Monthly Archives: April 2011

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - April 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Job growth in office-using industries and increased port container volume are among several emerging indicators of New Jersey’s economic recovery. And Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.’s first quarter 2011 research findings reflect the positive results resonating in the commercial real estate industry.

SAN DIEGO, CA - April 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Real Estate Mortgage Network, Inc. (REMN), a national mortgage lender based in River Edge, N.J., continues their west coast expansion with the opening of a new office in San Diego, CA, and the addition of three new team members. Located in the city of Carlsbad, the new office will better help REMN service the needs of southern California’s future and existing home owners, real estate professionals and residential builders.

San Francisco, CA - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Zephyr Real Estate, a long-established market leader in San Francisco, has made the leap across the Golden Gate and opened a new location in Marin County. With a number of agents whose market expertise extends north, the new location in Corte Madera connects Marin County and San Francisco to better serve client interests on both sides of the 1.7-mile span.

New York, NY - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Mathew M. Wambua today announced an agreement that will improve what had become deplorable living conditions for the more than 1,000 residents of the former Milbank housing buildings in the Bronx

Vancouver, WA - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- International Code Council recently selected Clark County’s Building Safety program as winner of the group’s 2011 Raising the Profile Award in conjunction with Building Safety Month in May. The national award recognizes efforts to raise public awareness about work to improve public safety in the built environment

April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Doug Lasher, Clark County Treasurer, stated that first-half property taxes are due on Monday, May 2 due to April 30 falling on the weekend. “If you have not received your 2011 first-half tax statement or have lost it, you can visit our web site at www.clark.wa.gov/treasurer or contact the Treasurer’s Office at 397-2252 for a duplicate statement.”

OLYMPIA, WA - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) is pleased to announce the five-year extension of the Mortgage Fraud Prosecution fund with the Governor’s signature earlier this week of HB1191, signing it into Chapter 129, Laws of 2011 62nd Legislature 2011 Regular Session

April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- For too long, middle-class taxpayers have been stuck with the costs of paying for more and more government. In 2000, the average property tax on a median value home in Wisconsin was $2,110. By 2006 it had risen to $2,729. Today it’s $2,963. Without the property tax reforms in our budget, these middle-class tax bills would rise to $3,425 by 2013.

Lewis Center, OH - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Real Property Management, an Associa company, is proud to announce that its Landscape Division, with the aid of state-of-the-art virtual design software, has provided a redesign for many of its communities’ common areas.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Potential homeowners who participate in prepurchase education and counseling programs may be more likely to pay their mortgages on time, although the evidence on this point is not consistent and compelling, according to a study released today by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The study also finds that those who participate in default counseling are more likely to have their loans modified.

LANSING, MI - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced today that he is working with Oakland County Register of Deeds Bill Bullard, and other local and federal authorities, to look into questionable mortgage documentation filed with Michigan's Register of Deeds offices during the current foreclosure crisis.

Washington, DC - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Education announced today the creation of the Green Ribbon Schools program, which will recognize schools that have taken great strides in greening their curricula, buildings, school grounds and overall building operations. The program, celebrated during a tree planting ceremony at the Department of Education headquarters, will help cash-strapped schools save money and prepare students for 21st Century jobs.

LANSING, MI - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- When choosing homeowners insurance, most Michigan consumers may think more about the value of the home than about their prized possessions inside. When you’re deciding out how much coverage you need, it is important to know all the “stuff” in your home that warrants special protection. Certain valuables might be better covered with an insurance rider or additional policy, depending on the circumstances.

Tucson, AZ - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva last week introduced the Right to Rent Act of 2011 (H.R. 1548), an updated version of a bill he introduced in 2009 to allow families facing foreclosure to remain in their homes as renters by paying fair market value each month. Approximately one in 175 homes in Arizona received a foreclosure filing in January, second highest in the nation behind Nevada.

CHICAGO, IL - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Forty units of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless young parents will be built in Chicago as a result of the financial investment of the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA). IHDA Executive Director Mary R. Kenney today joined Mayor Richard M. Daley and other local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Transformation Project apartments at 5353 W. Chicago Ave. in the Austin neighborhood.

SACRAMENTO, CA - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Total housing starts in California, as measured by the number of building permits issued, climbed 9 percent in March on the strength of the multifamily sector, the California Building Industry Association announced today.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that more than a thousand extremely low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS will continue to receive permanent housing as a result of $23 million in grants. During each of the next three years, this HUD funding will help provide permanent supportive housing for 1,015 households so they can manage their illnesses while receiving critically needed support services.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Commercial and multifamily mortgage origination volumes increased 44 percent in 2010 over the previous year, with mortgage bankers reporting $118.8 billion of closed commercial and multifamily loans, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's 2010 Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance: Annual Origination Volume Summation.

EUGENE, OR - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. and Amy Owens have joined forces to revolutionize the way New Jersey home seekers search for properties online, by adding the innovative IDX Broker software to the website Owens hosts. As a member of the Garden State MLS (GSMLS), Owens has long had access to the detailed property listings through their professional database. Now, with her IDX-enabled search page, Owen's clients receive the same level of access that was once reserved for real estate agents and brokers only, conveniently on her website. Her customizable IDX solution gives Owens and her clients more freedom and access to the GSMLS listings than ever before available online.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to Atoka County in Oklahoma and provide support to homeowners and low-income ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On April 22, 2011, an administrator working for the Federal Trade Commission mailed 3,162 refund checks to borrowers allegedly harmed by Golden Empire Mortgage, Inc. and Howard D. Kootstra. The refund checks stem from a lawsuit the FTC filed against Golden Empire and Kootstra, alleging that they illegally charged Hispanic consumers higher prices for mortgage loans than non-Hispanic white consumers – price disparities that could not be explained by the applicants’ credit characteristics or underwriting risk.

Washington, DC - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency today reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some ARM contracts, was 4.84 percent based on loans closed in March. This is an increase of 0.05 percent from the previous month.

EUGENE, OR - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Alison Gilbert of Prudential California Realty in Highland Park, California, has adopted the revolutionary IDX, Inc. technology, IDX Broker software. Now, Gilbert can integrate thousands of listings onto her website with a simple click of a mouse. The California Real Estate Technology Services (CARETS) database of listings is seamlessly linked to the website of Gilbert, giving her clients a thorough and complete network of properties to effortlessly search through

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) will host its Semi-Annual Construction Forecast Conference on Wednesday, April 27, in a two-hour webinar from 2:00-4:00 p.m. featuring three renowned industry experts.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 11.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 300,000 units in March, the U.S. Commerce Department reported today. The gain partially offsets a large decline that occurred in new-home sales this February, when activity hit a record low due partly to poor weather conditions."The fact that new-home sales have regained some of the ground they lost earlier this year is a promising sign at the start of the spring home buying season," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "While potential buyers continue to be extremely cautious, they are starting to take a look around and evaluate their very good options with regard to attractively priced new homes."

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Downtown Morristown took center stage at the 2011 Sales and Marketing (SAM) Awards held recently in Atlantic City. Morristown’s 40 Park was named “Community of the Year,” capping off a thrilling night in which an amazing 16 awards went to the new luxury condominium building and its sister rental building, Metropolitan at 40 Park.

MORRISTOWN, N.J - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Roseland Property Company and Woodmont Properties announced today that Starbucks has leased a 2,100 square-foot storefront at the “Shops on the Green” in downtown Morristown, paving the way for the national coffee retailer to return to Morristown after a five-year hiatus

Destin, FL - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Every time someone wins investing on Wall Street another investor loses. That may also be closer to reality investing in real estate these days, according to a new survey.

LOS ANGELES, CA - April 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Charles Dunn Company, one of the largest full-service regional real estate firms in the Western United States, has completed the $4.75 million sale of Russell Manor, a 35-unit apartment community located at 5333 Russell Ave. in Los Angeles.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced that it is serving as a sponsor of Empowerhouse, a team participating in the 2011 Solar Decathlon Competition, which will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., this fall. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, this biennial competition challenges college students to design, build, and operate a solar-powered house.