Monthly Archives: April 2011

WASHINGTON, DC - April 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae today announced the opening of the Jacksonville Mortgage Help Center to provide free education and counseling services to struggling Duval County homeowners. The Jacksonville Center, the latest of eight Mortgage Help Centers to open across the country, is part of Fannie Mae's nationwide initiative to educate families about the options and tools available to help them stay in their homes. The Center was developed in partnership with Wealth Watchers, Duval County community and elected officials, and area mortgage servicers

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - April 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In the highest price-per-square-foot investment sale transaction in New Jersey history, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.’s Metropolitan Area Capital Markets Group has orchestrated the trade of 70 and 90 Hudson Street in Jersey City. CBREI acquired the trophy-quality office assets from Hartz Mountain Industries for $310 million.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Vincent C. Gray today announced his appointment of 10 outstanding professionals to posts in the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHDC) and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Board of Trustees.

Scottsdal, AZ - April 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- You can view all foreclosures for free in Arizona at http://www.nicholasmcconnell.com then click property search. There, you have free MLS access. Or, you can call Nicholas McConnell with Coldwell Banker at 480-323-5365 and let him know exactly what you are looking for, and he will email you the results. If you see anything you like, call me and we will set up a time to view any property you desire.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) issued the following statement regarding agreements reached between federal regulators and mortgage servicers addressing improper and fraudulent mortgage servicing practices.

April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- An energy efficiency program that has saved North Carolinians more than $1.5 million in utility costs has helped the N.C. Housing Finance Agency win a national award for its leadership in promoting high energy standards for affordable housing. The Environmental Protection Agency will present its Energy Star Excellence Award to the North Carolina agency in Washington, DC, April 12.

West Haven, CT - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- ConstructionConfidant.Com is proud to to announce that our popular "Homeowner Defender Service" is now available to serve the needs of the mortgage banking and home insurance agencies accross the country. Our unique and innovative approach helps protect homeowners from home improvement scams, control unforseen costs, and walks your clients through the entire construction process.

BISMARCK, ND - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The North Dakota Housing Finance Agency (NDHFA) is soliciting pre-applications for funding that can be used to purchase foreclosed, abandoned or vacant property in targeted communities in order to redevelop that property into safe, decent and affordable housing. The Agency is giving preference to applications that create rental units.

April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Residents are invited to join Ward 6 Councilman Steve Ross for an upcoming Foreclosure Prevention and Mediation Process interactive event. The free event is planned for 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11, and will take place at the Centennial Hills Active Adult Center, located at 6601 N. Buffalo Drive. Interested parties are asked to R.S.V.P. to 229-4167 as soon as possible as space is limited.

April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The city of Las Vegas will use more than $6.8 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for affordable housing, community development and homeless assistance. The Las Vegas City Council at last week’s meeting approved plans for the grants to be used to fund at least 39 projects/programs including:

WASHINGTON, DC - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing is collecting entries for a competition to recognize leadership and creativity in the provision of housing for America’s working families.

NEW YORK, NY - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jones Lang LaSalle has been selected by CF 620 Owner One LLC as exclusive leasing agent for 620 Avenue of the Americas, also known as 45 West 18th Street. The company will be responsible for commercial office leasing and marketing efforts at the Class A, 780,000-square-foot mixed-use building.

April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Late last week, budget negotiators struck a last-minute deal on the FY11 budget to reduce federal spending by $38.5 billion. This budget deal averted a government shutdown.

HOUSTON, TX - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Del Webb Sweetgrass, a community for active adults over the age of 55, welcomed 3,000 visitors during its grand opening weekend event. That number of prospective homebuyers in one day is typically seen over the course of several months in other communities in the Greater Houston area. The result of the high traffic and visitors since its grand opening has resulted in more than half of the new home sites being sold out in the neighborhood’s first phase.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today announced formal enforcement actions against eight national bank mortgage servicers and two third-party servicer providers for unsafe and unsound practices related to residential mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae today announced the opening of the Tampa Mortgage Help Center to provide free education and counseling services to struggling homeowners in the Greater Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Center, the seventh Mortgage Help Center to open across the country, is part of Fannie Mae's nationwide initiative to educate families about the options and tools available to help them stay in their homes.

April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced formal enforcement actions requiring 10 banking organizations to address a pattern of misconduct and negligence related to deficient practices in residential mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing. These deficiencies represent significant and pervasive compliance failures and unsafe and unsound practices at these institutions.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- An earthquake can’t be prevented, but the damage it could cause to homes and buildings can be minimized. As part of the state’s observance of Earthquake Preparedness Month, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) today offered several tips for making structures more earthquake resistant.

Dover, DE - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart, CIR-ML, through a letter sent by her Department to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), expressed serious concerns regarding an Advance Notice ...

Washington, D.C. - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- NeighborWorks® America, one of the nation’s largest community development corporations, today named Deborah Boatright and John Santner, Directors for the Northeast Region and Midwest Region, respectively. Each Regional Director will oversee two District offices – the Great Lakes and North Central Districts in the Midwest Region and the Northeast and New England districts in the Northeast Region. The move is intended to increase the efficiency of NeighborWorks America and enhance the corporation’s ability to meet the needs of its network of award winning, locally-based community development nonprofit businesses. Santner formerly was District Director for the NeighborWorks America North Central District, while Boatright formerly was District Director for the corporation’s Northeast District

Torrance, CA - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- “Darren has demonstrated a true knack for management and is a valuable asset to Keystone Pacific as well as to the communities under his management,” said Denise Bergstrom, vice president of association management of Keystone Pacific Property Management. “His achievements are attributed to his dedicated service and leadership abilities.”

LITTLE ROCK, AR - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel joined Rep. Tiffany Rogers of Stuttgart today to applaud a new state law that equips homeowners with necessary information prior to a foreclosure and encourages ...

Washington, DC - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new bill to improve the process for approving short sales may soon bring relief to distressed home owners who are unable to keep their homes and hope to avoid foreclosure. The bill, introduced in the U.S. House yesterday and strongly supported by the National Association of Realtors®, would impose a deadline of 45 days on lenders to respond to short sale requests.

New York, N.Y. - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- RGS Holdings, the developers of 2280 FDB, a 12-story, 89-unit residential development located in the heart of Harlem in conjunction with Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group and JP Morgan Chase Community Development, is pleased to present The Pratt Harlem Project, an exhibition in collaboration with Pratt and Harlem artists, opening to the public on April 14, 2011.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Just more than a year ago, Solix, Inc., relocated its headquarters from Whippany, N.J. with its full-building occupancy of the 56,000-square-foot 30 Lanidex Plaza West. Now, the outsourcing firm has added 10,000 square feet at the adjoining 10 Lanidex Plaza West, represented in both long-term transactions by the East Rutherford, N.J.-based Cushman & Wakefield Inc. team of Peter Hamburger, Walter Schoenberg, Harlan Hollander, Robert Rudin, Jan Randall, and Nate Brzozowski.

NEW YORK, NY - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jones Lang LaSalle has completed a lease renewal for Gagosian Gallery at 980 Madison Avenue in Manhattan with RFR Realty LLC. The art gallery signed for slightly more than 50,000 square feet of space for 10 years at the 90,882-square-foot, Class A office building.

Torrance, CA - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Regency Centers (regencycenters.com), a national owner, operator and developer of grocery-anchored and community shopping centers, started construction on the redevelopment of Granada Village, a 225,000-square-foot neighborhood center located in the San Fernando Valley. The $16 million redevelopment will convert this 46-year-old center into a regional draw with the addition of new-to-the-market retailers, sustainable design elements and upgraded center façade and amenities. The redevelopment is scheduled for completion in Spring 2012.

Washington, D.C. - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Duke Realty Corporation’s (Duke Realty) Washington, D.C. office announced today that its leasing team closed 129,845 square feet in new leases, renewals and expansions in its office and industrial properties in the first quarter of 2011.

Washington DC - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Three winners emerged today from the global collaborative competition: Sustainable Urban Housing: Collaborating for Liveable and Inclusive Cities competition, hosted by Ashoka’s Changemakers, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation. The competition identifies innovative solutions for providing sustainable, energy efficient housing in a way that unleashes economic opportunities for the urban poor, and builds smarter, cleaner cities around the world

JERSEY CITY, NJ - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The developers of 225 Grand, the premium rental building in downtown Jersey City overlooking the Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty, announced today that all of the 348 luxury residences in the building have been leased just 10 months after hitting the market.