News

Washington DC - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Three winners emerged today from the global collaborative competition: Sustainable Urban Housing: Collaborating for Liveable and Inclusive Cities competition, hosted by Ashoka’s Changemakers, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation. The competition identifies innovative solutions for providing sustainable, energy efficient housing in a way that unleashes economic opportunities for the urban poor, and builds smarter, cleaner cities around the world

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications decreased 6.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 8, 2011.

April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Turner Universal, a subsidiary of Turner Construction Company, today announced that the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recognized the Company’s work on the Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, TN with the Pyramid Award in the Mega-Project category of ABC’s Excellence in Construction Awards.

Washington, DC - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today announced that it will release AIA Document D503™-2011, Guide for Sustainable Projects, including Agreement Amendments and Supplementary Conditions (“Guide”), in May 2011. The Guide is free and was developed to assist users of AIA Contract Documents in understanding contractual considerations unique to sustainable design and construction projects.

April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A report released today by NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy finds that the housing crisis has taken a toll on New York City’s multi-family rental properties. The report, the State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods 2010, also examines commuting patterns within the city, highlights new data on subsidized rental housing, and shows housing and demographic trends in each of the city’s 59 community districts.

DENVER, CO - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Kris Kerr, a service-driven real estate professional, has joined The Gordon Group with Kentwood Real Estate in the Denver Tech Center as a Broker Associate. Kerr is now serving the diverse real estate needs of clients throughout the metro Denver area.

DENVER, CO - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Kris Kerr, a service-driven real estate professional, has joined The Gordon Group with Kentwood Real Estate in the Denver Tech Center as a Broker Associate. Kerr is now serving the diverse real est...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- National consumer, civil rights, and labor groups ask bank regulators to withdraw the proposed consent orders issued to the nation’s mortgage servicers and to work with the state Attorneys General and United States Department of Justice to obtain a joint settlement that addresses illegal servicing practices in a meaningful manner.

Washington, DC - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is the recipient of a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program grant to assist seniors who have taken out a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) and who are delinquent on their property charges, such as taxes and insurance, thus putting their home in danger of foreclosure.

Phoenix, AZ - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today introduced its latest green building rating system, LEED for Healthcare, at the CleanMed conference. The rating system guides the design and construction of both new buildings and major renovations of existing buildings, and can be applied to inpatient, outpatient and licensed long-term care facilities, medical offices, assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The apartment industry made a surprising recovery in 2010 from the “Great Recession,” and that recovery is reflected in the 2011 NMHC 50, the National Multi Housing Council’s annual ranking of the 50 largest apartment owners and 50 largest managers.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that it is making grants available to help eliminate lead-based paint and other housing related health hazards from lower income homes. The funding will help protect young children as well as other vulnerable populations.

Santa Rosa Beach, FL - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing appreciation will take a number of years to materialize again after the downturn in most local U.S. housing markets, according to the findings of a new Housing Predictor survey. Consumers are cautiously optimistic about the market with more than 1 out of 3 surveyed saying it will take more than five years for the market to appreciate.

April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new program that allows housing lenders and borrowers to easily exchange information is aimed at helping both sides work out a settlement agreement in foreclosure cases. The program centers on the launch of a secure online network that enables parties to more efficiently exchange documents during mediation. Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard explained the importance of the network. “The success of settlement conferences can depend on whether all the necessary paperwork is in place. We are giving both sides another tool to collect and review all the information needed to work out an agreement.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, two companies and three individuals are banned from the mortgage relief services business and must relinquish $2.2 million in assets for consumer refunds. The action is part of the FTC’s ongoing effort to stop scams that target financially strapped homeowners seeking mortgage relief.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it will launch an effort to better address national origin based housing discrimination during Fair Housing Month in April. HUD will initiate a national media campaign and a series of community discussions on topics ranging from rental practices to mortgage lending. HUD's first Immigrant Housing Conference, which will educate the public and housing providers about their fair housing rights and responsibilities, will be conducted in Omaha, Nebraska, April 14

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz issued the following statement regarding this week’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upholding the FTC’s order in the RealComp matter.

April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Research Center Partners with Local Home Builder Associations on April 13th to Deliver Builder Education on Green Home Building & Marketing. That: North Carolina has long been recognized as one of the nation's leaders for building high-performance, green homes

April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In July 2010, the Loudoun County Treasurer’s Office was among the first in the Commonwealth of Virginia to offer individual taxpayers the opportunity to receive their personal property tax bills electronically. Since that time, more than 12,000 citizens have registered and received their personal property tax bills through e-mail.

Washington, DC - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will provide Ohio with an additional $61.8 million to help low-income homeowners and renters meet home energy costs under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).