RISMEDIA, Sept. 8, 2005 — Various online resources are now stepping up to help find housing for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Some of the newer Web sites are collecting and displaying shelter and housing information.
National Association of REALTORS®, Welcome Wagon Partner Welcome Wagon has announced the launch of http://relief.welcomewagon.com. Now, individuals and families in need of temporary or permanent housing may use a single online location to search for available housing in shelters, churches, apartment complexes, single-family homes and senior facilities throughout the Gulf Coast and neighboring communities.
At http://relief.welcomewagon.com, users, including survivors of Hurricane Katrina and their friends and family, as well as relief agencies and other volunteers, can search a comprehensive database of available homes and sort by city/state, number of people and length of stay.
At http://relief.welcomewagon.com, individuals also have the opportunity to post information about open beds, extra rooms, guest houses and other temporary housing that they may have available. E-mail relief@welcomewagon.com if you would like to add your Web site to this free resource.
Apartments.com Adds Itself to the Mix Apartments.com has launched the Hurricane Katrina Resource Center within its site to help the estimated 500,000 to upward of 1 million homeless and displaced citizens in the Southeastern United States.
The Resource Center provides valuable information to help individuals locate rental information or other Hurricane Katrina relief resources quickly and easily. Individuals can access the Apartments.com Hurricane Katrina Resource Center at www.apartments.com/katrina.htm.
The Resource Center includes links to Apartments.com city pages in areas that have been identified as relief cities, including Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida.
Web Designers Launch New Web site to Help Find Emergency Housing
Three young Web designers have launched a new Web site—www.katrinahousing.org—to organize housing offers in one easy-to-find place.
On www.katrinahousing.org, people offering housing provide their zip codes, the number of people they can accommodate, how long space is available, and whether pets, smokers or children are allowed. Refugees can then zero in quickly on the factors that interest them. Like Craig's List, katrinahousing.org is dedicated to helping people connect with one another and does not verify the information posted.
‘Make A Home’ Matches Shelters with Those in Need Thousands of offers of shelter placement are being collected on the Web site of the Houston Association of REALTORS®, as project “Make A Home” accelerates. The partnership on the project is between HAR, KPRC-TV Channel 2, the Houston Area Urban League, the Houston Bar Association and the Houston Young Lawyers Association.
More than 1,250 properties have been donated so far and the numbers are increasing by the hour, with rooms, vacant houses, apartments, mobile homes and a variety of properties being offered for shelter. For more information, visit www.har.com and click on the ‘Make a Home’ icon. The site links are: Apply for Shelter, Donate Shelter, Find Shelter, Short Term Lease and Volunteer Opportunities.
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Thursday, September 8, 2005
Friday, September 2, 2005
Relief Response to Hurricane Katrina
In light of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina primarily in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the Appraisal Institute is extending its support to its members in the affected areas. “Recognizing the severity of the losses potentially suffered by many of our members and the time it may take for them to return to normal business operation, we will provide assistance to those members wherever we can,” stated president Bruce Kellogg, MAI. He indicated that the Appraisal Institute will work with chapters in the affected areas to offer assistance for members who suffer serious damage or loss of business due to Hurricane Katrina.
“We encourage members throughout the country to donate to such groups as the American Red Cross or other relief agencies,” Kellogg said. For more information on Red Cross, visit https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp.
“We encourage members throughout the country to donate to such groups as the American Red Cross or other relief agencies,” Kellogg said. For more information on Red Cross, visit https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp.
Thursday, September 1, 2005
Second-home purchase gets easier for veterans
But original VA loan must be paid off to qualify
The tremendous the growth of the housing market is being pushed along by the lower-than-expected long-term interest rates and the idea that real estate is a wise investment. In addition, consumers are more reluctant to plow their hard-earned cash into the inconsistent conventional financial markets and now are buying an additional piece of real estate sooner in their lives.
In fact, the second-home market is so huge and important to the United States' economy that the largest survey ever conducted by National Association of Realtors was dedicated to the second-home phenomenon that grew 40 percent in the number of homes sold from 1995-2000. NAR's definition of "second home" now includes single-family dwellings, including condominiums, other than a primary residence. Last year, the purchase of investment property and vacation homes accounted for more than one-third of residential transactions.
Some of these homes will eventually become retirement homes where seniors and aging baby boomers will spend most of their time. Why not purchase it with the help of a VA loan? While federal regulations require that all loans insured by the Department of Veterans' Affairs be used only to acquire a "primary residence," it is possible to purchase a second home using your VA loan guaranty. As in many cases involving the use of real estate, the definition of primary residence is the place you live "most of the year." So, if you use the home more than six months of the year, it can be defined as your primary residence.
"The law was not intended to help people enter the business of real estate and purchase lots of homes," said Chris Michel, a former naval reservist and founder and president of military.com, an Internet site targeting present and former military personnel and their families. "The law was written to help people afford the home that they are going to occupy.
Read the entire Tom Kelly Inman News article at Citywide Services
The tremendous the growth of the housing market is being pushed along by the lower-than-expected long-term interest rates and the idea that real estate is a wise investment. In addition, consumers are more reluctant to plow their hard-earned cash into the inconsistent conventional financial markets and now are buying an additional piece of real estate sooner in their lives.
In fact, the second-home market is so huge and important to the United States' economy that the largest survey ever conducted by National Association of Realtors was dedicated to the second-home phenomenon that grew 40 percent in the number of homes sold from 1995-2000. NAR's definition of "second home" now includes single-family dwellings, including condominiums, other than a primary residence. Last year, the purchase of investment property and vacation homes accounted for more than one-third of residential transactions.
Some of these homes will eventually become retirement homes where seniors and aging baby boomers will spend most of their time. Why not purchase it with the help of a VA loan? While federal regulations require that all loans insured by the Department of Veterans' Affairs be used only to acquire a "primary residence," it is possible to purchase a second home using your VA loan guaranty. As in many cases involving the use of real estate, the definition of primary residence is the place you live "most of the year." So, if you use the home more than six months of the year, it can be defined as your primary residence.
"The law was not intended to help people enter the business of real estate and purchase lots of homes," said Chris Michel, a former naval reservist and founder and president of military.com, an Internet site targeting present and former military personnel and their families. "The law was written to help people afford the home that they are going to occupy.
Read the entire Tom Kelly Inman News article at Citywide Services
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