Housing & Development

WASHINGTON, DC - May 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that USA4SALE Network, Inc., has agreed to pay $15,000 to settle claims that it violated the Fair Housing Act when it posted ads on its Web sites that discriminated against families with children. In addition, the company has also agreed to change the way its Web sites filter discriminatory language.

Destin, FL - May 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home sales are forecast to have a positive move upward the rest of the year, aided by lower home prices and pent up buyer demand on behalf of real estate investors, according to a new forecast by Housing Predictor. The promising outlook shows a better climate developing in the housing market.

Miami, FL - May 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- During the ongoing housing crisis, more that 54,000 South Floridians have been faced with foreclosures and have had to make the tough choice as to whether to fight to save their homes or walk away. Residents stuck in upside-down mortgages are often not aware of their available options when faced with foreclosure proceedings and can be more susceptible to loan modification scams; miss out on mortgage aid opportunities and, as consequence, lose their homes which could have been prevented.

ORLANDO, FL - May 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando Area recently celebrated National Women Build Week, an initiative designed to empower women to take action against poverty housing conditions. Locally, more than 400 women volunteered to build five townhomes at Stag Horn Villas, the nonprofit’s first multi-family community. During the effort from May 2 – 7, more than $100,000 was raised by event sponsors and fundraising teams.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae today announced the opening of the Tampa Mortgage Help Center to provide free education and counseling services to struggling homeowners in the Greater Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Center, the seventh Mortgage Help Center to open across the country, is part of Fannie Mae's nationwide initiative to educate families about the options and tools available to help them stay in their homes.

Destin, FL - April 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- There’s some good news in the U.S. housing market, and starting this week Housing Predictor is introducing a new real estate index to keep closer track of cities that are about to break into a housing recovery and those that are bottoming out.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new study this week says Florida continues to have a dismal-performing housing market, but the state’s governor is stalling federal emergency assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure, according to two recent letters by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

March 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Hillsborough County’s Affordable Housing Department recently received favorable reviews from the State and Federal government for the management of two of its programs. The annual reviews were of the department’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program and its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

February 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In an effort to encourage first-time homebuyers into the market, Hillsborough County Affordable Housing Department has $1 million in funding available to help qualifying households purchase their first home. The funds are available through the County’s First Time Homebuyer (FHTB) Program from State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program Funds. The Program helps low to moderate-income homebuyers with closing costs and down payment assistance. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tampa, FL - February 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- True, the economy is still a bit sluggish, Kenny Rushing admits, but don’t tell him that the real estate market is dead in the United States. The founder of Rush Capital Fund in Tampa buys and sells real estate nationwide and operates a thriving business. To help novice and experienced investors alike learn how they can make money buying and selling homes and properties, Rushing has launched the Buy American Real Estate Tour. The first event, which will feature Rushing and 23 of the country’s foremost real estate investing experts, is slated for May 6-8 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Tampa

Tampa, FL - February 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Julie Rochman, CEO and president of the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) will be a guest speaker at Engineer News-Records’ Mitigating Disaster Through Design and Construction conference March 2-3 in Washington, D.C

February 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Deadline to submit a Multifamily Rental Housing New Construction and Rehabilitation RFP is Friday, February 25, 2011, no later than 3:00 p.m. A Technical Workshop will be held on February 14, 2011, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. at the Affordable Housing Department, 1208 Tech Blvd, Ste 300, Tampa, FL 33619.

EUSTIS, FL - January 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Lake And Sumter Emergency Recovery (LASER) is soliciting donations from the community for residents who sustained damage to their homes during the Jan. 25 storm that passed through Lake County.

December 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- At the Jan. 5, 2011, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners Regular meeting, the County will hold a public hearing to amend the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 Affordable Housing Annual Action Plans. The Action Plans guide the County on how it will spend grant funds received from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in the following grants

WASHINGTON, DC - December 13, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Florida man and two U.K. nationals pleaded guilty Dec.10, 2010, to immigration fraud charges for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently procure visas from the U.S. Embassy in London through a Florida property development company called Royal Development. The guilty pleas were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Robert E. O’Neill of the Middle District of Florida; Eric J. Boswell, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security; and Special Agent in Charge Linda J. Osuna of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation Division.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - December 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Interagency Mortgage Task Force today hosted a community forum in Kissimmee to discuss the housing crisis. The event was designed to present a comprehensive approach for dealing with housing-related issues and provide information and assistance to consumers. Participating agencies included state agencies, law enforcement and regulatory authorities.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A former residential sales manager at a Florida property management company pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with housing repair contracts for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Justice announced today.

ORLANDO, FL - November 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Statewide year-to-date existing home sales in Florida showed positive momentum in October: 143,398 single-family existing homes sold for a 7 percent increase over the same period a year ago, though uncertainty over job growth, restrictive credit and foreclosure issues had a dampening effect on housing activity last month, according to industry analysts. The latest housing data released by Florida Realtors® also reported a 33 percent rise in statewide year-to-date condominium sales compared to a year ago, with a total of 59,966 units sold

WASHINGTON, DC - November 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Members of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and other real estate and business interests achieved a significant victory on Tuesday with the defeat of Amendment 4 in Florida. If passed, the amendment would have required the state’s voters to approve all local comprehensive land use plan changes, rather than having those changes approved or rejected by city and county commissions. The amendment needed 60 percent of the vote for approval; however, 67 percent of voters rejected the measure. The outcome of the vote is expected to set a national precedent for other states.

Tampa, FL - November 4, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has submitted comments on the Voluntary Private Sector Accreditation and Certification Preparedness Program, known as PS-Prep, drafted by the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA).