TRENTON - December 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor announced that an Atlantic City man who formerly worked as a local administrator of the New Jersey Home Energy Assistance (HEA) Program was sentenced today for stealing $9,062 from the program by filing false applications to obtain benefits.

NEWARK, N.J. - December 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Diversified Capital has added a broad suite of new tenant amenities being implemented at 24 Commerce Street, the former Federal Trust Bank building in downtown Newark. These new amenities, along with the $5 million building renovations, are part of the company’s overall investment in the historic office structure, which rises 18 stories and encompasses a total of 180,000 square feet.

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - December 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Community Investment Strategies (CIS), Inc., the developer, builder and property manager of market-rate and affordable apartment-rental communities throughout New Jersey, has adopted solar-powered energy at three of its’ apartment complexes: Rosegate, Heritage Village at Elizabeth, and Heritage Village at Manalapan. All three senior communities have been retrofitted with photovoltaic solar panels to collect energy for the buildings’ common areas.

UNION CITY/WEST NEW YORK, N.J. - December 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Executive Director Anthony L. Marchetta today joined Congressman Albio Sires, Mayors Brian Stack of Union City and Dr. Felix Roque of West New York, and other officials to celebrate the grand opening of Horizon Heights, a 52-unit affordable housing community on Broadway in Union City and West New York. The HMFA, an affiliate of the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), provided financing for this project through the Multifamily Rental Housing Program, the Special Needs Housing Trust Fund and through an allocation of federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

NEWARK, N.J. - December 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Miles Berger (right), chairman and CEO of The Berger Organization, welcomed New York Jets Running Back Shonn Greene as the guest of honor during a broker open house at the 570 Broad office tower in Newark. The early December event drew more than 60 industry professionals.

TETERBORO, N.J. - December 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Advance Housing, Inc., a state-funded Community Housing Development Organization, has leased 14,000 square feet for its headquarters at 100 Hollister Road in Teterboro, announced commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. The agency will relocate to the property from Hackensack, N.J., in an expansion move this winter.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, delivered the following opening statement today at a hearing to review legislation to reform the secondary mortgage market:

Charlotte, NC - December 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With the housing market continuing to struggle and fewer consumers being able to purchase a new home or apartment, LendingTree.com, the nation’s leading online lender exchange and personal finance resource, today released data highlighting the average down payments on residential real estate purchases for all 50 states and Washington D.C. New Jersey leads the country with the highest average down payment of 13.76%. The state with the lowest average down payment is North Dakota, where buyers put down an average of 11.37%.

ELIZABETH, N.J. - December 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The first nine months of 2011 have seen a 6.1 percent increase in cargo coming into the Port of New York and New Jersey; raising the Bayonne Bridge and replacing the Goethals Bridge are top priorities as the port continues to be a major economic engine; and commercial real estate opportunities still exist relating to the port.

Trenton, NJ - December 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As part of the Christie Administration’s continued commitment to rein in the cost of government, maximize taxpayer dollars and provide sustainable property tax relief, Governor Chris Christie today released the Year Two Best Practices Checklist results, which demonstrate that the majority of municipalities are adhering to good governance practices and working to achieve greater efficiencies. These results -- for the approximately 545 municipalities operating on a calendar year budget -- were compiled by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Earlier this year, DCA also began working with all 21 counties to complete similar Best Practices Checklists, with results to be released next year.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to the State of New Jersey and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following severe storms in October.

ROCKAWAY, N.J. - November 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. has orchestrated a 24,000-square-foot headquarters lease with Activu Corporation at 301 Roundhill Drive in Rockaway. Robert Donnelly, Jr., of Cushman & Wakefield’s Morristown, N.J., office, serves as exclusive agent for the 50,000-square-foot flex property.

Trenton, NJ - November 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Acting Governor Kim Guadagno today, joined by Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher and Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary O’Dowd, announced $1,363,600 in funding for the state’s six food banks to purchase healthy foods to feed the hungry this holiday season. This funding will ensure food assistance for those in need and is the second payment of the fiscal year.

ELIZABETH, N.J. - November 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The logistics sector of New Jersey continues to deliver the goods for the state's economy, and that sector will be the focus of Transportation & Logistics Regional Update: Opportunities for the Real Estate Industry. Presented by NAIOP New Jersey, the commercial real estate development association, the program is slated for December 2, 2011 at the New York Shipping Association Training Center, Elizabeth, N.J.

CARTERET, N.J. - November 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Prism Capital Partners, LLC, has acquired a 230,000-square-foot industrial building at 700 Blair Road in Carteret for the purpose of relocating Berjé Inc.’s headquarters to the property from its Parkway Lofts site in Bloomfield. The move represents an expansion for Berjé, a global distributor of essential oils and aromatic chemicals, and paves the way for the start of construction for Parkway Lofts, a multi-family adaptive reuse project.

BELLMAWR, N.J. - November 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Representatives of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) today joined local and state officials to celebrate the unveiling of newly installed solar panels at Bellmawr Senior Housing, an independent senior living community in Bellmawr, Camden County. The HMFA, an affiliate of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), committed funding for the installation through its Multifamily Solar Funding Pilot Program.<

WEST ORANGE, N.J. - November 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Industrial and Office Real Estate Brokers Association of the New York Metropolitan Area Inc. (IOREBA) will host its annual holiday party on Monday, Dec. 5, at Highlawn Pavilion, located at 381 Eagle Rock Ave., West Orange. To show its appreciation to the development community, IOREBA is offering area developers and one non-IOREBA-member guest entry to the event free of charge with advance registration only.

EUGENE, OR - November 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. is pleased to announce IDX Broker software has been enabled on the professional real estate website of Prudential Fox & Roach Broker Hugh Merkle. By adopting a customizable IDX solution, Merkle has synced his website to the Cape May County (CMCAOR) database, extracting raw listing data and seamlessly integrating it onto the search page he hosts. With IDX Broker software, Merkle has created a dynamic online property search for his clients and other Stone Harbor, New Jersey luxury home seekers.

November 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, issued the following statement today after an independent audit of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) revealed that the housing agency’s cash reserves are down 45% from last year and the “chance that future net losses on the current, outstanding portfolio could exceed current capital resources is close to 50 percent,” which could necessitate a taxpayer bailout next year

EUGENE, OR - November 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. is pleased to announce IDX Broker software has been enabled on the professional real estate website of Prudential Fox & Roach Broker Hugh Merkle. By adopting a customizable IDX solution, Merkle has synced his website to the Cape May County (CMCAOR) database, extracting raw listing data and seamlessly integrating it onto the search page he hosts. With IDX Broker software, Merkle has created a dynamic online property search for his clients and other Stone Harbor, New Jersey luxury home seekers.