Monthly Archives: July 2010

WAILUA, HI - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The owner of a Wailua Homesteads residence, her brother, and three little dogs escaped without injuries after a fire broke out this evening in an upstairs studio apartment, and then spread downstairs to their home

Sacramento, CA - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to Kansas residents and business owners affected by the severe storms with torrential rain that caused flash flooding on June 16, 2010 in Riley County, U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Karen G. Mills said today. SBA acted under its own authority to declare a disaster in response to the state’s request we received on June 29, 2010

July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- State regulators have allowed Rocky Mountain Power to increase its “Customer Efficiency Services Rate,” from 3.72 percent of customer bills to 4.72 percent effective July 1

SPRINGFIELD, IL - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Pat Quinn today announced that the state’s request for a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster declaration has been granted for several counties in north central Illinois that were hit by tornadoes on June 5. The declaration will make low-interest loans available to homeowners, renters and businesses in the primary counties of LaSalle, Livingston and Peoria, as well as 15 contiguous counties, including Kankakee and Putnam

WALTHAM, MA - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that the number of single-family homes put under agreement in June were down 16.0 percent over the same time last year, while condominiums were down 21.0 percent. This is the second month in a row that the number of both single-family homes and condominiums put under agreement has decreased compared to the year before.

LANSING, MI - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), along with banks, credit unions and nonprofit counseling agencies, will launch a statewide program to help eligible Michigan homeowners avoid foreclosure by participating in the state's new $154.5 million Helping Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund.

JEFFERSON CITY, MO - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (ZWY-ful) today announced his administration returned a record $35 million in Unclaimed Property to a record 92,000 account holders during fiscal year 2010.

Washington D.C. - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Now that the dazzle of Independence Day has come and gone, it's about time for the "Dog Days" of summer that boost electricity use and put a strain on both consumers' pocketbooks and the nation's electricity grid. To help alleviate the pressure, the Alliance to Save Energy advises consumers to take energy efficiency steps around the home to save money and help prevent power outages.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 2, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 6.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 6.5 percent compared with the previous week.The Refinance Index increased 9.2 percent from the previous week and is the highest Refinance Index observed in the survey since the week ending May 15, 2009. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 2.0 percent from one week earlier. The Purchase Index has decreased eight of the last nine weeks. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 2.3 percent compared with the previous week and was 34.7 percent lower than the same week one year ago

Washington, D.C. - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Financial Services Roundtable supports the passage of H.R. 5623 the “Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act of 2010”. The legislation will extend the deadline for closing a home sale in order to be eligible for the first-time homebuyer tax credit, until October 1, 2010. The new extension becomes effective and applies to residencies purchased after June 30, 2010. The bill will enable consumers who have signed a contract to purchase a home to complete the transaction and utilize the credit

Washington, DC - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has sent to the Federal Register a proposed rule to codify the terms of conservatorship and receivership operations for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks, pursuant to the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA). The proposed rule parallels many of the provisions in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) rules for conservatorships and receiverships. Among the key issues addressed in the proposed rule are: the status and priority of claims, the relationships among various classes of creditors and equity-holders and the priorities for contract parties and other claimants under conservatorships or receiverships

DENTON, TX - July 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announced today that the Governor’s request for an extension of the temporary housing unit (THU) program has been granted for eligible Hurricane Ike survivors.

COLUMBIA, Md. - July 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) recently allotted Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise) $5.7 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funding to provide down payment and closing cost assistance, gap financing, and/or a zero percent mortgage for potential home buyers interested in single family homes in the North Texas area.

LOS ANGELES, CA - July 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Western States Technologies Inc. has signed $4.2 million in new leases at two of its Southland properties. Western States recently signed a new lease with Eurocar Inc. (www.eurocaroc.com) for 52,922 square feet of office and warehouse space at 2920 Redhill Ave. in Costa Mesa, Calif. The five-year lease is valued at $2.2 million. Dave Desper with CB Richard Ellis’s Newport Beach, Calif., office represented Western States in the transaction, with Trent Walker of the Irvine, Calif., office of Voit Real Estate Services representing Eurocar

Miami, FL - July 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Remember the good old days when Real Estate Agents could just advertise in the Sunday newspaper and list all their Open Houses for the weekend? Agents could also easily get ahold of address lists and just send a few thousand postcards to homeowners and advertise their service. Well, we all know that the times have changed and now Agents are adapting to online marketing strategies with varied results.

BALTIMORE, MD - July 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler today announced that the Consumer Protection Division has reached a settlement with Arch Insurance Company, the bonding company for Equity Homes, LLC., to pay $460,000 in consumer claims. Equity Homes was a home builder based in Fairfax, Virginia that went out of business in February 2008. Prior to its closure, Equity Homes accepted deposits from consumers to build new homes but never built the homes or refunded the deposits.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The owners and operators of Ivanhoe House Apartments, an apartment complex in Ann Arbor, Mich., have agreed to pay $82,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department alleging that they had discriminated against African-American home-seekers, in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- After careful review and over a year of working with federal and state government agencies, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has determined that certain energy retrofit lending programs present significant safety and soundness concerns that must be addressed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks. Specifically, programs denominated as Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) seek to foster lending for retrofits of residential or commercial properties through a county or city’s tax assessment regime. Under most of these programs, such loans acquire a priority lien over existing mortgages, though certain states have chosen not to adopt such priority positions for their loans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders' National Sales and Marketing Awards is now accepting entries for the 2011 competition. New home sales and marketing professionals are encouraged to enter their projects for these awards, informally known as "The NationalsSM," which are sponsored by NAHB's National Sales and Marketing Council.The Nationals is the nation's largest competition for new-home sales and marketing professionals and communities, typically drawing over 800 entries and more than 500 attendees. Now in its 30th year, The Nationals will recognize this year's winners during an awards ceremony held during the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla.

Cromwell, CT - July 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) CT REIA and Terry Hale presents: Recession-Proof Income with Commercial Real Estate. July 19 - 5:30 to 9:00 PM. Crowne Plaza Hotel. 100 Berlin Road. Cromwell, CT FREE for CTREIA and AOACT members | $30 for guests

Las Vegas, NV - July 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Real Estate School of Nevada, Nevada's oldest and largest real estate education provider, specializing in Las Vegas and Henderson Nevada real estate licensing programs and advanced real estate education, is promoting a limited time Independence Special offering a $99.00 course to compete the required study to obtain a Nevada Real Estate License In order to obtain the $99.00 Special, Interested students must enroll online by midnight July 5th, 2010. Details and Package Description can be found at

Kennesaw, GA - July 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Realtor Janet Longmire recently joined Prudentia lGeorgia Realty. She is based out of Prudential Georgia Realty’s Northwest office, located on 2414 Dallas Highway in Marietta.

July 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) has announced the latest recipients, outside of Fayette and Jefferson Counties, of Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) funds. Forty-six projects proposed by nonprofit agencies and local governments will receive a total of $1,338,030 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assist the homeless in Kentucky

July 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- John Wortman, CEO of Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens), the state’s property insurance of last resort, has announced his upcoming retirement. “John Wortman has been a tremendous asset to Louisiana during our recovery from the catastrophic hurricanes of 2005. He came to Citizens in a time of great turmoil within the organization and worked tirelessly to set Citizens on a course for future efficiency and professionalism. I am grateful to him for his extraordinary contributions and I wish him well in his much deserved retirement,” said Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S Reps. Charlie Melancon (D-La.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) last night wrote the U.S. General Services Administration asking for answers on the trailers that are being used to house some workers cleaning up the oil from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The trailers, originally provided to Gulf residents following Hurricane Katrina, were found to have unhealthy levels of formaldehyde, which is a carcinogen. The story was first reported in The New York Times.

Los Angeles, CA - July 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa was joined today by City Councilmembers Bill Rosendahl, Janice Hahn and Tom LaBonge, airport commissioners and business leaders in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate completion of a $12.3-million renovation and seismic retrofit of the iconic Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The mayor also announced the building’s Observation Deck will re-open to the public on weekends only beginning Saturday, July 10, 2010.“From the Observation Deck, viewing planes from many countries, you can see that LAX is a gateway to the world and a strong economic engine for the region.” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “LAX brings the world to Los Angeles, and I am proud to once again welcome travelers and families to visit the iconic Theme Building and the extraordinary views from the Observation Deck while they are here.”

WASHINGTON, DC - July 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced an agreement with the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation (CCLRC) to stabilize neighborhoods hard-hit by foreclosure in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County by selling foreclosed homes to the CCLRC for as little as $100. The agreement announced today follows a similar successful program launched in Cleveland in which HUD transferred 441 foreclosed properties to the City at deep discount in just over a year

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Trade Commission is distributing refund checks to borrowers lured by a firm charged with deceptively advertising that it offered 3.5 percent, fixed-payment, 30-year mortgage loans. According to the FTC’s federal court complaint filed in 2004, the firm allegedly duped consumers into signing up for adjustable rate mortgages in which the principal balance would increase if they made payments at the advertised rates

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) commended the City of New York, particularly the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), for working to restore Section 8 vouchers to 2,600 needy families.

Washington, D.C. - July 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District applauded the creation of the House Democratic Caucus’ new Task Force on Housing Stabilization, chaired by Representatives Shelley Berkley of Nevada and Dennis Cardoza of California.