Archives

SACRAMENTO, CA - September 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) issued a letter in response to the most recent display of uncertainty by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) in their handling of the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program – a program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which could have provided thousands of good American jobs and helped meet our nation’s energy efficiency goals – if properly enacted

SACRAMENTO, CA - August 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing production in California continued to increase in July as a result of strong performance in the multifamily sector, the California Building Industry Association announced today.

SACRAMENTO, CA - August 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) announced that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the current situation of mortgage foreclosure scams occurring around the country, and an analysis of the government’s efforts to prohibit such deceptive financial practices.

LOS ANGELES, CA - August 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The California State Assembly today approved SB 1178 (D-Corbett) by a 49 to 14 vote, extending anti-deficiency protection for consumers who have refinanced their original mortgage loans and now are facing foreclosure. The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) is the sponsor of the consumer-protection legislation.

SACRAMENTO, CA - August 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that Sacramento Neighborhood Housing Services has received $750,000 to help provide financing for low-income housing projects in Sacramento. Awarded through the Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institution Program (CDFI), this funding is awarded to nonprofit certified community development financial institutions that serve low-income people and communities that lack adequate access to affordable financial products and services.

LOS ANGELES, CA - August 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The percentage of households that could afford to buy an entry-level home in California stood at 64 percent in the second quarter of 2010, compared with 67 percent for the same period a year ago, according to a report released today by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.)

SACRAMENTO, CA - August 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- After posting a slight increase last quarter, housing affordability in California decreased in the second quarter of 2010 with 15 of the state’s 28 metropolitan areas included in the report showing affordability levels creeping downward, the California Building Industry Association said today

August 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Latinos and African Americans in California have experienced significantly higher foreclosure rates than non-Hispanic borrowers in the state, according to first-of-its-kind research released today by the Center for Responsible Lending.

SACRAMENTO, CA - August 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- An updated version of The Economic Benefits of Housing report released today by the California Homebuilding Foundation (CHF) in conjunction with the Center for Strategic Economic Research (CSER), confirms that the housing industry’s economic output has fallen approximately 80 percent since 2005, representing a loss of tens of billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs to the state’s economy.

LOS ANGELES, CA - August 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) subsidiary California MLS, Inc., doing business as calREDD®, and the Multi-Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (MRMLS), last week signed an agreement to merge the efforts of calREDD® and MRMLS. calREDD® is the C.A.R. initiative to create one Multiple Listing Service (MLS) accessible to real estate agents throughout the state. The new yet-to-be-named entity will serve more than 33,000 real estate professionals and 25 REALTOR® associations throughout California.

August 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Long Beach Housing Development Company (LBHDC), together with Councilmember Dee Andrews, 6th District, The Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services (LANHS), and Los Angeles County NeighborWorks Center for Foreclosure Solutions invite the public to the "Help & Hope" Foreclosure Prevention Assistance and Homebuyer Education Fair at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. The free event has the dual purpose to “help” families prevent foreclosure and provide “hope” to families who dream of purchasing a home now that home prices are lower than in previous years. Congresswoman Laura Richardson is expected to attend.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that the fiscal year 2011 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives Thursday, includes over $1 million in funding secured by Rep. Matsui for important local transportation and housing development initiatives. Beneficiaries include the County of Sacramento, the City of Sacramento, and My Sister’s House domestic violence shelter. “The appropriations bill passed by the House will invest significantly in our nation’s infrastructure while also spurring our country’s economic growth,” stated Congresswoman Matsui. “New jobs will be created by this legislation by making our roads safer and our public transit more secure.”

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - July 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that $1.4 million is being awarded for cleanup efforts at contaminated California sites known as brownfields. Both the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and City of Sacramento were chosen to receive the grant funds. A brownfield is a parcel of land where hazardous substances or pollutants are a barrier to its successful redevelopment or reuse.

SACRAMENTO, CA - July 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Total housing starts in California continued to gain ground in June and posted the largest monthly total since December of 2008, the California Building Industry Association announced today

LOS ANGELES, CA - July 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home sales decreased 4.2 percent in June in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home rose 13.6 percent, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today

July 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement after the Department of Energy (DOE) selected Calera Corporation of Los Gatos, CA as one of six recipients to receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to convert captured CO₂ emissions from industrial sources into useful products:

PLEASANTON, CA - July 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. and the City of Pleasanton have reached a precedent-setting agreement ending Pleasanton's restrictions on new housing and opening the way for jobs and new housing to be located close to each other.

SACRAMENTO, CA - July 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The pace of home sales at California new-home communities struggled through a challenging May after the expiration of a federal tax credit, the California Building Industry Association reported today.

LOS ANGELES, CA - July 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Real Estate Business Services Inc. (REBS) and ForeclosureRadar™ today announced a new agreement to provide members of the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) with discounted pricing and an extended trial period on the ForeclosureRadar™ service, including ForeclosureRadar™’s new iPhone application. ForeclosureRadar™’s iPhone app, the first distressed-property app on the market, allows users to review the status of a foreclosure property and update their distressed-property tracking analysis from their mobile device.

LOS ANGELES, CA - July 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) and Inman News today announced that Inman News will provide the daily news feed for C.A.R.’s newest iPhone application, AgentNTouch™. The app is consumer-focused and features tips for buyers and sellers, real estate terminology, current mortgage rates, mortgage calculators, educational videos, and current real estate news. AgentNTouch™ also enables REALTORS® to personalize the app and send neighborhood, open house, and listing information to clients