Shovels, hammers or hard hats were nowhere in sight. Instead, hair curlers, buttons and paper clips were used to construct future train stations for California’s new proposed high-speed rail.

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is revising the latest report on its troubled mortgage-relief program, and the changes are likely to show a greater number of borrowers facing foreclosure after having their loans modified.

WASHINGTON - Loan officers at banks will be required to provide their names and fingerprints to a national database as part of an effort to crack down on shady operators who fed the real estate bubble.

LOS ANGELES - Households across a majority of large U.S. cities received more foreclosure warnings in the first six months of this year than in the first half of 2009, new data shows.

July 29--A Mount Pleasant-based home builder pleaded guilty Wednesday to defrauding a bank as part of a desperate but foiled attempt to keep a faltering real estate project afloat.

July 29--A Las Vegas home builder was indicted Wednesday after federal authorities accused him of arranging to sell his houses at inflated prices as part of a scheme to "kick back" money from mortgage loans to buyers and their associates.

NEW YORK - Mortgage rates dropped to the lowest level on record for the fifth time in six weeks, making homebuying and refinancing the most attractive in decades for those who can get loans.

Meritus Homes kicks off with significant land holdings, made possible by a private equity partnership.

Meritage and M/I discuss their second quarter 2010 results.

Videos and other ad materials highlight homeowners who kept their houses through the Treasury Department’s Making Home Affordable Program.

July 29, 2010 08:55:26 GMT

July 29, 2010 07:31:56 GMT

Despite weakness in May and June, housing starts will increase 15% this year, according to a consensus of housing economists.

Regional government Metro has improved its online mapping tool to show citizens within Metro’s boundaries -  Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties - whether their properties fall in an urban reserve, rural reserve or the urban growth boundary.

“We decided with the emphasis on urban and rural reserves this year, and the possibility of expanding the urban growth boundary, that this tool could be very useful for citizens,” said Karen Kane, a Metro spokesperson.

The mapping tool, which is open to the public, is an expansion of Metro’s mapping tool that allows citizens to find which Metro councilor represents them. By typing in any address within Metro’s jurisdiction, the map will provide information about what reserve the property falls in, or if it’s in the urban growth boundary.

Earlier this year, the Metro Council approved the designation of urban and rural reserves. Of all the land outside of the urban growth boundary considered, 28,000 acres were designated at urban, meaning it could be considered for expansion into the urban growth boundary over the next 50 years. The designations will be reviewed by the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission later this year.

To use the tool, visit Metro’s website and click on the land and development link under the planning and conservation tab.

July 28, 2010 22:51:35 GMT

An anonymous owner has unveiled an unlikely trove of tens of thousands of sketches, tracings, and renderings by the architect Philip Johnson (1906-2005) from the period between 1968 and 1992.

Beaverton has drafted boundaries for a proposed downtown urban renewal area that it hopes to have approved by the public next May.

The proposed URA boundaries include 1,267 acres covering Beaverton’s entire downtown core, as well as the eastern industrial park, which sits directly east of Oregon 217.

The Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency  will vote whether to approve the URA at an Aug. 2 meeting. Then the agency will seek public comment on possible projects to be completed through the URA.

The agency has identified some projects it would like to see implemented through the URA. These projects include storefront improvements, historic structure preservation programs and a permanent location for the farmers market.

“We’ve laid out some projects and programs that we think could benefit from tax increment financing, but we are going to leave it to BURA (Beaverton Urban Renewal Agency) and the public to nail down specific projects they want completed,” said Don Mazziotti, Beaverton community development director. “Now that these boundaries are somewhat set, we want to engage the public about specifics.”

While public input is important in any public project, it’s especially important in Beaverton’s URA process because the URA will eventually be voted on by the public, said Doug Menke, general manager of Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District and an at-large member of the group.

The Aug. 2 meeting will be help in the Forrest C. South City Council Chambers at Beaverton City Hall, 4755 S.W. Griffith Dr. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Portland City Council today unanimously approved a resolution to ban single-use plastic checkout bags in the future.

Though Mayor Sam Adams last week said the city would hold off on its ban while state legislators pursued a statewide plastic bag ban, the resolution passed today allows the city to pursue its own measure if the legislature doesn’t move forward with the statewide ban next year. It also means the city will support a statewide ban should that come to pass.

“Banning plastic bags isn’t the answer to ending petroleum use,” Commissioner Randy Leonard said. “But it’s a component. We cannot continue to use fossil fuels and expect our species to survive.”

The new rule bans the use of plastic or non-recycled paper carryout bags at grocery stores and pharmacies and requires stores to charge a minimum 5 cent fee for each recycled paper or compostable plastic bag it gives out. Stores are also required to provide free reusable bags to seniors and low-income residents.

Portland’s resolution will assist the legislature when it pursues a statewide ban on plastic bags next year, said Sen. Jackie Dingfelder, D-Portland.

“This will be one of the first bills we hear in my committee next session,” Dingfelder said.

July 28, 2010 18:21:15 GMT

July 28, 2010 16:12:05 GMT