The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today unveiled a new website that consolidates a wide variety of economic and housing market data at the regional, state, metropolitan area and county levels.
Using data from the Census Bureau, Labor Department, State and Local governments, housing industry sources, as well as HUD’s own field economists, the new website employs interactive maps that allow visitors to access a variety of reports – from a region-wide look at employment and housing activity to individual county-level figures on population trends, rental activity and vacancy …

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced a new modified version of its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) product. The HECM loan is a reverse mortgage insured by the federal government. It allows older home owners to tap into their equity to cover living expenses and health care costs while continuing to live in their home without having to make the mortgage payments that are required with a traditional mortgage or equity loan.
FHA designed HECM Saver as a second reverse mortgage option for the purpose of lowering upfront loan closing …

Real estate agents from across the United States and Canada will soon flock to Austin for Keller Williams Realty’s annual Mega Camp. The event, which focuses on education and motivation over four days, features sessions led by real estate’s top producers that highlight their techniques for success.
Speakers at Mega Camp include Keller Williams Realty’s Co-founder Gary Keller, CEO Mark Willis, President and COO Mary Tennant, and President of MAPS Coaching Dianna Kokoszka. Additionally, this year will feature keynote speaker Chris Gardner, whose story was immortalized in the 2006 movie The …

The American Association of Private Lenders (AAPL) has established the first code of ethics for private hard money lenders in the United States. These ethical standards are the foundation of how AAPL members conduct themselves in their business operations.
“The purpose of this code is to establish the highest standard of conduct for the industry,” says Wallace Groves, AAPL Executive Director. “Both borrowers and investors can use it as an important indication of professionalism for the lenders with which they are dealing.”
Key sections of the Code of Ethics include strictly adhering …

Mortgage lenders nationwide are trying to figure out how best to meet the new appraisal management rules outlined in the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Bill, which is likely to become law in mid to late October. The bill’s appraiser independence standards present lenders with new options on how to manage appraisers, and they must now evaluate their options to decide what will most benefit their business.
“With an October deadline looming for the issuance of new appraiser independence rules under the Dodd-Frank Bill, lenders must quickly choose how to execute the directives …

The Planet, the global hosting leader, today announced that REALworkspaces has expanded and upgraded its Diligence on Demand™ technology platform to accommodate its fast growth. Headquartered in Dallas, REALworkspaces is used throughout the commercial real estate industry for the diligence required to close transactions.
Capturing the attention of buyers, lenders and investors generates momentum on commercial real estate transactions. REALworkspaces offers self-service capabilities, instant access to diligence and friction-free …

2M Realty, an independent firm providing services throughout the Greater Houston real estate market, has exclusively partnered with Treehouse Agent Services to launch a new virtual office program.
With a host of resources, The Treehouse program provides a complete, end-to-end service for independent agents looking to conduct their trade online. According to the pricing package purchased, agents can retain a guaranteed 100 percent or 80 percent commission upon closing.
“Through the Treehouse program, 2M Realty is putting the power of independent selling and revenue generation into the hands of Houston REALTORS,” …

By Tom Butala
According to Inman News, despite the crowning of ‘Most Innovative Web Service’ at the 2010 ‘Real Estate Connect’ event in San Francisco, the Houston Association of REALTORS’ (HAR) ‘REALTOR Match’ service has proven to be controversial among members of the HAR.
‘REALTOR Match,’ the state-of-the-art service launched by the HAR in April works in correspondence with MLS data to provide consumers a listing of agents and the properties they represent in a given area. However, the transparent nature of ‘REALTOR Match’ quickly attracted a barrage of disapproval from many …

By Tom Butala
The Houston Association of REALTORS was awarded ‘Most Innovative Web Service’ in Inman News’ 2010 Innovator Awards for ‘REALTOR Match,’ the online service that pairs homebuyers and sellers with the ideal real estate agent.
July 13-15 at the Hilton San Francisco’s Union Square, Inman News hosted their annual ‘Real Estate Connect’ event, bringing together the brightest minds in real estate and technology for a seminar featuring networking opportunities, guest speakers and the Innovation Award ceremony. Inman News honored winners in 5 categories, as well as 2 individual awards and …

Century 21 Real Estate LLC, the franchisor of one of the world’s largest residential real estate sales organizations announced the release of its new iPhone app. The Century 21 iPhone app automatically provides mobile users with property listings, open house information and Century 21 office locations. It also provides a quick overview of the communities associated with each listing, including school details, community images and statistics.
Consumers can either type in a specific city, town, state and zip code or press the geolocation button to allow the Century 21 app to …