Real estate licensees have five months remaining to earn 14 hours of continuing education (CE) credit before the State’s Real Estate Commission’s license renewal deadline of May 31, 2012.
New licensees who received their licenses between Dec. 1, 2009 and Nov. 30, 2011, are required to take 14 hours of CE in specific, mandatory commission-developed...
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Real Estate And Mortgage News
- 4th Quarter Metro Area Home Prices Boost AffordabilityHousing affordability conditions improved in most metropolitan areas from softer existing-home prices and record-low mortgage interest rates in Q4. […]
- HUD to Fund Additional $31.5 Million for Housing for Very Low-Income SeniorsHundreds of very low-income seniors will have access to affordable supportive housing from $31.5 million in housing assistance by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding will help nonprofit organizations in five states produce additional accessible housing, offer rental assistance and provide supportive services for the older […]
- OBAMA ADMINISTRATION RELEASES JANUARY HOUSING SCORECARDWASHINGTON--The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the January edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard - a comprehensive report on the nation's housing market. Data in the January Housing Scorecard underscore fragility as the overall outlook remains mixed. In […]
- HUD ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL $31.5 MILLION TO FUND HOUSING FOR VERY LOW-INCOME SENIORSWASHINGTON - Hundreds of very low-income senior citizens will have access to affordable supportive housing thanks to $31.5 million in housing assistance announced today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding announced today (see attached list) will help non-profit organizations in five states produce additional accessible […]
- HUD SECRETARY ANNOUNCES DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR UTAH STORM VICTIMSWASHINGTON-U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to the State of Utah and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following severe storms in November and December. […]
The Economy
- Monthly Wholesale Trade: Sales and InventoriesDecember 2011 sales of merchant wholesalers were $413.1 billion, up 1.3 percent (+/-0.7%) from last month. End-of-month inventories were $473.2 billion, up 1.0 percent (+/-0.5%) from last month. December 2011: 1.0 % change in Inv November 2011: 0.0 % change in Inv […]
FEMA
- Assistance to Texas Wildfire Survivors Tops $39 Million in Five MonthsAUSTIN, Texas -- Five months since a Sept. 9 major disaster declaration for the Texas wildfires, assistance to survivors and affected communities has topped$39 million , recovery officials said Monday. Of the total, more than $13.8 million is in state and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recovery grants for Texans and their families. […]
- Additional Facts About the National Flood Insurance Program (Pt. 3)Windsor, Conn. -- While flood insurance is not mandatory for homeowners outside of a high-risk area, anyone can be financially vulnerable to floods. People outside of high-risk areas file more than 25% of NFIP claims and receive one-third of disaster assistance for flooding. Residential and commercial property owners who are not located in high-risk areas sh […]
- New Flood Maps Show Current Risks in Rio Arriba County New MexicoDENTON, Texas -- Rio Arriba County, New Mexico homeowners, business and residential renters, and business owners who do not have flood insurance are encouraged to buy coverage now to get the best possible premiums before new flood insurance rate maps go into effect. […]
Pennsylvania Real Estate Licensees
Earthquake Insurance After Virginia Quake
Most homeowners in the Northeastern United States did not think they needed to worry about their homeowner’s insurance covering damage from an earthquake; however, most homeowner’s insurance does not cover earthquakes.
After the 2011 earthquake in Virginia, FEMA has issued the following statement:
Common Misunderstandings Could Delay or Limit Your Assistance
Virginia’s earthquake declaration has spanned five...
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Existing-Home Sales Show Uptrend
Existing-home sales continued on an uptrend in December, rising for three consecutive months and remaining above a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
The latest monthly data shows total existing-home sales1 rose 5.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.61 million in December from a downwardly revised 4.39 million in...
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Homebuyer’s First Steps
Mortgage rates are at 50-year lows – the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.95 percent at the close of 2011 – making homeownership more affordable than ever for families with a stable income and good credit. But before you begin house hunting in earnest, it’s important that you get the facts about buying a home...
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Montgomery County Real Estate
Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds NANCY J. BECKER is urging recorders/registers of deeds across state and the country to withdraw public money from any banks affiliated with the Mortgage Electronic Registry System (MERS), which she claims is undermining the practice of accurate land recording.
In recent years, mortgages have been assigned and...
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The Future Of Housing
Six Key Principles for the Future of the Housing Finance Market
By Feddie Mac CEO Ed Haldeman
Freddie Mac was chartered by Congress in 1970 with a public mission to stabilize the nation’s residential mortgage markets and expand opportunities for homeownership and affordable rental housing. Our statutory mission is to...
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New Residential Construction
Building Permits, Housing Starts, and Housing Completions
or the letters indicate a document is in the Microsoft® Excel® Spreadsheet Format (XLS). To view the file, you will need the Microsoft® Excel® Viewer available for free from Microsoft®.
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Existing Home Sales
Washington, DC, November 21, 2011
Existing-home sales improved in October while the number of homes on the market continued to decline, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Total existing-home sales1, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 1.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.97 million in October...
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Houses for Sale by the U. S. Government
The HomeSales.gov web site provides current information about single family homes for sale by the U.S. Federal Government. These previously owned homes are for sale by public...
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Flood Insurance Reform
“The National Association of Realtors® is pleased that a continuing resolution passed by Congress today included a short-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program, but still believes a longer term extension is needed to ensure access to affordable flood insurance for millions of homeowners.
“As the leading advocate for homeownership...
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New Residential Home Sales
New home sales and existing home sales are released each month at about the same time. Many comparisons are made between the two series, but before doing any comparisons, one must be aware of some definition differences that affect the timing of the statistics.
The Census Bureau collects new home sales based upon the following...
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Making Homes Affordable
The Advertising Council, in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced today the launch of a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to encourage homeowners who are struggling with their monthly mortgage payments to learn about the Making Home Affordable Program....
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Greater Philadelphia Region
- 2012 Komen Philadelphia Race for the CureFirst, I encourage you to please view this video message from Founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, regarding the recent changes to Komen granting strategy. I also remind you that, like you, the Philadelphia Affiliate is concerned about these changes and are in discussion with Komen National [...] […]
- Abraham Lincoln Union Open HousePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania: The Union League of Philadelphia, founded in 1862 as a patriotic society to support the Union and the policies of Abraham Lincoln, will host its annual Open House on Saturday February 4, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The public is invited to stay after the open house for a special [...] […]