Yearly Archives: 2010

October 4, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced today four groundbreakings at Boston Housing Authority developments that have been made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In September of last year, the BHA was awarded $40 million in competitive ARRA grants which is being used to upgrade four buildings at the Cathedral and Bromley Heath developments, redevelop a portion of the Old Colony development and create a Services Center for Frail Elders at the Amory Street housing development

BOSTON, MA - October 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Thursday, September 30, 2010 – As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration's continuing efforts to promote job growth and long-term economic recovery, Governor Deval Patrick today announced that $980,959 in federal weatherization assistance program recovery funds will be used to replace antiquated, inefficient heating systems at properties operated by 10 public housing authorities throughout the Commonwealth

WALTHAM, MA - September 28, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that single-family home sales in August went down for the second month in a row compared to the year before. Single-family year-over-year median prices went up for the 10th straight month as condominium median prices crossed the $300,000 threshold for the first time since MAR has been tracking median prices.

EUGENE, OR - September 28, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Prestige Boston Realty and Timothy Sherman have joined forces with IDX, Inc. to update and transform the real estate website Sherman hosts. Home seekers can now scan the IDX Broker enabled page to search through Massachusetts MLS (MLSPIN) listings quickly and efficiently, thanks to the IDX solution Sherman has adopted. With the dynamic tools made available to Sherman, his clients and those just browsing the Boston real estate market, the online property search has been revolutionized. Homes around the Boston Back Bay and surrounding suburbs are now seamlessly displayed on the search page Sherman supports

September 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced that his Office of Environment and Energy Services and the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) have partnered to make available $900,000 for energy performance improvements to affordable housing developments throughout Boston. The funds, which will be administered through the Renew Boston and Green Affordable Housing Program, are part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental and Energy Services’ $6.5 million award made in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

BOSTON, MA - September 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- MassHousing announced a loan closing today of $6.3 million to preserve affordability for low-income families at the 140-apartment Joseph’s House in Fitchburg

September 13, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Thomas M. Menino and residents of Jamaica Plain’s Mount Pleasant Home (MPH) elderly rental housing development today celebrated the progress of building’s $20 million renovation and expansion project with a ceremonial cornerstone laying as part of the housing facility’s 15th Annual Backyard Party, to which the neighborhood was invited. Upon completion, the renovated MPH will serve a mixed-income senior population with 60 single room occupancy units, as well as common area living spaces, and a medical facility staffed by Brigham and Women’s Hospital that will provide services to tenants and the surrounding community.

September 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA), and Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I-NYC), co-chairs of Building America’s Future, announced today that Mayor Thomas M. Menino has joined its bipartisan and national infrastructure coalition comprised of state and locally elected officials to help secure a renewed federal commitment to infrastructure.

EUGENE, OR - September 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Christine Pierce of Success Real Estate has adopted a customizable IDX solution for her real estate website. Thanks to the IDX, Inc. revolutionary technology, home seekers around the Massachusetts Cape can begin searching for a home from the comfort of their own residence. Massachusetts MLS (MLSPIN) listings are synced directly with her own properties to give potential buyers a dynamic database of homes to search through. The online property search experience just got simpler and more effective on the professional website of Pierce.

August 31, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Deval Patrick today joined Congressman John Olver, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and other officials to celebrate the start of construction on the long-vacant Heywood Wakefield furniture manufacturing mill.(Photo credit: Matt Bennett/Governor's Office)

WOBURN, MA - August 31, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A North Chelmsford real estate company and its agent have been sued for violating state anti-discrimination law, Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office announced. The Attorney General’s Office filed a housing discrimination complaint yesterday against Prime Properties, Inc., and its agent, Joan Eident, in Middlesex Superior Court alleging that the defendants refused to rent to a single mother because she has a young child.“The Commonwealth’s anti-discrimination law prohibits landlords and real estate professionals from refusing to rent to prospective tenants because they have children,” AG Coakley said. “Massachusetts is facing critical housing needs and compliance with these laws is of the upmost importance in ensuring that residents are afforded the fair treatment and equal opportunity that they deserve.”

Boston, MA - August 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- For the sixth year in a row, Staples, Inc., the worlds’ largest office supply company, based in Framingham, Mass., is being recognized by EPA as one of the top 50 organizations taking voluntary steps to use and purchase green power. Staples purchases more than 146 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet more than 20 percent of the organization’s purchased electricity use. The company is also a member of the Green Power Leadership Club, a distinction given to organizations that have significantly exceeded EPA’s minimum purchase requirements.

BOSTON, MA - August 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Monday, August 23, 2010 - As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration's Massachusetts Recovery Plan, Governor Deval Patrick today announced that the state will target $1,700,033 in federal weatherization assistance recovery funds to replace old, inefficient heating systems in buildings operated by 13 public housing authorities throughout the Commonwealth. These upgrades will create jobs, deliver clean, efficient warmth and lower heating costs for tenants of family public housing developments in Barnstable, Carver, Concord, Fairhaven, Falmouth, Framingham, Franklin, Haverhill, Lowell, Norton, Sandwich, Sudbury and Wrentham."Today's awards will not only help keep our environment clean, but these heating system upgrades will boost business, put people to work and improve conditions for families living in state public housing," said Governor Patrick

BOSTON , MA - August 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office has obtained consent judgments against five defendants that perpetrated an unlawful foreclosure rescue scheme against multiple homeowners facing foreclosure that stripped and retained hundreds of thousands of dollars of the victims' home equity.The judgments, entered against Primary Mortgage Resource, Leo Desire, Sr., Robert Marks, Pierre Joseph and Daphne Mompoint, provide for payments of restitution to victims and civil penalties to the Commonwealth and prohibit the defendants from engaging in certain activities that facilitated the scheme

August 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Gerardi, Foote, and Willen look at economists' assessments of the housing market prior to its collapse to see whether they saw signs of a bubble. While some economists did warn of a bubble, this was a minority view. Other economists advanced well reasoned counterarguments.