Monthly Archives: September 2010

September 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- US Republic Core Fund announces the purchase of Village Shoppes at Windermere, a core grocery-anchored retail center in Forsyth County, Georgia, approximately 25 miles north of Metro Atlanta. The seller, Columbia Windermere VI, LLC, is an entity of Marietta-based commercial retail development firm Columbia Properties, which will retain property management duties. The purchase price of the retail center has not been disclosed

September 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) today announced the availability of data on mortgage lending transactions at 8,124 U.S. financial institutions covered by the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). Covered institutions include banks, savings associations, credit unions, and mortgage companies. The HMDA data made available today cover 2009 lending activity--applications, originations, purchases of loans, denials, and other actions such as incomplete or withdrawn applications.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan today allocated $50 million in disaster funding slated for Kentucky, Rhode Island, and Tennessee. The supplemental disaster funding, provided through HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, will help support the long-term disaster recovery and critical infrastructure needs in each state and local government receiving funds.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is making available $1.68 billion in homeless assistance grants to thousands of local projects that house and serve homeless persons and families across the country. In its funding announcement, HUD notified applicants that it will rapidly award renewal grants to prevent interruption in federal assistance to existing local programs while awarding funds to new projects later in the year. To read the full text of the funding notice, visit HUD's website.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Bankers Association Housing Partners Foundation will sponsor and build its 10th Habitat for Humanity home during ABA’s Annual Convention in Boston, Oct. 17-20. Annually, the Foundation fundraises and sponsors a Habitat home in the city that hosts the ABA Annual Convention to help a deserving family achieve homeownership.

BETHEL, CT - September 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Countdown To Buy, a next generation online real estate marketplace whose goal is to offer the fairest and most effective solutions to buy and sell properties, announced today it has launched “powered by Countdown To Buy”, a private label solution featuring the Company’s innovative online offer management and negotiation platform. Being “powered by Countdown To Buy” enables institutions and real estate companies to leverage their existing brand, while taking advantage of the benefits offered by Countdown To Buy’s trusted platform and hosted solutions.

Meriden, CT - September 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Connecticut Real Estate Investors Association, or CT REIA, announces the (7th Annual) 2010 New England Real Estate Investors Conference And Trade Show from October 29 through October 31. This event will take place at the Four Points Sheraton on 275 Research Parkway in Meriden, CT. Tuition for this conference varies according to package selected.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - September 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes held unchanged in September from the previous month's low level of 13, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today."In general, builders haven't seen any reason for improved optimism in market conditions over the past month," noted NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a home builder from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "If anything, consumer uncertainty has increased, and builders feel their hands are tied until potential home buyers feel more secure about the job market and economy."

COLUMBUS, OH - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray’s lawsuit against Barclays Capital Real Estate dba HomEq Servicing, headquartered in New York City, just took a legal step forward with a recent decision by a state court.

NEW YORK, NY - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- New York State's housing agencies have approved $263.1 million in financings and grants to build and renovate affordable housing, promote business development and create jobs.

Anchorage, AK - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Qualifying Alaskans will have greater access to home ownership through a $625,000 loan approved by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) board of directors Tuesday. The loan will allow Anchorage Neighborhood Housing Services (ANHS), also known as Neighborworks Anchorage, to continue its down-payment assistance loan program for under-served markets, and provide assistance to borrowers who would not qualify for home ownership due to changes in the market, such as higher housing costs or lower interest-rate subsidies.

TAVARES, FL - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The deadline of Sept. 30 is fast approaching for Lake County homeowners and small business owners to submit applications for the County’s energy efficiency retrofit pilot program.

ORLANDO, FL - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink’s Department of Financial Services will offer a Florida Housing Help workshop tomorrow in Orlando. Struggling homeowners will be able talk to lenders and certified HUD counselors about foreclosure issues and options. Representatives of various banks including SunTrust, Chase, Bank of America, Fifth Third, Freddie Mac, HSBC, Wachovia/Wells Fargo will be available, along with counselors from In Charge, HANDS, Consumer Credit Counseling Services, the Internal Revenue Service and Community Legal Services.

EUGENE, OR - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. is pleased to announce that Demetrial Coleman has adopted her own customized IDX solution to simplify the search for homes online for both real estate agents and brokers and home seekers. As a member of the Carolina MLS (CMLS) Coleman has long had access to thousands of area property listings. Now, the dynamic IDX Broker software extracts raw listing data from the CMLS and displays properties seamlessly on the website Coleman hosts. Area home seekers can now quickly and easily find the right property without ever leaving the convenience of the IDX enabled search page of Coleman.

EUGENE, OR - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. has collaborated with Jody Keating of Connective Realty in College Station, Texas to bring thousands of property listings to area home seekers. With her new IDX enabled website Keating can let the customizable technology work for her and her clients, retrieving hundreds of homes in under a second. The unique IDX Broker software seamlessly integrates Bryan-College Station MLS (BCSMLS) listings onto the real estate website Keating hosts, giving potential buyers the opportunity to find the perfect home without leaving theirs or the convenience of website of Keating

September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Rep. Frank Kratovil voted for legislation to create good paying American jobs in the clean energy industry while strengthening rural economies and reducing home energy costs. The Rural Energy Savings Act, or “Rural Star,” will provide loans to American families and farmers to improve their energy efficiency and lower their utility bills, creating American manufacturing and installation jobs in the process. This program will help rural electric cooperatives, like Choptank Electric Cooperative, save money and lower energy costs.

Washington, D.C. - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today issued the following statement in support of Senator Baucus’ introduction Thursday of a revised tax extenders bill.“This tax extenders legislation is a vastly improved bill,” said AIA President George H. Miller, FAIA. “This bill has tax incentives for green homes, extends the “Build America Bonds” program created by stimulus legislation and contains many other attributes that will help the design and construction industry in this recessionary economy.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) commissioner should be granted the resources to better manage the agency through the current housing market crisis and to allow the agency to continue to thrive when the market recovers, according to new report from the Mortgage Bankers Association

WASHINGTON, D.C. - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- MBA’s Annual Convention and Expo is the premier conference for mortgage banking professionals of all sectors. It addresses key industry-related strategic issues and provides in-depth analysis concerning leadership, growth strategies and trends. Garner insight from influential industry executives as they share their views on the current market, and their projections for the future of real estate finance

September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced the agenda and panelists for the last of four public hearings this year on potential revisions to Regulation C, which implements the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).

Washington, DC - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Housing Conference (NHC) and Center for Housing Policy (Center) today announced the appointment of Lynn M. Ross to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer for NHC and the Center. Ross will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the two related organizations and helping to ensure their operations are well coordinated

September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Legislation to name the Operations Building at Social Security headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland as the “Robert M. Ball Federal Building” cleared a significant hurdle with passage in the House of H.R. 5773 by unanimous consent. It is fitting to name this building after Bob Ball who served as Commissioner of Social Security under three Presidents and who continued to write and speak about Social Security until his death in 2008.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded $7.4 million to 10 historically black colleges and universities to help revitalize neighborhoods, promote affordable housing and stimulate economic development in their communities. The funding announced today is provided through HUD's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Program. Donovan made the announcement to the Congressional Black Caucus' Annual Legislative Conference in Washington.

Washington, DC - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Homeowners who are underwater with their mortgage may find that relief is on the way from a bill strongly supported by the National Association of Realtors® that would impose a deadline on lenders to respond to short-sale requests

Greenbelt, MD - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Finding a home can be a stressful and difficult process, and many potential home buyers, sellers and renters are not aware of the various real estate options available to them. The Real Estate Symposium is a free monthly advisory event designed to answer questions and provide resources to potential buyers, sellers and renters about mortgage options, affordable renting, titles, home inspections, and much more. The Symposium will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on September 18, October 23 and November 20 at 7815 Bellepoint Dr. Greenbelt, Maryland 20770. Potential buyers and sellers will meet one-on-one with experienced real estate professionals

COLUMBUS, OH - September 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) Board yesterday approved $2.9 million of the Housing Investment Fund (HIF), which encourages housing initiatives and meets housing needs that are not met by other programs of the Agency.

Washington, D.C. - September 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today voted to pass the Rural Energy Savings Program Act (H.R. 4785), legislation which contains loan assistance to help Nevada property owners who want to invest in making their homes more energy efficient.

San Antonio, TX - September 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- US Republic Core Fund together with U.S. Premier Office Equities announce the acquisition of Las Olas Centre, a two-building, multi-tenant office complex totaling 469,353 square feet located within Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas corridor

Washington, D.C. - September 15, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today highlighted a new report that details clean energy projects in Nevada funded through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

September 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Calling it a “milestone in the development of South Silver Spring,” Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett today joined Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Raymond Skinner and County Council Vice President Valerie Ervin to cut the ribbon on the newly opened Argent Apartments, a 96-unit, affordable, rental housing building at the corner of Blair Mill Road and East-West Highway in Silver Spring. Leggett was joined by Housing Opportunities Commission Vice Chair Roberto Piñero; as well as Stan Herskovitz, principal, Paradigm Financial Consulting; Kim Griffith, director of Affordable Multifamily Housing for Freddie Mac; and Bill Couper, Mid-Atlantic president for Bank of America.“One of my top priorities is increasing the amount of affordable housing in Montgomery County,” said Leggett. “These units will provide much-needed safe and affordable housing to 96 individuals and families and give yet another boost to South Silver Spring.”