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Senate Bill 1150, a bill to protect widows, widowers and other heirs from unnecessary foreclosures, passed a key hurdle today when it was voted out of the Senate on a vote that was not without drama. Amidst intense industry lobbying pressure and after appearing to go down to defeat for failing to secure sufficient votes yesterday, the bill secured the needed 21 votes today.

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced a $411.3 million proposed two-year capital budget to invest in San Francisco’s future. This record investment continues Mayor Lee’s strong commitment to improving San Francisco’s infrastructure and continuing to follow the good government recommendations of the Capital Planning Committee. The investments included in the proposal will make the City more resilient, safer, and more livable. It addresses critical public safety projects, makes big investments to address growth, and takes care of existing infrastructure.

The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) applauds a “build by right” proposal by Gov. Jerry Brown that would create a voluntary permit streamlining approval process for developers to use.

The Mortgage Bankers Association Opens Doors Foundation (MBA Open Doors) today announced that it is expanding into California in the coming months, thanks to a generous ongoing contribution from Arch Capital Group (U.S.) Inc. (Arch Capital), a parent company of Arch Mortgage Insurance Company (Arch MI).

Led by the Central Valley, California statewide pending home sales reversed a three-month decline and posted higher in April, but a persistent shortage of homes for sale may dampen the upcoming spring homebuying season, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today

While sales remained above the 400,000 benchmark level, California existing home sales fell from the previous year in April as tight housing inventory continues to impede the housing market, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today. April marked the second worst start to a spring home-buying season since the housing recovery began in 2009.

Thirty-four percent of California households could afford to purchase the $465,280 median-priced home in the first quarter, up from 30 percent in fourth-quarter 2015 and unchanged from 34 percent in first-quarter 2015

The Board of Directors of the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) voted last Friday to support a $1.3 billion proposal by California Assembly members to create affordable housing programs

Washington, D.C. - (RealEstateRama) -- About 50 SILVAR members joined over 2,000 California REALTORS® in Sacramento on Wednesday for the annual California Association of...

Earlier today, the California Reinvestment Coalition called on the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to impose a moratorium on any additional reverse mortgage foreclosures by CIT Group and its subsidiary, Financial Freedom. The call for a moratorium is based in part on new data (see fact sheet here) that CRC obtained from HUD, indicating that Financial Freedom/CIT Group’s share of reverse mortgage foreclosures (39%) since April 2009 is more than two times greater than the company’s estimated market share (17%).

Statewide pending home sales in California decreased in March on an annual basis for the third straight month, reflecting high demand for a dearth of homes available for sale on the market, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today

More real estate investors are turning to niche properties and away from investing in single-family homes and multifamily properties than they have in recent years, according to a CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) survey of its members about their interactions with real estate investors

California home sales rose from both the previous month and year to post the highest sales pace in six months, while strained housing supplies continued to push home prices higher, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today.

The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ (C.A.R.) Center for California Real Estate (CCRE) is partnering with the University of California Center Sacramento to sponsor, “Housing Affordability in California: Current Challenges and Potential Policy Solutions” in an effort to address the state’s rapidly declining homeownership rate.

Officials from the City of Sacramento, Robla School District, and Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency will celebrate the completion of the new Main Avenue Sports Field made possible through a joint partnership between the three entities. Currently used by the school district for children to play soccer and other physical exercise during school hours, officials expect word of the new “field of dreams” to spread throughout the community and attract a variety of year round sports activity including soccer and baseball.

The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) announced today that it has been re-certified as a Bay Area Green Business by the California Bay Area Green Business Program, after meeting stricter standards for conserving resources, preventing pollution and minimizing waste. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

A felon was convicted and sentenced today for burglarizing two homes and assaulting and robbing a homeowner on Christmas and fleeing the scene after being shot by the homeowner. Jeremy William Bell, 31, Fullerton, pleaded guilty today to a court offer of two felony counts of first degree residential burglary, one felony count of aggravated assault, and one felony count of robbery, with sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a deadly weapon, and a prior prison conviction in 2012 in Riverside County for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Over the People’s objection, Bell was sentenced to three years in state prison.

Under a public-nonprofit partnership with the City of Sacramento and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, developer Pacific Housing, Inc. will reach its goal of selling all 10 new homes in the first building phase of the Heritage at Del Paso Nuevo development in North Sacramento. A grand opening celebration is planned for Wednesday, April 13 at 10 a.m., at 640 Ford Road

Environment California Research & Policy Center was joined in front of San José City Hall by Councilmember Ash Kalra and SunPower Managing Director Bobby Ram to celebrate San José’s impressive solar power achievements. San José has more solar panels than most major American cities, ranking 5th among dozens of metropolitan areas analyzed in a new report

How does a barista, some oysters, and a server’s cousin lead to entrepreneurship? Well, it’s a long story and the premise for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ 2016 consumer ad campaign which launches today in four California markets.