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BOSTON, MA - April 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Boston Regional Challenge, a new report released today by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing, finds that the average working household in the Boston region spends over $34,000 a year – or 54 percent of their income – on the combined costs of housing and transportation.

Worcester, MA - March 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Monique van Grinsven, one of North America’s top real estate professionals, has joined the staff of Real Estate Inner Circle™. Ms. van Grinsven has over 30 years of sales and leadership experience in the real estate industry as a REALTOR, manager, coach, trainer, speaker, and consultant. She will begin offering personal coaching to real estate professionals effective immediately.

March 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Tim Tully, one of North America’s top real estate professionals, has joined the staff of Real Estate Inner Circle™. Mr. Tully has over 17 years experience in the real estate industry as a REALTOR, manager, coach, trainer, speaker, and consultant. He will begin offering customized personal coaching to real estate professionals effective immediately

WASHINGTON, DC - December 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that it is charging an Andover, Massachusetts, condominium association, a property management company, and two individuals with discriminating against families with children. HUD accuses Property Management of Andover, Inc., and its property manager, and Stonecleave Village Association, and its president, with unlawfully charging fees to parents for allowing their children to play in the common area

BOSTON, MA - December 3, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- MassHousing has approved $295,000 in funding for the creation or preservation of affordable sober housing for men, women and veterans in Boston, New Bedford, Salem and Worcester. The MassHousing grants, ranging from $35,000 to $75,000, will come from the Center for Community Recovery Innovations, Inc. (CCRI), a nonprofit subsidiary corporation of MassHousing that creates and preserves affordable sober housing in Massachusetts for recovering substance abusers. CCRI to date has awarded more than $4 million in grants for sober housing for more than 1,000 units of substance-free housing in more than two dozen communities for men, women, families, veterans, the homeless and ex-offenders.

BOSTON, MA - November 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- November 9, 2009 – MassHousing announced loan commitments today of up to $43 million for the renovation and preservation of affordability at the 500-unit Castle Square housing community in Boston’s South End.

WALTHAM, MA - October 27, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that single-family home sales increased for the third straight month compared to the same time last year. Median prices were down only 1.7 percent compared to September 2008, while condominium median prices were up 1.7 percent. For the fourth month in a row, the number of pending sales (homes put under agreement in September) was up seven percent from the same time last year.

First-time homebuyers could borrow up to $8,000 in advance of federal tax credit. BOSTON, MA - August 19, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- MassHousing announced today that Mortgage Financial, Inc., based in Tewksbury, is an approved lender of MassHousing’s First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Loan that will allow first-time homebuyers to borrow up to $8,000 in advance of their federal tax credit for homes purchased with a MassHousing loan before November 30, 2009

WALTHAM, Mass. - May 25, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that median home prices for single-family homes and condominiums showed slight signs of improvement in April. While median prices were down 12.5 percent for single-family homes and 14.2 percent for condos, it is the smallest annual price decrease since October 2008 and November 2008 respectively. On a month-to-month basis single-family median prices were up 7.8 percent from March, the largest month-to-month increase since MAR has been tracking monthly median prices. Single-family home sales were down 13 percent in April compared to the same time last year, while condominium sales were down 28.8 percent.

“On a year-over-year basis, median prices are still feeling the weight of the market correction that has been taking place over the past 20 months,” said MAR President Gary Rogers, a broker at RE/MAX First Realty in Waltham. “However, it is encouraging to see month-to-month median prices going up, as it is reflective of the increased activity REALTORS® are seeing today as buyers are looking to get back into the market.”

Bank of Canton recognized as top producing lender and top minority lender. BOSTON, MA - May 21, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — MassHousing recently honored seven of the agency’s top-producing lending partners for 2008 during its annual Home Ownership Awards Ceremony.

BOSTON, MA - May 12, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — MassHousing announced today that it will loan up to $28.6 million to the Framingham Housing Authority for the renovation of The Musterfield at Concord Place, a 110-unit public housing development for low-income residents.

First quarter sales down for single-family and condos while multi-family sales increase over 50%. WALTHAM, MA - April 29, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that single-family home sales were down 4.7 percent in March compared to the same time last year, while condominium sales were down 19.8 percent. Median prices were up from February for both single-family homes and condos. However, the year-over-year median price for a single-family home was down 19 percent and condominiums prices were down 14.9 percent compared to March 2008.

BOSTON, MA - April 29, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — MassHousing announced today that East Cambridge Savings Bank is now an approved lender of MassHousing’s MassAdvantage™ family of affordable home loan products to low- and moderate-income homebuyers.

BOSTON, MA - April 27, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — As part of his Massachusetts Recovery Plan to secure the state’s economic future, Governor Deval Patrick today announced today that the latest series of free “Opportunity Knocks’’ regional homebuyer fairs and open houses to promote affordable homeownership opportunities in Massachusetts will held on Saturday, May 2, and Saturday, May 9, at 10 shopping malls across Massachusetts.

April 07, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Thomas M. Menino, together with the Boston Home Center, today hosted hundreds of residents at the City's second Homeowner Foreclosure Prevention Workshop in an effort to connect some of Boston's most vulnerable homeowners with their mortgage servicer to see if they can avoid foreclosure. Today's event, held at Madison Park High School in Roxbury, drew seven servicers, eight non-profit housing organizations, and more than 200 homeowners.