Yearly Archives: 2012

December 14, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- In a good first step toward fairer housing allowances for veterans going to school on the post-9/11 GI bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs is allowing veterans studying at the Oregon Institute of Technology’s Wilsonville satellite campus to receive a housing allowance more in line with their cost of living.

PORTLAND, OR - December 13, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Friday, December 7, 2012, Tu Ngoc Tran, 38, of Portland, Oregon, was found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to manufacture or distribute marijuana, two counts of manufacture of marijuana, making a false statement on a loan application, and wire fraud. He was acquitted on two other charges. The five-day jury trial was held in the Federal District Court in Portland, Oregon, with Judge Michael W. Mosman presiding

PORTLAND - December 11, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- On a single night in January, 2012, 633,782 people were homeless in the United States, largely unchanged from the year before. In releasing HUD's latest national estimate of homelessness, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan noted that even during a historic housing and economic downturn, local communities are reporting significant declines in the number of homeless veterans and those experiencing long-term chronic homelessness

December 5, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Oregon lawmakers wrote to the Veterans Administration to object to regulations which shortchange Oregon veterans going to college under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In a letter to VA Director of Education Services Robert Worley, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) along with Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Greg Walden (R-Ore.) urged the VA to change the regulations governing how the Post 9-11 GI Bill housing allowance is paid to reflect the cost of living where students actually live and attend classes

Salem, OR - November 21, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Low-income homeowners and renters affected by foreclosure now have access to new a statewide service that provides free legal assistance from an attorney to help address urgent foreclosure issues

PORTLAND - September 24, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded a total of $1,845,629 to 14 Oregon housing authorities to help residents of HUD-assisted and public housing obtain education and skills training to compete in the job market. With the funds, the four housing can hire or retain 33 service coordinators to work directly with the residents to connect to the supportive services that meet their individual needs to become gainfully employed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- A while ago, we wrote about the quiet, rural community of Vernonia, Oregon, which had been through its share of hard economic times. After two “500-year floods” in an 11-year period devastated the area, damaging its schools and the community core, the town finally started to rebuild its school last April. More than a year later, residents of Vernonia had reason to celebrate when Former Governor Ted Kulongoski joined United States Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and several other federal- and state-elected officials last week for the ribbon cutting of a new energy efficient K-12 school and community center.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 26, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today offered a new plan to tackle one of the most persistent challenges to the sputtering economy: the massive number of Americans who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are now worth. In a white paper containing the proposal, called “The 4% Mortgage: Rebuilding American Homeownership,” Merkley laid out a plan to allow underwater homeowners who are current on their mortgages to refinance to a lower interest rate.

EUGENE, OR - June 21, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Lake Oswego, Oregon now offers a powerful IDX property search resource. IDX, Inc. and Michelle Spanu have partnered to deliver IDX predefined neighborhood searches using IDX Broker software. Thousands of Regional MLS (RMLS) listings now display on Spanu’s website.

EUGENE, OR - June 13, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. announces Portland, Oregon Realtor Dan Hardy has become the latest real estate professional to adopt a customizable IDX solution. By adding the unique IDX Broker software to his Hardy Properties website, Hardy has forever changed the way he does business and communicates with his clients online. As a member of the Regional MLS (RMLS), Hardy’s IDX-enabled website now extracts raw listing data from RMLS and seamlessly integrates it onto his search pages. Thousands of Portland property listings are now easily accessible to home seekers through Hardy’s comprehensive online real estate resource.

EUGENE, OR - June 5, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. is pleased to announce Tarris Rogers has become the latest real estate professional to join the growing network of agents and brokers that have adopted a customizable IDX solution. As a Bend, Oregon broker, Rogers has the ability to display and sync thousands of Central Oregon MLS (COMLS) listings on his website. Potential buyers can now experience an unprecedented level of freedom and search customization by utilizing the immensely helpful tools Rogers has integrated onto his website.

EUGENE, OR - May 30, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. welcomes Lake Oswego, Oregon real estate broker Terry Sprague to the ever-expanding network of professional agents and brokers who are choosing to integrate the innovative IDX solution onto their websites. As an experienced Oregon broker, Sprague has dramatically simplified the online real estate search for his clients and other area home seekers. Regional MLS (RMLS) broker has forever changed the way potential buyers find the home of their dreams, thanks to his IDX-enabled website.

Washington, DC - May 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Rebuilding Equity Act, a bill that will lower costs for some homeowners seeking to refinance through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). Under this bill, if homeowners who are current on their mortgage seek to refinance into a 20-year loan term or shorter, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac will cover the closing costs, a benefit averaging $3,000 per homeowner. In addition, families will benefit from substantially lower interest payments due to today’s record-low interest rates

EUGENE, OR - May 17, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Beaverton, Oregon home seekers can now experience the innovative online real estate search made possible by IDX, Inc. on the website of Broker Sandra Daniels. The IDX solution Daniels now employs has made finding the perfect Daniels home so much easier for potential buyers, by automatically syncing thousands of Regional MLS (RMLS) listings instantaneously on the search page he hosts. Never before has such a comprehensive and easy-to-use tool been so accessible for online property seekers