayer while ensuring affordable, fair access to all creditworthy borrowers.

Reston, Virginia, - May 15, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that the United States District Court of New Hampshire granted MERS’ motion to dismiss a wrongful foreclosure lawsuit.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 15, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) resumed consideration of S. 1217, the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2013. The legislation being marked up included a bipartisan agreement drafted by Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Crapo and is designed to stabilize the housing finance market and strengthen the American economy. It will create greater competition in the housing finance system and reduce risk to the taxpayer while ensuring affordable, fair access to all creditworthy borrowers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 8, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- If the nation faced another major economic downturn, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could require an additional taxpayer bailout of around $190 billion, according to stress test results released April 29 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bloomberg reported.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 8, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Supporters of an “enhanced” but expired federal tax deduction for landowners who donate property for conservation or preservation want Congress to reinstate it and make it permanent, CQ Roll Call reported May 2.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 8, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released Norton’s testimony in advance of tomorrow’s hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on Government Operations on legislation passed by the District of Columbia decriminalizing marijuana. Norton is a senior member of the full committee, but is not a member of the subcommittee, which is chaired by Representative John Mica (R-FL). As a member of the full committee, she will be permitted to sit with the subcommittee and ask questions following her testimony as a witness. The hearing will take place on May 8 at 10:00 a.m. in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

COLUMBUS - May 5, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) encourages first-time buyers to take advantage of multiple savings through the Agency's First-Time Homebuyer program. Qualified buyers receive down payment assistance of up to 2.5 percent of the home's purchase price, a new mortgage tax credit, and a special interest rate reduction of .25 percent on all home loans. The special mortgage rate is limited to the first 250 loans reserved through a participating OHFA lender.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 2, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Assemblyman Chris A. Brown was honored today by the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation with its Distinguished Arts Advocate Award at the organization’s Arts Day 2014 event held in Trenton.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 2, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation plan to meet with Secretary Shaun Donovan of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) May 8, announced Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Dean of the N.J. Delegation, to discuss questions and concerns from the delegation and state lawmakers as to why the process for helping homeowners recovering from Superstorm Sandy is taking so long. The lawmakers want to discuss the best way forward to assist thousands of homeowners who still waiting to fix and return to their homes nearly a year and half after the October 2012 storm.

TALLAHASSEE - May 1, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today applauded the Florida House and Senate for passing legislation that creates a Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights. CFO Atwater made advocating for the bill a priority because it provides important consumer protections and greater transparency to the insurance claim-filing process. The bill also addresses additional aspects of the homeowner claims process such as eliminating unscrupulous post-claim underwriting practices that deny claims for unsuspecting consumers. The bill will now be sent to Governor Rick Scott to be signed into law.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 25, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Common law litigation seeking relief from petrochemical companies for causing climate change has been much touted but little successful.

TRENTON - April 24, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- With the spring boom in home, landscape and gardening activities kicking up now, the Department of Environmental Protection today urged New Jersey residents to use caution when applying pesticides, and to employ only licensed commercial pesticide applicators when hiring for pest control services that include pesticide product applications

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, made public his proposal to reform the federal tax code, in which he calls for changes to the mortgage interest deduction. He would lower the cap on the size of mortgage for which interest can be deducted from $1 million to $500,000. Mr. Camp’s willingness to change the mortgage interest deduction indicates that it is no longer the untouchable third rail of tax policy and is ripening for reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) Board recently awarded $1.16 million in tax credit allocation to Allies & Ross Management and Development Corporation (the development arm of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh) and McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. for the Larimer/East Liberty Phase I development. This allocation will provide tax credit equity in the amount of roughly $11 million toward this initiative

MADISON, - January 24, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) --Governor Scott Walker today called a special session of the Wisconsin State Legislature for the purpose of providing over $500 million in property and income tax cuts for the hard-working taxpayers and significant investment in worker training programs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Existing-home sales fell in November, although median prices continue to show strong year-over-year growth, according to the National Association of Realtors

WASHINGTON, D.C. - October 31, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The non-partisan, independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports the Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners Act (PATH Act) that the House Financial Services Committee passed in July will slash the federal budget deficit by $5.7 billion over the next 10 years

Denver, CO - October 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. (the “Company” or “RE/MAX”), one of the world's leading franchisors of real estate brokerage services, has completed its initial public offering of 11,500,000 shares of Class A common stock at $22.00 per share, including the full exercise of the option to purchase 1,500,000 additional shares granted to the underwriters. The Company’s Class A common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RMAX” on October 2, 2013