Monterey County and Santa Cruz AORs offer Clarus MarketMetrics® as a member benefit

LOS ANGELES, CA - July 3, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Real Estate Business Services Inc. (REBS®) today announced that the Monterey County Association of REALTORS® (MCAR) and Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS® (SCAR) signed agreements to provide Clarus MarketMetrics® as a member benefit to their more than 2,600 REALTOR® members. MCAR and SCAR join three other local associations in the area: Santa Clara County, Silicon Valley and San Mateo County associations of REALTORS®, all of which utilize MLSListings Inc. as their multiple listing service (MLS) provider, in providing Clarus MarketMetrics® as a member benefit. SCAR also is providing Clarus Investor®. more »

WASHINGTON, DC - July 1, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a $3,026,914 National Emergency Grant increment to continue assisting 1,063 California workers affected by mass layoffs and closures in the mortgage and banking industries. more »

C.A.R. reports May home sales increased 35.2 percent, median home price declined 30.4 percent

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 26, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Home sales increased 35.2 percent in May in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home declined 30.4 percent, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today. more »

Pleasanton, CA - June 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today sued the City of Pleasanton to remove its “draconian and illegal” limit on new housing, a significant cause of traffic congestion, air pollution and urban sprawl in the East Bay and Tri-Valley area. more »

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - June 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Kennedy Wilson Auction Group announced today that Jeffrey Condon has been named Vice President, Business Development. Condon is joining the group’s rapidly growing business development team in Beverly Hills. more »

CBIA says state new-home tax credit is generating demand for new homes and construction

SACRAMENTO, CA - June 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — May single-family home starts held their own compared to April, offering additional evidence that the state new-home tax credit is generating demand for new homes and leading to a resumption of job-generating construction, the California Building Industry Association reported today. more »

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — calREDDâ„¢ today announced that the Chico Association of REALTORS® and the Oroville Association of REALTORS® have joined calREDDâ„¢, the statewide Multiple Listing Service (MLS). more »

Will oversee MERIT’s rental property management operations

Aliso Viejo, CA - June 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — MERIT, a leading provider of professional community association management services, recently hired Stephen Brahs as the Vice President of MERIT Rental Property Management, Inc. more »

Heartland Multiple Listing Service/Kansas City Regional AOR provides Clarus MarketMetrics® as member benefit

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 19, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Real Estate Business Services Inc. (REBS) and the Heartland Multiple Listing Service (MLS) today announced that Heartland MLS has signed an agreement to provide its members access to Clarus MarketMetrics®. more »

Remarks of Horace Hogan II
Chairman, California Building Industry Assn.

June 18, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Good morning, and thank you for joining us today, either in person or by conference call.

I don’t think that I have to tell any of you that California’s homebuilding industry is in the worst shape ever. You have heard the statistics: more »

KW Capital Markets to Be Based in New York

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - June 17, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — William J. McMorrow, chairman and chief executive officer of real estate services and investment firm/advisory firm Kennedy Wilson, today announced the appointment of Donald J. Herrema as executive vice chairman of the company and chief executive officer of its newly formed division Kennedy Wilson Capital Markets. Herrema will also join the company’s Executive Committee and be located in Kennedy Wilson’s New York City office which will open simultaneous with his appointment. more »

KW Acquisitions in Last 12 Months Reach 1,000 Residential Units Valued at $250 Million

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — An investment partnership led by the international real estate services and investment firm Kennedy Wilson has acquired the remaining 149 units in The Mercury, a 22-story luxury condominium tower on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, from investors led by Forest City Residential West. Vince Norris of Hendricks & Partners represented both the buyer and seller in the transaction. more »

CBIA calls on lawmakers to extend homebuyer tax credit to continue housing recovery

SACRAMENTO, CA - June 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The pace of home sales at California new-home communities continued to show signs of stabilization in April thanks in part to the new-home tax credit that went into effect in March, the California Building Industry Association reported today. more »

calREDDâ„¢ announces intent to join CARETS

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 5, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — calREDD™ today announced its intent to join California Real Estate Technology Services (CARETS).

calREDDâ„¢, an acronym for California Real Estate Dynamic Data, embodies the long-term vision of creating one database for all California real property, with a focus on developing advanced technology that goes beyond current MLS systems. Formed in 2006, CARETS is a data aggregation service comprised of six MLSs in Southern California that share a vision of uniform data access, unified rules, and ease of use. CARETS now serves 30 REALTOR® associations and 100,000-plus members in Southern California. more »

June 4, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The city of Santa Maria this week became the latest California jurisdiction to reduce development impact fees it charges homebuilders, which the California Building Industry Association said is a growing trend that is paying off. more »