Massachusetts RealEstateRama

BOSTON - January 27, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- MassHousing announced a loan closing today of $7.1 million to preserve affordability for senior citizens at the 125-unit Tecumseh Mill in Fall River. As a condition of the MassHousing financing, Tecumseh Holdings LLC, the property owner, will extended the HUD Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract and the affordability on 124 apartments for 20 years when the current HAP contract expires March 1. One of the building's apartments is occupied by a resident superintendent.

BOSTON - January 24, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- MassHousing announced today that it has closed $33 million in loans for the acquisition and renovation of the 146-unit Historic South End Apartments in Boston.

WALTHAM, Mass. - January 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that pending home sales for both single-family homes and condominiums went up again in December compared to the year before. For the entire year, the number of single-family homes put under agreement in 2013 was up 11.3 percent over 2012. Pending sales figures (also called homes under agreement) are a leading indicator of actual housing sales in Massachusetts for the following 2-3 months.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Boston-area housing providers have agreed to pay $12,500, attend fair housing training, and implement new policies to avoid future fair housing violations to resolve allegations of discrimination against families with children as well as violations of the lead paint laws, Attorney General Coakley announced today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) seeks to create a pool of qualified housing search entities (HSEs) to perform specific housing search tasks to assist in finding community-based housing for adults with disabilities and elders served by the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration grant, the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waivers, and MRC state-funded programs

WALTHAM, Mass. - January 6, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Corinne Fitzgerald of Northfield, Broker/Owner of Fitzgerald Real Estate in Greenfield, was installed on December 3, 2013, as president-elect of the 19,000-member Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) for 2014. The event took place at the Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. and included the installation of the MAR Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Fitzgerald’s term officially begins on January 1, 2014.

WALTHAM, Mass. - December 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that November home sales declined compared to last year as prices still continued to go up. The condominium market experienced similar results. The lack of inventory of homes for sale impacted closed sales results

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 23, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has scheduled a public hearing to solicit comments on the 2014 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). The hearing will be held at 10:30 a.m. on January 3, 2014 in second floor conference room 2B, 100 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA, 02114. At the hearing, interested members of the public will be afforded the opportunity to present data, views or arguments orally relative to the proposed 2014 plan for allocating the low income housing tax credit in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

BOSTON - December 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The nation’s fourth largest mortgage servicer has agreed to provide Massachusetts homeowners with an estimated $80 million in principal reduction and cash payments to homeowners as part of a national settlement to resolve claims of loan servicing misconduct and unlawful foreclosures, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The City of Boston today announced the property tax rates for Fiscal 2014. The Fiscal 2014 tax rate for residential property is $12.58 per thousand dollars of valuation. The rate for business properties is $31.18 per thousand. Last fiscal year’s rates for residential and business properties were $13.14 and $31.96, respectively. The City’s total assessed value for Fiscal 2014 is $99.8 billion, an increase of 8.3 percent from last year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), is pleased to announce the release of “Shelter for All Genders: Best Practices for Homeless Shelters, Services and Programs in Massachusetts in Serving Transgender Adults and Gender Non-Conforming Guests.” This guide provides recommendations to agencies working with transgender and gender nonconforming persons in emergency and transitional shelters or services throughout the Commonwealth.

BOSTON - December 16, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Friday, December 13, 2013 – The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) today announced a new initiative, the High Leverage Asset Preservation Program (HILAPP), that will support the comprehensive modernization and preservation of the state’s public housing stock. The Program will provide competitively bid grants to local housing authorities that are able to secure matching funds from local and or other non-DHCD sources

BOSTON - December 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- December 10, 2013 – MassHousing announced today that it has closed a $16.1 million construction and permanent loan for the acquisition and renovation of the 448-unit River Place Towers in Lowell.

BOSTON - December 6, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Deval Patrick today announced the nomination of experienced attorney Nickolas W. Moudios as Clerk-Magistrate of the Housing Court, Worcester Division.

BOSTON WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Pennsylvania man, formerly an attorney practicing in Boston, was convicted of mortgage fraud. Charles R. Sammon, 37, of West Pittston, Penn., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns to 13 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, all in connection with the mortgage fraud scheme that occurred in 2006 and 2007