Monthly Archives: August 2011

WASHINGTON, DC - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Faith Schwartz, Executive Director of the HOPE NOW Alliance, testified today before the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, for a hearing entitled “Housing Finance Reform: National Mortgage Servicing Standards”. Also testifying with Ms. Schwartz was Jack Hopkins, President and CEO of CorTrust Bank (testifying on behalf of Independent Community Bankers of America)

WASHINGTON, DC - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has charged the owner and manager of Breckenridge Plaza Apartments in Phoenixville, PA, with violating the Fa...

Washington, DC - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A proposed rule by federal regulators to impose a minimum 20 percent down payment, stringent debt-to-income ratio requirements and rigid credit standards will deny millions of Americans access to safe, low-cost mortgages, according to the National Association of Realtors

Palm Beach Gardens, FL - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Oxford Global Resources is relocating to Corporate Center at The Gardens, taking 18,500 square feet in the beginning of October of this year. For Oxford, the move allows the IT/Telecom staffing firm to reflect their talent-focused culture, with inviting lounge areas, activity rooms and a fitness center—all intended to stimulate interactivity and community for the employees of Oxford.

LĪHU‘E, HI - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- County officials would like to remind Kaua‘i property owners that the first installment of real property taxes for the 2011-2012 tax year is due on Aug. 20

August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Montgomery County’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development will co-host a free workshop on Monday, August 8 from 3 to 8 p.m., to assist those faced with possible mortgage foreclosures. The workshop will take place at the Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring

Indianapolis, IN - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Indiana State Police are warning citizens of a scam that is originating from Craig's List, bilking hundreds of dollars from unsuspecting victims

WASHINGTON DC - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Rep Michael Honda (CA-15), representative of Silicon Valley and member of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, is reintroducing the Smart Electronics Act, to address the greenhouse gas impacts and energy costs of proliferation of electronic devices throughout the world, and the Nanotechnology Advancement and New Opportunities (NANO) Act.

Chicago, IL - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Chicago City Council today approved eight ordinances supporting neighborhood amenities, business development, affordable housing and historic preservation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev., issued the following statement regarding the proposed debt ceiling agreement announced by President Obama and congressional leaders:

New York, NY - August 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Keller Williams NYC (www.kwnyc.com), the Manhattan franchise of leading real estate firm Keller Williams Realty Inc., has appointed Brandee Song as Associate Broker. As the founder of S Group Realty, she specializes in working with Korean investors looking to buy and sell property in New York City.

Boston, MA - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- International law firm Nixon Peabody LLP announces that its clients Rogerson Communities and Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center have announced plans to commence construction on a $30 million affordable housing development in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood. The groundbreaking for the eight-floor, 100,000-square-foot building, which will include 74 new apartments for low-income elderly, is scheduled for August 4, 2011.

DENTON, TX- August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fire protection for your house and safety for your family can be increased if you follow some key guidelines before dry weather and high winds bring the threat of wildfires to your area.

WASHINGTON, DC - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Spitzer Enterprises along with managing agent, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., a global commercial real estate brokerage and management firm, aligned with CQI Associates, LLC, a Columbia, Maryland-based energy and environmental management consulting firm, to earn LEED Gold, established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for 2001 K Street, NW in Washington, DC. The management team and tenants celebrated with a special certification presentation by the USGBC on Thursday, July 21.

Washington, D.C. - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Thousands of members of the National Bar Association (NBA), one of the nation's premier legal organizations, will gather in Baltimore, Maryland from July 31-August 4 to attend seminars and forums in conjunction with the organization's 86th annual convention. Commencing with a joint-town hall meeting with the American Bar Association entitled, "The War Against Foreclosures: Combating Foreclosures and the Mortgage Crisis in Communities of Color," the 86th Annual Convention will be the foreground for discussing the nation's top legal, social and economic issues.

ANAHEIM, CA - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Vision Awards for outstanding service in the world of community association management were presented to 15 California professionals last night. Presented by the California Association of Community Managers (www.cacm.org) at the association’s annual statewide Expo and Conference at the Disneyland Hotel and Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., the awards were given to professionals from around the state for their outstanding expertise in homeowners association management. California is home to nearly 49,000 homeowners associations.

BARNEGAT, NJ - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- For generations, the American Dream has been synonymous with homeownership. Today, however, with the stress on housing markets, some Americans are redefining that dream, finding they don’t have to buy to live well.

BRISTOL, PA - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- National Honey Almond, Inc., a wholesale distributor of fine cigars and a long-term client of commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., has acquired a new headquarters propert...

Improvements in blue-collar industries account for a significant share of Phoenix economic growth in 2011, despite choppy early year hiring. Total metro employment grew by 0.9%, or 14,900 positions. Manual-trade payrolls, in contrast, expanded by a healthy-1.1% year to date with the addition of 3,800 workers. The Valley’s manufacturing sector notched the most hires, adding 2,500 employees and offsetting the combined loss of 700 construction and transportation and utilities personnel through the second quarter. Moreover, major expansions by companies such as Federal Express, First Solar and Easy Energy Systems Inc. will boost the economy and leasing in the near term. Through the extended outlook, sales tax legislation may push more companies like Amazon to relocate from California to Arizona, further supporting industrial space demand. Although international and domestic concerns could dampen growth in the second half, the economic recovery is expected to gain momentum. Metr owide staffing levels will increase by a projected 39,000 positions, or 2.3%, in 2011, while blue-collar industries will add 12,500 workers, a 3.7% increase. National payrolls will rise by 1.65 million positions, or 1.3%

IRVINE, CA - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, is pleased to announce the construction of a new 332-bed student housing community at the University of Wyoming (UW) in Laramie. Under construc...

Torrance, CA - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mountain Real Estate Capital (MREC) announces the acquisition of Village III within the Riverwalk Vista master plan in Riverside, Calif. MREC acquired the asset directly from Bank of the West and will be retaining Artisan Communities to complete the remaining development work and ultimately build out the project. The transaction closed June 28; its value could not be disclosed.

MILFORD, CT - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Total Mortgage Services, LLC, a leading mortgage lender, announced today it is expanding its product lineup by offering the Guaranteed Rural Housing Loan Program insured by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Rural Development program. A USDA home loan is guaranteed by The Guaranteed Rural Housing Loan Program and is offered through the Rural Housing Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provides low and moderate?income rural residents to access to more affordable housing finance options

Chicago, IL - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Continuing its streak of recent strategic acquisitions, Westwood Financial Corp., one of the largest owner-operators of shopping centers in the U.S., has purchased Sanders Court Shopping Center in Northbrook, Ill., for $22 million. The 136,219-square-foot retail center currently is 99-percent leased and represents another in a string of strong investment opportunities Westwood Financial has seized in recent months.

Chicago, IL - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Continuing its streak of recent strategic acquisitions, Westwood Financial Corp., one of the largest owner-operators of shopping centers in the U.S., has purchased Sanders Court Shopping Center in Northbrook, Ill., for $22 million. The 136,219-square-foot retail center currently is 99-percent leased and represents another in a string of strong investment opportunities Westwood Financial has seized in recent months.

Washington, DC - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) opened the second public comment period for the proposed 2012 update to its LEED green building rating system. The comment period, which will close on September 14, 2011, is the next step in the continuous improvement process and on-going development of the LEED program.

EUGENE, OR - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. and Dennis Nottingham have united to present Indiana home seekers with a unique online real estate solution on the Advanced Realty search page. Nottingham has employed IDX Broker software on h...

Destin, FL - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A shake up has developed in the best real estate markets forecast for the year by Housing Predictor as cities that appeared to be developing stronger markets decline, and others move into full-fledged housing recoveries. Many cities in the U.S. are sustaining the blow of a generation in terms of home prices, but there are markets that are strengthening.

West Hartford, CT - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) CT REIA & Alan Cowgill presents an All Day Weekend Seminar: How To Find All The Money You Need To Invest In Properties August 27, 2011 - 9am to 3pm Crowne Plaza Hotel. 100 Berlin Road. Cromwell, CT

EUGENE, OR - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. and Denise Cote have joined forces to revolutionize the way Arizona home seekers search for properties online, by adding the innovative IDX Broker software to the website Cote hosts. As a member of the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS), Cote has long had access to the detailed property listings through their professional database. Now, with her IDX enabled search page, clients of Cote receive the same levels of access that was once reserved only for real estate agents and brokers, conveniently on her website. Her customizable IDX solution gives Cote and her clients more freedom and access to the ARMLS listings than ever before available online.

WASHINGTON, DC - August 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Administration’s Mortgagee Review Board (MRB) today announced hundreds of administrative actions against FHA-approved lenders who failed to meet its requirements. MRB sanctions against lenders include reprimands, probations, suspensions, withdrawals of approval, and civil money penalties. Read the full text of MRB’s Federal Register Notice