To view headlines and summaries of recent news articles related to housing, with links to the full article, simply click on the appropriate link below.
VHC News Clips, volume 2011-26 (July 28, 2011)
Housing agency recognized as 'high performer': Roanoke 's housing authority achieved the label after years of "troubled" status, but a new policy brings money worries.
The Roanoke Times, July 28, 2011
(RECAP: After five years spent climbing from the depths of scandal and "troubled agency" status, the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority was rewarded last month with a "high performer" designation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for management of its public housing program.)New AARP President Seeks To Reinvigorate Loudoun Chapter
Leesburg Today, July 27, 2011
(RECAP: The Loudoun County AARP chapter has undergone a change of leadership after longtime president Esther Trask stepped down earlier this year and Sheila Kelly took over the reins of the local branch representing Loudoun senior citizens.)Commission recommends approval of changes for Manakin Road project
The Goochland Gazette, July 27, 2011
(RECAP: A changing real estate market forced one developer to request a change in proffers for a Centerville development approved in 2007 in at last week's Planning Commission meeting. Centerville Land Holdings LLC asked the Planning Commission to consider proffer changes to a 46-acre development approved for a tract on Manakin Road, about 800 feet south of Broad Street.)UVa study: City becoming gentrified
The Daily Progress, July 26, 2011
(RECAP: Growing housing costs appear to be driving Charlottesville 's black population out of the city's historically black neighborhoods, according to a new analysis of census data by researchers at the University of Virginia.)Group offers help for struggling homeowners
Inside NOVA.com, July 26, 2011
(RECAP: Struggling homeowners in Prince William County , Manassas and Manassas Park may be getting relief this week thanks to an outreach program by Bank of America brought about in part by a face-to-face meeting two months ago. Starting Tuesday, the bank —one of the country's largest mortgage service providers — is offering assistance to homeowners to modify their mortgages at the Prince William Association of Realtors building in Woodbridge.)From Slavery To Service: Welcome To Beasley Square
AlexandriaNews.org, July 25, 2011
(RECAP: The property at 1323 Duke Street has gone from a slave pen to a hospital for colored troops during the Civil War to a church annex and finally, today, to an eight-unit affordable housing development for senior citizens. Dignitaries joined members of the Harambee Community and Economic Development Corporation and other members of the Shiloh Baptist Church to open Beasley Square .)Portsmouth rethinks housing rules after slaying
The Virginian-Pilot, July 24, 2011
(RECAP: Convicted murderers and others with violent pasts may soon be permanently banned from living in public housing in Portsmouth . The Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority has asked federal officials for permission to toughen its stance on new tenants in response to the murder earlier this year of Linda Gay Carroll, 64.)The Banks Still Want a Waiver
The New York Times, July 23, 2011
(RECAP: Last week, banking executives and state attorneys general met in Washington to try to settle their differences. At issue was how much banks should pay, and how and to whom, to make this all go away. The initial terms, which emerged in March, were said to carry a $20 billion price tag.)Government Weighs Turning Foreclosures Into Rentals
The Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2011
(RECAP: The Journal writes today that one idea gaining support in Washington is an effort to pull some of those [foreclosed] properties off the market and rent them out, either on homes owned by federal agencies or loan giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These firms and U.S. banks currently own more than 500,000 foreclosed homes, and there's another 2 million loans in some stage of foreclosure. The high share of distressed sales in many struggling markets is contributing to continued declines in home prices.)Mortgage bankers push for conforming loan limit extension
Housing Wire, July 22, 2011
(RECAP: Mortgage Bankers Association CEO David Stevens sent a letter to House leaders Thursday urging lawmakers to extend the elevated conforming loan limits for government-backed mortgages. In 2008, Congress allowed Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Admin istration to guarantee or buy mortgages worth as much as $729,750 in most neighborhoods. The limits will expire Oct. 1 and drop to $625,500, varying by county. Stevens, the former director of the FHA, said he would like to see the limits extended through the end of 2012.)Making down payment less daunting
Special to The Washington Times, July 22, 2011
(RECAP: Most prospective homebuyers are aware of today's stricter lending standards, but they also face another challenge when it comes to buying a home: the need for down-payment funds. At the height of the housing boom, a variety of no-down-payment loans were available, but those types of loans are rare in today's tightened credit market.)Lend Lease to Reduce Military-Housing Energy Use
Multi-Housing News, July 21, 2011
(RECAP: New York–Lend Lease (US) Public Partnerships, a leading developer of public and private communities, has long been a proponent of sustainable development, and now the company is taking its mission to a new level with the launching of a program to decrease energy use by a minimum 20 percent at its 65.3 million square-foot Military Housing Privatization Initiative portfolio. Lend Lease is pursuing the greening of the portfolio, which encompasses approximately 40,000 residences, as a participant in the Better Buildings Challenge, a national leadership initiative that is part of President Obama's goal of making commercial properties in the United States 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020.)News Clips Archives
To access previous issues, including prior fiscal years, of News Clips click here.
