Virginia RealEstateRama

On December 14, the Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the City’s first Housing Master Plan, setting a 10-year goal of developing or preserving 2,000 affordable housing units by 2025. The Housing Master Plan approval represents the conclusion of a multi-year public planning process of developing the Plan to guide the City’s housing development and preservation efforts. The Plan offers principles, goals, strategies, and tools to meet Alexandria’s anticipated affordable housing needs over the next 20 years.

The Arlington County Board today adopted a set of financial tools to help preserve the affordability of the 6,200 existing market rate affordable homes along the Pike as it is transformed to a more walkable, transit-oriented neighborhood

Falls Church Housing Corporation (FCHC) has named Jaymar Joseph executive director of the 30-year-old nonprofit Community Development Corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, FCHC is currently seeking to expand its mission of preserving affordable housing into other Virginia communities and has tapped Mr. Joseph’s talents and expertise to lead the organization into and through this next phase of operation. Joseph brings to the task more than 15 years of experience in the creation of affordable housing through community development projects for local governments, nonprofits and faith-based organizations in underserved urban communities

Governor Bob McDonnell today announced $200,000 in funding for three collaborative efforts in Virginia through the Building Collaborative Communities program. The program promotes regional economic collaboration in economically-distressed areas that stimulate job creation, economic development and provide a significant return on state investment.

RICHMOND - December 6, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that his upcoming biennial budget will contain considerable new funding to support Virginia's ongoing, successful, homelessness reduction and prevention efforts. The governor will call for over $9.5 million in additional funding for the Virginia Housing Trust Fund, the Rapid Re-Housing Program, and efforts to further enhance data collection.

ARLINGTON, Va. - November 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Arlington County Board today adopted several new Planning and Zoning tools that could add 9,500 new homes along Columbia Pike over the next 30 years, and will help the County reach the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Area Plan goal of preserving the affordability of approximately 6,200 market rate affordable homes

ARLINGTON, Va - November 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Arlington County Board today approved a site plan to replace one and two-story buildings located directly across from the Virginia Square Metro station with an apartment building featuring ground floor retail space, a public plaza, cultural and education space and underground parking.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Roy Blunt (R- MO) introduced legislation to reduce the number of underutilized and excess federal properties and could save taxpayers $9 billion over the next 10 years. Sens. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Dean Heller (R-NV), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) are also original cosponsors of the Civlian Property Realignment Act (CPRA). Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA-10) introduced companion CPRA legislation in the House earlier this year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Beginning in January 2012, NVAR and the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors® adopted a revised Regional Sales Contract that began with the basic premise that every home was being sold AS-IS, subject to any repairs or remedies requested as the result of a home inspection to be conducted after ratification by the purchaser. The seller no longer warrants that basic systems and appliances are in normal working order. As a result, it’s important that a home inspection take place, and it is critical that deficiencies that are material to the purchaser be addressed before the Home Inspection Contingency is released

WASHINGTON - November 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) led a bipartisan coalition of ten Senators today in introducing legislation to establish a new infrastructure financing authority to help states and localities better leverage private funds to build and maintain the nation’s outdated infrastructure. The Building and Renewing Infrastructure for Development and Growth in Employment Act, or BRIDGE Act, helps to address the nation’s alarming investment shortfall in maintaining and improving our transportation network, water and wastewater systems and energy infrastructure. The legislation would provide an additional financing tool for states and localities which can create new jobs here at home while also increasing our nation’s economic competitiveness.