Monthly Archives: April 2010

Washington, DC - April 27, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency today reported that the average interest rate on conventional 30-year, fixed-rate, mortgage loans of $417,000 or less decreased 4 basis points to 5.09 percent in March. The average interest rate on 15- year, fixed-rate loans of $417,000 decreased 8 basis points to 4.57 percent in March. These rates are calculated from the FHFA’s Monthly Interest Rate Survey (MIRS) of purchase-money mortgages. These results reflect loans closed during the March 25-31 period. Typically, the interest rate is determined 30 to 45 days before the loan is closed. Thus, the reported rates depict market conditions prevailing in mid- to late-February.

EUGENE, OR - April 27, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. eagerly announces today the addition of RE/MAX Elite's Jennifer McCoy of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to its ever growing real estate client roster. This innovative and enhanced IDX Broker software and support system will allow easy consumer access to a multitude of property listings on McCoy's website, smoothing and simplifying the online real estate search process for potential home buyers and Realtors alike. This custom IDX solution addition simplifies and attractively presents Brevard MLS (BMLS) listing information onto her website, which can then be altered and personalized by McCoy, to best fit both her and her clients wants and needs.

Washington, DC - April 27, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency has sent to the Federal Register a final rule that restructures the board of directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank System’s (System) Office of Finance (OF) and enhances the responsibility of the OF board of directors audit committee for the System’s combined financial reports. The OF is responsible for issuing consolidated obligations on behalf of the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks, serves as their fiscal agent, and prepares disclosure materials associated with the marketing and sale of that debt, including the System’s quarterly and annual combined financial reports

San Francisco, CA - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is now accepting applications for its 2010 Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development (AHEAD) Program, which allows members of the Bank to support economic and housing projects during their critical conception and early development stages. Since the program was launched in 2004, more than $2.5 million in AHEAD Program grants have been awarded to support 94 projects in Arizona, California, and Nevada.

EUGENE, OR - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- With new clients being added on a daily basis, IDX, Inc. is happy to welcome yet another real estate professional, Corneau & Associates very own Perry Corneau of Sarasota, Florida, who has chosen to incorporate a custom IDX solution into the search functionality of his website. This innovative Internet Data Exchange (IDX) software enables Corneau to provide potential home buyers with a truly unique and personalized online real estate search experience, where they can browse thousands of properties and utilize detailed search features to quickly and easily find what they want and need out of their new home. IDX Broker has the one-of-a-kind technology to extract raw listing data from the Mid Florida Regional MLS (MFRMLS), and then formats the information to be viewed as a seamlessly integrated form on Corneau's website

April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) will hold public hearings at two different locations in May to discuss 14 affordable housing development proposals submitted by developers. Developers applied for these funds in response to the 2010 Round 2 Notification of Funding Availability issued in December 2009.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today announced the appointment of Harold M. Knowles to the Board of Governors for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, effective April 21, 2010, through July 31, 2011. Citizens is one of the largest property and casualty insurance companies in the nation and the largest property insurer in Florida.

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Low interest rates, record affordability and the likelihood of home prices on the rise look like the right recipe to entice perspective investors into real estate.

Washington, D.C. - April 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) this week, introduced the Housing Assistance Council Reauthorization Act of 2010 (H.R. 5122).

WARWICK, RI - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and Senator Jack Reed announced that over 100 apartments in Warwick, R.I.

SACRAMENTO, CA - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Total housing starts in California continued to climb for the third straight month in March signaling that the worst of the housing downturn may finally be over, the California Building Industry Association announced today

Washintgon, DC - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network, led by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE), the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and NeighborWorks America, today announced a national campaign to prevent loan modification scams through public education, complaint reporting and coordination with local, state, and federal enforcement agencies

April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) wants members of the military, foreign service and intelligence communities to know that they may have an additional year to buy a home and claim the home buyer tax credit, which expires for most Americans on April 30

BEAVER, WV - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Repairing or rebuilding a flood-damaged home? Working on ways to make your home more disaster-resistant? Have questions about flood insurance?

Udall: Credit Score is Critical to Buy Home or Car; Vital Information Should be Free. Washington, D.C. - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, U.S. Senator Mark Udall continued his effort to level the playing field for consumers by introducing a bill that would provide consumers with free access to their credit scores.

Irvine, CA - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The organizers of Orange County’s annual Affordable Housing Award (AHA) selected Jamboree Housing Corporation’s The Arbor at Woodbury community as the 2010 Project of the Year. The Affordable Housing Award presentation is co-hosted by the Kennedy Commission, Orange County Housing Corporation, and the Affordable Housing Clearinghouse, three of the county’s leaders in the affordable housing industry.

Miami, FL - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Condo.com, the world’s largest marketplace has appointed Cristian Sturek as their Chief Technology Officer. The announcement marks an exciting time for the Company as its technology platform has positioned the Company into an industry-leading domain and world-class search site. Choosing the right IT leader was of vital importance to Condo.com as their IT strategy so closely aligns with their overall corporate strategy and objectives. Hiring an industry expert like Mr. Sturek will greatly impact operations since site development and technological components have been a leading forefront to much of the Company’s success to date. Mr. Sturek’s addition to the team opens a new window of growth and opportunity yet to be discovered by the Company and its category domain

TALLAHASSEE, FL - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today released a letter to OIR Commissioner Kevin McCarty inquiring whether any additional actions may be necessary by OIR prior to hurricane season to ensure authorized property insurers are financially capable of meeting their obligations through the course of the 2010 hurricane season. A copy of the letter follows below

April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Affordable Housing Department will hold an evaluation committee meeting to review a Request for Qualifications they held for a group home provider. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 26, from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., in the Code Enforcement Training Room, 10119 Windhorst Road., Tampa.

CHICAGO, IL - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Pat Quinn today attended the third annual Illinois Warrior Summit resource fair and encouraged Illinois’ veterans to access available state and federal services. The event is a first-of-its-kind welcome home celebration for servicemembers returning from deployment and provides them with information about housing, healthcare, education, jobs and other benefits

WASHINGTON, DC - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Representatives of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force met in Detroit today for the third of a series of Mortgage Fraud Summits. The task force, established by President Barack Obama in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, is composed of representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement.

April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Troy David Chaika, age 43, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Minneapolis for conspiring with others to bilk mortgage lenders out of more than $43 million by making materially false representations and concealing material information. The indictment, originally filed in U.S. District Court on April 12, was unsealed today following Chaika’s initial appearance in federal court. Specific charges include seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud

April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Two Prior Lake men and a man from California were charged in a federal indictment unsealed today in the District of Minnesota. The indictment, originally filed with the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on April 21, 2010, alleges that Beau Wesley Gensmer, age 28, and Christopher Glenn Kennedy, age 30, both of Prior Lake, along with Cameron Roland Baird, age 29, of Los Altos, California, orchestrated a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders out of $3.1 million by causing mortgage loans to be funded based on false information. Specifically, each defendant was charged with 15 counts of wire fraud, one count of wire fraud conspiracy, and two counts of engaging in a monetary transaction derived from unlawful activity.

EUGENE, OR - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc., the nation’s leading Internet Data Exchange (IDX) software provider, is pleased to welcome Lee Rabanal with Savvy Realty & Loans in Honolulu, Hawaii, to the rapidly expanding network of elite rank real estate professionals who have chosen to integrate IDX Broker search tools into the search forms of their websites. With the addition of this highly customizable search tool application, Rabanal is able immediately link potential home buyers interested in Honolulu area properties, to an endless amount of listings from his local Multiple Listing Service (MLS), the Hawaii Central MLS (HiCentralMLS). This will enable home seekers to search literally each and every characteristic and detail of a home, on their own time, from their own personal computers, creating an effortless, simple and convenient online real estate search experience.

EUGENE, OR - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- With the help of IDX, Inc., Bob Dratler with Team 1 Real Estate, has recently incorporated a custom IDX solution into his site, developing a truly custom and user-friendly search experience for prospective home buyers browsing properties in Naples, Florida and its surrounding areas. This innovative and advanced Internet Data Exchange (IDX) software and its unique relationship with the MLS of Naples (Naples), enables Dratler to provide home seekers with the ability to view thousands of the most up-to-date property listings on the market, in a simple and timely fashion. IDX Broker gives him the resources to quickly and prominently display properties matching consumers specified search preferences, by extracting raw data from Naples, and then displaying the information on his own personal website, in a seamlessly integrated format

EUGENE, OR - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Keller Williams Realty professional, Fiona Mairs, has joined the constantly expanding amount of real estate agents and brokers choosing to renovate the functionality of their website, through the addition of a custom IDX solution. A Corpus Christi, Texas resident, Mairs is a member of the Coastal Bend MLS (CCARMLS). Potential home buyers throughout Nueces County can now browse through thousands of CCARMLS listings, right on Mairs' site, thanks to the customizable IDX Broker software, which integrates the raw data information of each listing, and displays it on the Keller Williams agent's site.

Santa Fe, NM - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Canyon Gate Real Estate Services, an Associa company, is excited to announce the opening of its Santa Fe office, the second Canyon Gate office in New Mexico

WASHINGTON D.C. - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- With many buyers rushing to take advantage of the federal home-buyer tax credit set to expire in April, sales of newly built single-family homes surged 26.9 percent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 411,000 units, the Commerce Department reported today. Sales increases were posted in all four regions of the country.

BETHEL, CT - April 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Countdown To Buy, a next generation online real estate marketplace that offers fair and effective solutions to buy and sell properties, has opened the door for home buyers in Illinois to easily purchase an affordable and recently foreclosed home right in their local community. Declining prices, record inventories and the current favorable interest rate environment, has made homes more affordable. However, many potential home buyers in Illinois remain on the sidelines because of the lack of trust, transparency, and the increased risk and anxiety surrounding purchasing an “as-is” property in foreclosure.

Washington, DC - April 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Representative Mary Jo Kilroy’s (OH-15) bill HR 4099, the Energy Efficiency Modernization Act passed the House Financial Services Committee as part of HR 2336, the GREEN Act (Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods) by a voice vote.