RealEstateRama

San Francisco, CA - October 13, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Zephyr Real Estate is once again at the forefront of real estate technology, launching a robust social media program for its agents.

Seattle, WA - October 13, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Affluent consumers might not be so bullish about claiming the recession is over. According to Unity Marketing, as of September 2010, the majority of affluent consumers (average income $306.7K) surveyed believe the recession continues but will end sometime next year. This mindset will affect brands and services targeting the luxury clientele. In November, several leaders in the luxury vacation rental industry will gather to discuss how to best prepare for 2011.

October 13, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the end of 2010 approaches, we at LuxuryRealEstate.com wish to connect with our peers, clients, colleagues and partners to thank them for working together for another successful year. This holiday season, our annual card to the entire Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate network will feature a photograph provided by one of our members. We invite you to submit photography to be considered for this opportunity. Please consider the following criteria when making a submission

New York, NY - October 13, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Goldman Sachs Asset Management announced today that it is launching a new core real estate investment business and it has hired Jeffrey A. Barclay to lead the effort. This new business will focus on investing in and managing core and core plus real estate assets primarily in the US on behalf of GSAM’s clients. Mr. Barclay will join GSAM from ING Clarion Partners, where he most recently served as Managing Director.

October 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- For years, mortgage loan servicing companies have engaged in shoddy business practices, ranging from misapplied payments to evicting homeowners who have never missed a payment. Now employees of these companies have admitted to falsifying thousands upon thousands of affidavits used to toss families out of their homes

IRVINE, CA - October 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Western States Technologies Inc. (www.westernstatestech.com) announced that two new leases totaling 9,300 square feet have been signed at the company’s Karman McGaw Business Building. The 31,000-square-foot office/service building is located at 17332 Von Karman Ave. in Irvine, Calif.

MILFORD, CT - October 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Total Mortgage Services, LLC, a leading mortgage lender and broker that offers some of the lowest mortgage rates available, announced today that its 30-year fixed jumbo mortgage rates are back below 5 percent for qualified borrowers. Currently, Total Mortgage is offering qualified borrowers a 30-year fixed jumbo mortgage up to $729,000 at rate of 4.875 percent and an APR of 4.932 percent with 0 point

WASHINGTON, DC - October 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced that the Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, November 16, to investigate allegations of improper and fraudulent mortgage servicing and foreclosure processing.

Washington, DC - October 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) announced today that he supports the President’s decision to not sign H.R. 3808, the "Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2009." H.R. 3808 would require courts in one state to recognize notarizations of another state." Consumer advocates have recently raised concerns that the bill could have negative unintended consequences, particularly in the context of foreclosures.

Boston, MA - October 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) welcomed a near-record number of state housing finance agencies (HFAs) and their partners to its 40th Annual Conference, held October 2-5 in Boston. NCSHA’s HFA members elected the following officers and directors to its Board of Directors

EMERYVILLE, CA - October 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The number of price-reduced homes on the market this September increased dramatically compared to the same time last year, rising 24.2 percent according to a report issued by national real estate brokerage ZipRealty (www.ziprealty.com; NASDAQ: ZIPR).

Herndon, VA - October 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) has joined with other leading environmental groups to support the GOVgreen Conference and Exposition -- the first all government, all green event designed to connect federal government and military professionals with green resources and solutions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - October 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- National civil rights groups, including the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Fair Housing Alliance, National Council of La Raza, the NAACP, and the Center for Responsible Lending are renewing their April 2007 call to institute an immediate national moratorium on foreclosures. Until lenders demonstrate that they are adhering to all existing laws, regulations, and contractual guidelines related to loss mitigation and foreclosure legal process, lenders in all 50 states should not move forward with any foreclosures

ATLANTA, GA - October 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Christie’s Great Estates, the world’s leading luxury real estate network, presented the Large-Market Affiliate-of-the-Year Award Second runner-up this week to Harry Norman, Realtors® of Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States. The real estate firm—a member of the Christie’s Great Estates network of more than 130 international affiliates—was honored at the network’s 2010 Global Annual Conference for Owners and Senior Management in Toronto, Canada.

AUSTIN, TX - October 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- HomeAway , Inc. – the world’s leading online vacation rental marketplace – today announced its acquisition of Instant Software, Inc. (ISI), the top vacation rental management software provider.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA - October 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Overall customer satisfaction with homeowners insurance companies has declined to the lowest level in five years, primarily due to considerable decreases in satisfaction with policy offerings and service interactions, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 U.S. National Homeowners Insurance StudySM released today.

October 4, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The 15th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference was recently held Monday, September 20th to Wednesday, September 22nd, at the Four Seasons Seattle. Keynote Speakers were Cliff Burrows, President, Starbucks USA, and Stuart Silk, Stuart Silk Architects.The Conference was hosted by John Brian Losh, Chairman and CEO of Luxury Real Estate, (LuxuryRealEstate.com and Who’s Who of Luxury Real Estate), a membership-driven luxury brokerage assemblage based in Seattle, Washington. The network includes the most prominent global luxury brokers and meets three times each year, nationally and internationally, to discuss current real estate trends.

October 4, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Study by NYU’s Furman Center and Institute for Education and Social Policy Finds Increase in Students With Homes in Foreclosure since 2003; Black Children Disproportionately Affected; Hard Hit Schools Clustered in Northern Brooklyn and Southeastern Queens

WASHINGTON, DC - October 4, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has announced that 40 states will share more than $41.9 million in grants to community groups to provide 2,568 beds for homeless Veterans this year

Washington, D.C. - September 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) announced today that Ron Haynie has joined ICBA as president and CEO of ICBA Mortgage, ICBA's mortgage services subsidiary.

PELLA, IO - October 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- For the price of a nine-volt battery you can significantly improve your odds of surviving a home fire. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, living in a home with an operational smoke alarm increases the chance of survival by 50 percent

WASHINGTON, DC - October 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) today announced that its Housing and Community Development (HCD) division will now be called Multifamily Mortgage Business (MMB) or Multifamily. The new name parallels Fannie Mae's Single-Family Mortgage Business, more clearly conveys what the business does, and emphasizes the multifamily mortgage business platform.

Washington, D.C. - October 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today marked the deadline for awarding American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding by highlighting the jobs, new infrastructure, and enhanced security created as a result of the approximately $2.6 billion in ARRA funding the Department has awarded to date

Waukesha, WI - September 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Inlanta Mortgage is pleased to announce the promotion of Chris Knowlton to Vice President of Technology and Marketing. Chris has been with Inlanta Mortgage since June of 1997. Chris will continue to direct and manage the computer and information technology side along with overseeing and developing marketing plans and internet marketing use

Henniker, NH - September 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- While the home building industry has been hit hard by the downturn in the economy, one association of log home manufacturers is seeing growth. Granite State Forest Products in Henniker, New Hampshire is the latest company to join the Log Homes Council.

September 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The 15th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference was recently held Monday, September 20th to Wednesday, September 22nd, at the Four Seasons Seattle. Keynote Speakers were Cliff Burrows, President, Starbucks USA, and Stuart Silk, Stuart Silk Architects.The Conference was hosted by John Brian Losh, Chairman and CEO of Luxury Real Estate, (LuxuryRealEstate.com and Who’s Who of Luxury Real Estate), a membership-driven luxury brokerage assemblage based in Seattle, Washington. The network includes the most prominent global luxury brokers and meets three times each year, nationally and internationally, to discuss current real estate trends.

EUGENE, OR - September 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. is pleased to welcome Keoki McCarthy of Real Living Northwest to the growing group of real estate professionals updating their websites with IDX Broker software. This revolutionary technology makes searching for a home online monumentally easier. McCarthy is associated with the Northwest MLS (NWMLS), allowing property listings to be seamlessly integrated into his website, giving potential buyers thousands of homes to search through. With the tools his IDX solution supplies to him, McCarthy can truly customize his website to give home seekers around Seattle the greatest, simplest and most comprehensive online property search experience around.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bank of America and United Midwest Savings Bank have become the first financial institutions to assemble SBA 504 first mortgage pools to be sold on the secondary market, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced today.

Washington, D.C. - September 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mike Heid, co-president of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, testified today before the House Financial Services Committee on “The Future of Housing Finance—A Review of Proposals to Address Market Structure and Transition.” In his capacity as Chairman of the Housing Policy Council, Heid presented the HPC’s proposal for GSE Reform.

AUSTIN, TX - September 28, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- While vacation rentals have long been popular among families and groups traveling together, HomeAway®, Inc. – the world’s leading online vacation rental marketplace – finds in its latest “HomeAway Vacation Rental Marketplace Report” the appeal of vacation rentals to business travelers also continues to grow in popularity.