Monthly Archives: November 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michael D. Berman, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association, today issued the following statement reacting to options contained within a draft proposal from the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform."Given the fragile state of the nation's housing market, now is not the time to be scaling back incentives for homeownership. The mortgage interest deduction is one of the pillars of our national housing policy, and limiting its use will have negative repercussions for consumers and home values up and down the housing chain.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), along with several other trade associations, sent a letter today to Treasury Secretary Geithner, HUD Secretary Donovan and Fed Chairman Bernanke calling for improved disclosures for mortgage borrowers under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)

McLean, VA - November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) and the 15-year (FRM) set new records for all-time lows. The 5-year ARM also reached another new low in the survey while the 1-year ARM remained at its nadir

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. - November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Weather happens. Sometimes it's severe enough to be a disaster, like the flooding and wind damage Tropical Storm Nicole caused in eastern North Carolina. You can take steps before the next disaster to protect your family and minimize property damage. It's called "hazard mitigation."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Trade Commission is requiring Simon Property Group, Inc. to divest property and modify tenant leases as part of a settlement designed to preserve outlet center competition in parts of southwest Ohio, Chicago, Illinois, and Orlando, Florida, in the wake of Simon’s purchase of Prime Outlets Acquisition Company, LLC.

Torrance, CA - November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Claudia Faison of Keystone Pacific Property Management, a California-based community association management company, has earned the Certified Community Association Manager (CCAM®) designation through the California Association of Community Managers.

Washington, DC - November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fully half of metropolitan areas tracked in the third quarter continued to show modest home price increases from a year ago, despite a sharp decline in home sales after the deadline for the home buyer tax credit, according to the latest survey by the National Association of REALTORS®.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bob Jones, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., issued the following statement today in reaction to a draft proposal from the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

Meriden, CT - November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama). CT REIA Annual Holiday Dinner December 6, 2010. 6:00 - 9:00pm Violi's Restaurant. 688 Westfield Road. Meriden, CT

Topeka, KS - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) has awarded approximately $1.3 million in Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) to help struggling families obtain safe, quality housing of their choice. Funded through the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program, TBRA helps income-eligible households afford rental subsidies, utility deposits and security deposits. Twelve agencies from across the state will receive the TBRA grants announced today

WASHINGTON, DC - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department today announced a settlement of its lawsuit alleging that Lee Enterprises Inc. and its subsidiary, Lee Publications Inc., violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by publishing an advertisement that discriminated on the basis of familial status in the Elko Daily Free Press. The Elko Daily Free Press is a newspaper serving Elko, Nev. Lee Enterprises Inc. is a publisher of 49 daily newspapers and nearly 300 specialty publications across 23 states.

November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Those who hope to fulfill the dream of owning their first home were given an edge today when Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announced a new program that will provide down payment assistance.

BURLINGTON, VT - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Burlington’s Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO) has published “Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice.” The 50-page report examines hurdles that might prevent Burlington residents from equal access to housing opportunities and suggests potential solutions

Washington, D.C. - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), along with U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, announced today that Texas has reached a significant milestone under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – completing weatherization work for more than 30 percent of the homes the state had planned to weatherize

Jackson, MS - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Clarksdale nursing home employee has plead guilty to exploitation and embezzlement charges against her, announced Attorney General Jim Hood today

November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Sioux City Economic Development Department is inviting former residents to move back to Sioux City this holiday season. In its third year, the “Home Again” marketing initiative will again utilize local media including print, tv, bus signage, banners and electronic billboards to target parents and families who want to see their children move back to Sioux City

SPRINGFIELD, IL - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- More than half of Illinois counties reported gains in the median home sale price during the third quarter of 2010 compared to a year ago despite the post-tax credit slowdown in sales activity. According to the Illinois Association of REALTORS® (IAR) third quarter 2010 report, Illinois home sales (which include single-family homes and condominiums) totaled 24,628 in the third quarter, down 24.9 percent from 32,776 home sales in the same period a year ago. The third quarter statewide median home sale price was $154,000, down 6.1 percent from $164,000 in the third quarter of 2009. The median is a typical market price where half the homes sold for more, half sold for less.

WASHINGTON, DC - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) praised the White House's announcement of several new federal agency actions related to the Recovery through Retrofit initiative, which is an interagency effort designed to lay the groundwork for a strong, self-sustaining home energy efficiency retrofit industry, and to provide homeowners with the necessary information to make cost-effective decisions about home energy improvements

San Francisco, CA - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco has appointed Mark J. Watson as Senior Vice President and Director of Internal Audit

Albuquerque, NM - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Canyon Gate Real Estate Services, an Associa company, is honored to announce it has been named an Accredited Association Management Company by the Community Associations Institute (CAI). Canyon Gate is now the first and only community management association in the state of New Mexico that carries this distinction

WASHINGTON, DC - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) today announced the opening of a new mortgage help center in Culver City to provide counseling and other services for struggling homeowners in the greater metro area with loans owned by Fannie Mae. The Greater Los Angeles Mortgage Help Center is the fourth facility in a series of nationwide mortgage help centers. Fannie Mae is partnering on this initiative with West Angeles Community Development Corporation, major mortgage servicers, and civic and community leaders from across the region

November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Tuesday, November 9, 2010, The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) sent the attached letter to federal financial regulators outlining MBA’s perspectives for the federal agencies to consider when establishing the “Qualified Residential Mortgage” (QRM) exemption from risk retention requirements required under Section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (DFA).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 5, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 5.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 5.4 percent compared with the previous week

EUGENE, OR - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mary Bennett, principal broker of Bennett & Dean Real Estate, has embraced a customized IDX solution for her real estate website. Now, the IDX, Inc. dynamic IDX Broker software is enabled on her search page, syncing her website to the database of Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS) listings. Thousands of properties are now available instantaneously on the search page Bennett supports. Eugene, Oregon home seekers can now experience an online property search like never before, with the convenient online real estate solution Bennett has developed for her business

EUGENE, OR - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, IDX, Inc. announces Mary Carlisle as the latest real estate professional to adopt her own customizable IDX solution. By syncing her website with Greater Greenville MLS (GGMLS), Carlisle has made thousands of properties available for her clients to search through day or night, on her website. Enabling an IDX solution on her website has made finding a home in and around Greenville, South Carolina monumentally easier. Carlisle and her clients can rest assured that IDX Broker software has given her the best search features available online, when searching for a home in South Carolina

WASHINGTON, DC - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Vice President Biden joined U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today to announce the launch of the Home Energy Score pilot program. The Home Energy Score will offer homeowners straightforward, reliable information about their homes' energy efficiency. A report provides consumers with a home energy score between 1 and 10, and shows them how their home compares to others in their region. The report also includes customized, cost-effective recommendations that will help to reduce their energy costs and improve the comfort of their homes.

Washington, DC - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- At this year’s Greenbuild, the annual conference hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), green jobs takes center stage in the form of a Green Jobs Summit (http://bit.ly/djBdDR) and Green Jobs Fair (http://bit.ly/djBdDR). The events will take place on November 16 in Chicago and are hosted in partnership with the BlueGreen Alliance and the City of Chicago

November 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- How familiar are you with Vermont’s unclaimed property program? The state has had an unclaimed property law on the books for more than 40 years and has for decades worked to alert Vermonters to check for their name. However, despite ongoing outreach efforts, phone calls and comments about unclaimed property made to the State Treasurer’s Office staff suggest some are still unclear about what the program is. Consider these examples

SEATTLE, WA - November 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The start of the wet season has begun in Seattle and heavy rain can increase the chance of landslides due to soil saturation, which reduces slope stability. November is Seattle’s wettest month. Since Nov. 1, 2.51 inches of rain has fallen at Sea-Tac Airport—exceeding the seasonal average by 1.2 inches, and pushing the area over the landslide threshold.

WASHINGTON, DC - November 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is providing loans and grants for over 500 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects to help farmers, ranchers and owners of rural businesses reduce energy costs and develop new sources of renewable energy. Funding is provided through USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager made the announcement on behalf of the Secretary