Daily Real Estate News  | June 24, 2010  |

NAR Hails House Vote on Flood Bill Extension
A bill to extend the authority for the National Flood Insurance Program, strongly supported by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, was passed by the House today. The bill would extend the program to September 30, 2010.

“We greatly appreciate that the members of House were sensitive to the plight of thousands of home buyers whose loans were being held up since this program expired earlier this year. The passage of H.R. 5569 is a first step toward helping home buyers to the closing table. We strongly urge the Senate to speed passage of this important bill,” said NAR President Vicki Cox Golder, owner of Vicki L. Cox Real Estate in Tucson, Ariz.

Lenders have refused to close loans on properties that required flood insurance, since the insurance program expired May 31. The bill would make flood insurance coverage retroactive and would include all approved applications since that date. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Source: NAR

Daily Real Estate News  | June 24, 2010  | Fed: Interest Rates to Stay at Record Low Levels
In the wake of a slowing real estate market, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday that the economy is “proceeding” and pledged to hold interest rates at record low, near zero rates.

One piece of good news, released simultaneously with the Fed’s report, was a survey of CEOs of large U.S. companies, 39 percent of whom said they expect to increase the number of people on their payrolls in the second half of 2010.

Source: Associated Press, Alan Zibel (06/23/2010)

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UPDATE 1-Senate votes to extend US home tax credit deadline

WASHINGTON June 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to give homebuyers another three months to settle on their contracts and take advantage of a popular tax credit that sparked a rush of activity in the housing market.

The Senate, with a vote of 60-37, accepted an amendment by Democratic Leader Harry Reid that extends the closing deadline to Sept. 30 for buyers who met the April 30 deadline to have a signed contract.

The current deadline requires buyers to close by June 30 to get the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers. Existing homeowners buying a new primary residence are eligible for a $6,500 credit.

Reid offered the measure as an amendment to a bill that would extend some popular business tax breaks and extend unemployment insurance benefits for jobless workers.

The proposal would not have a significant impact on future home sales as the extension would be only for home buyers who already had a contract in hand by April 30.

The popularity of the tax credit has caused some anxiety because settlement offices are inundated with buyers trying to close on transactions by the end of this month to get the tax break. (Reporting by Donna Smith; Editing by John O’Callaghan)