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Clarus MarketMetrics® is available for free to members of six Northern California AORs. LOS ANGELES, CA - July 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Real Estate Business Services Inc. (REBS®) today announced that more than 15,000 members of six local associations of REALTORS® in Northern California now have access to Clarus MarketMetrics® as a free member benefit. Members of the Coastal Mendocino, Marin, North Bay, Northern Solano County, San Francisco, and Solano associations of REALTORS® join the more than 100,000 California real estate professionals who have member benefit access. Bay Area Real Estate Information Services (BAREIS) and the San Francisco MLS (SFARMLS) are the multiple listing providers to members of the aforementioned local associations.

Funds Will Provide Housing for Disabled Families; Housing Assistance for Native Americans. WASHINGTON, DC - July 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) today announced an additional $928,364 in federal funds for housing initiatives in Sacramento. Two grants, awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will provide $878,784 to the Sacramento County Housing Authority, and $49,580 to the Buena Vista Rancheria. The Sacramento County Housing Authority will receive funding under the Designated Housing Fund, to provide housing for disabled families. Buena Vista Rancheria, home to the Me-Wuk Indian Tribe, will receive funding through the Indian Housing Block Grant Program to provide decent, safe and affordable housing for lower-income Native Americans.

Newsom also announces 450% increase in San Francisco solar applications since inception of solar rebate program. July 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced plans to install over 365 kw of solar panels on the San Francisco Housing Authority properties of Hayes Valley North and South and Plaza East through San Francisco’s GoSolarSF Initiative. The solar panels will provide hundreds of thousands of kilowatts of clean, renewable electricity to public housing residents. The project is expected to create 25 jobs and be completed by the end of the year

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®.

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.

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.

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.

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

LOS ANGELES, CA - June 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — calREDD™ today announced that the Chico Association of REALTORS® and the Oroville Association of REALTORS® have joined calREDD™, the statewide Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

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®

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

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.

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.

calREDD™ 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). calREDD™, 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.

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.

June 01, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Los Angeles County Assessor Rick Auerbach today announced completion of a decline in value review of 473,000 homes and condominiums in Los Angeles County. Auerbach stressed that due to the declining real estate market, it was his responsibility to review values to make sure homes are properly assessed.

June 01, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The city of Menifee in Riverside County and the Scotts Valley Unified School District in Santa Cruz County are the latest California jurisdictions to significantly reduce fees charged to homebuilders, which the California Building Industry Association said is a growing trend that is paying off.

C.A.R. Education’s Face2Face interactive video conferencing program to offer NAR designations. LOS ANGELES, CA - June 01, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Real Estate Business Services® (REBS®) today announced the launch of Face2Face, C.A.R. Education’s new video conferencing program. Face2Face will deliver dynamic, interactive training to REALTORS® at up to four local associations in California simultaneously. The live presentation will be sent via a video feed to the local association in real-time, enabling every member to see and hear the same thing at the same time, for the ultimate learning experience. Students can instantly respond and interact with the instructor through this approach.

C.A.R. reports April home sales increased 49.2 percent, median home price declined 36.5 percent. LOS ANGELES, CA - May 29, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Home sales increased 49.2 percent in April in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home declined 36.5 percent, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today.

May 29, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — US Industrial REIT III, an affiliate of USAA Real Estate Company, announced the recent acquisition of a 657,600-square-foot Class A bulk distribution facility occupied by specialty retailer, Home Depot USA, Inc. in Tracy, California on a 15 year lease for an undisclosed sum.