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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – March 17, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — For more than 20 years, the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund tax campaign has encouraged the citizens of Utah to pledge a donation on their tax return to the fund. This year,...

WASHINGTON, DC - March 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Members of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International will bring their message to lawmakers around the country the week of March 20 as part of BOMA’s annual National Issues Conference. As part of an industry that supports one million jobs in the United States and contributes $118 million to GDP in office building operating outlays alone, BOMA members will meet with their Representatives and Senators to explain the critical role commercial real estate plays in a thriving economy and to gain support for key industry issues. Because of the new Congressional work schedule, the conference, which usually takes place in Washington, D.C., will be held locally around the U.S while lawmakers are in their home districts.

Washington, DC - March 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- “Owning a home offers myriad benefits throughout the year, but some of the financial advantages of home ownership are most apparent at tax time,” said NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. “As many of today’s hard-working American families are feeling a financial squeeze, the tax benefits that can come from owning a home can be a welcome relief.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the April 18 federal income tax filing deadline approaches, many American home owners are realizing the financial benefits of homeownership—savings that can add up to tens of thousands of dollars over several years."The mortgage interest deduction is one homeownership tax incentive that has been part of the tax code for nearly 100 years," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "Incentives such as this have helped millions of American families be able to afford a home of their own."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) urges members of the House of Representatives to show their support for homeownership and the mortgage interest deduction by co-sponsoring H. Res. 25."This resolution acknowledges the importance of homeownership to individual households, the economy and the nation," said NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno, Nev. The resolution also states that the mortgage interest deduction "may well be the most important component of housing-related tax policy in America today" and should not be further restricted, he said

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Housing Law Project, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty and the Housing Justice Network have petitioned the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to stop forcing lenders to give misleading and deceptive information to tenants in foreclosed homes – information that leads tenants to forego rights guaranteed to them by the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (PTFA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Most home buyers who claimed the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for buying their first home in 2008 are required to start repaying the credit in 15 annual installments, beginning with their 2010 tax returns. The credit—some form of which was offered for qualified home purchases in 2008, 2009 and 2010—has different repayment rules depending on when and under what circumstances the home was purchased. As tax season approaches, this may cause confusion among home buyers who received the tax credit.

L?HU‘E, HI - February 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Because the normal deadline for real property taxes fall on Sunday, Feb. 20 and Monday, Feb. 21 is President’s Day, Kaua'i property owners have until Tuesday, Feb. 22 to pay the second installment of real property taxes for the 2010-2011 tax year without penalty

WASHINGTON, DC - February 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Continued government participation in the secondary mortgage market is essential to ensuring affordable and available home mortgages to qualified consumers when private lenders withdraw from the market, according to the National Association of Realtors®’ recommendations for restructuring the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)

WASHINGTON, DC - February 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The United States has filed six lawsuits in five states to stop tax return preparers from fraudulently claiming the first-time homebuyer tax credit and the earned-income tax credit, the Justice Department announced today. The filings of those civil injunction complaints coincided with the indictment of a Philadelphia man on criminal charges of fraudulently claiming the first-time homebuyer credit. All of these actions are part of the Justice Department’s continuing efforts to halt tax scams involving false claims for tax credits and to prosecute those who fraudulently file tax returns containing those claims.

WASHINGTON, DC - February 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International’s Board of Governors recently passed two new policy positions in response to important, emerging issues. Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) Policy Position: BOMA International supports amending, if not the outright repeal of, FIRPTA to increase the amount of foreign capital invested in the U.S. commercial real estate market

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) applauded President Obama’s support for provisions in S. 1637, the Expanding Build...

February 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Chris Beutler today said cities are willing to do their part to help the State solve its budget crisis. But he called on the State Legislature to reconsider proposals that could force cities to raise pro...

L?HU‘E, HI - January 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- County officials would like to remind Kaua‘i property owners that the second installment of real property taxes for the 2010-2011 tax year is due on Feb. 20

McLean, VA - January 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- I'm pleased to reach this agreement with Bank of America and believe it is in all parties' best interests. Since entering federal conservatorship, Freddie Mac has focused sharply on being a responsible steward of taxpayer funds, and we have worked closely with our lender partners to ensure that standards for loan underwriting are vigorously maintained. Bank of America has long been one of Freddie Mac's largest and most important business partners and we look forward to continuing our work together to provide mortgage funding for America's families.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 28, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department today announced a $1.25 million agreement with Warren Properties Inc., Warren Village (Mobile) Limited Partnership and Frank R. Warren to settle allegations that the defendants violated the Fair Housing Act by refusing to grant a tenant’s requests for a reasonable accommodation. This settlement is the largest ever obtained by the department in an individual housing discrimination case.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- At its December 16th, 2010 meeting, the CHFA Board of Directors approved the Resolution Authorizing for Public Comment Purposes Amendments to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Procedures

WASHINGTON, DC - December 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- PrimeLending, a national mortgage lender with 168 offices in 32 states at the end of 2009, has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-American borrowers between 2006 and 2009.

Environmental awareness may be rising, but when it comes to buying a home, green by itself is not an easy sale, according to green market experts who spoke at “The Business Benefits of Green” during the 2007 REALTORS® Conference & Expo last week.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Subprime mortgage troubles continue as Congress considers proposals impacting taxpayers. The measures would give the federal housing administration or FHA - the largest mortgage insurer - and Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae - the largest mortgage lender - a larger role in the housing market.