the Foreclosed New Homes blog

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Raymond A. Skinner announced today that a new television spot will be airing on several stations across the state as well as on the State of Maryland’s YouTube channel to promote Maryland’s foreclosure prevention campaign.  DHCD has an Emergency Mortgage Assistance program that can help unemployed or underemployed homeowners who are 3 months to 12 months behind on their mortgage payments if they qualify. The EMA program ends in mid-September, so the department has created a commercial that depicts the hardship one family faces in losing their home to foreclosure because they did not seek assistance sooner.  The spot was produced and placed by DHCD’s advertising team Illume Communications and MediaWorks, LLC, respectively.  View the 30 second spot on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/StateMaryland.

FHA Refinance of Borrowers with Negative Equity
Seller Concessions / FICO Score – Proposed Notice
“PowerSaver” Home Energy Retrofit Loan Insurance – Proposed Pilot
“PowerSaver” Home Energy Retrofit Loan Insurance Pilot Program
Emergency Homeowners Loan Program Interim Rule
Housing Trust Fund Proposed Rule
Public Housing Capital Fund Proposed Rule

The Board of Commissioners for the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority (SC State Housing) approved more than $1 million in Housing Trust Funds at a recent board meeting. The funds will be used to improve housing conditions in numerous counties across South Carolina.

MassHousing announced today that it has closed $106.2 million in loans for the redevelopment of the Charlesview Apartments in Brighton, making the transaction the second-largest in MassHousing’s 45-year history for a single rental housing development.

The North Dakota Housing Finance Agency (NDHFA) has awarded more than $4.2 million through the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program for the redevelopment of foreclosed, abandoned or vacant properties into affordable housing.

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Lori Grifa and New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Executive Director Anthony Marchetta today urged prospective homebuyers to take advantage of The Road Home New Jersey, a new consumer education tool that will help guide them in the home buying process.

“Summer is home buying season, and as market conditions put would-be homebuyers in the driver’s seat, they now have a roadmap to follow along the way to their ultimate destination of home ownership,” said Commissioner Grifa, who is chair of the HMFA. “The education campaign is particularly useful for first-time homebuyers who may be unfamiliar with the paperwork, technical phrases, and costs involved with purchasing a house.”

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) has been awarded $1,461,561 to continue supporting the availability of foreclosure counseling and prevention services across the state.

On June 20, 2011, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that South Dakota will be receiving $2,051,563 to assist homeowners through the Emergency Homeowner’s Loan Program (EHLP).  EHLP funds are part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.

Over 500 developers, city planners, business leaders, housing advocates and community development professionals are set to converge on Wichita this August for the 2011 Kansas Housing Conference. The sixth annual event takes place August 9 – 11 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel located at 400 West Waterman. Presented in partnership by Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and NeighborWorks America, the three-day conference offers over 40 dynamic and educational breakout sessions, cutting-edge technical trainings, housing policy forums, networking receptions and tours.

• Jim Masters, President, Center for Community Futures

Colorado Housing and Finance Authority has released a new video presentation highlighting the critical role that the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program plays in financing rental housing construction and preservation in Colorado.  The Housing Credit has helped finance 558 affordable housing properties consisting of nearly 40,000 units in the state.