TO: All NAMB MembersFROM: NAMB Government AffairsDear NAMB Members:On September 18, 2009 the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released Mortgagee Letters 09-28, 09-29, 09-30. These mortgagee letters contain provisions similar to those seen in the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC). Mortgagee Letter 09-28 prohibits "FHA-approved lenders... from accepting appraisals prepared by FHA Roster appraisers who are selected, retained or compensated in any manner by a mortgage broker or any member of a lender's staff who is compensated on a commission basis tied to the successful completion of a loan." Mortgagee Letter 09-29 states, "In cases where a borrower has switched lenders, the first lender must, at the borrower's request, transfer the case to a second lender." Mortgagee ... 09/21/2009

Rick Paler with The Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority hosted a public meeting Monday night at our own Princess Theatre.  The establishment of a Calhoun Community College fine arts school in downtown Decatur is included the five year plan.  There are 31 projects in the plan including further riverfront development. Paler reported that it is unlikely all 31 projects would be completed within the next five years. He has meetings scheduled with businesses to discuss funding the projects.  Paler said public input is welcomed. Thanks to Mr. Paler for working so hard in helping make Decatur a great place to be! 11/21/2008

Fulin's Asian Cuisine will open this month at The Crossings of Decatur.  Some compare the 6400 square foot upscale restaurant to PF Chang's. The restaurant will feature a sushi bar. Its menu includes lunches in the $7 range and dinner entrees from $7 to $20. The Crossings of Decatur is anchored by Target. Other eating establishments at The Crossings include Panera Bread, 5 Guys Burgers, and Starbucks. Welcome Fulin's!  11/10/2008

Decatur's very own Point Mallard Park's ice skating rink has partnered with Huntsville to host the USA Hockey Southeastern District tournament in 2009. It is estimated the tournament will draw more than 2,400 players, coaches, officials and supporters to Decatur and Huntsville. The tournament is scheduled for March 12-15 and will feature 48 teams. The winning teams will proceed to the national championship. Come visit us in Decatur, Alabama! 10/29/2008

Alabama Academy Sports officials said they hope to begin construction January 2009 on their 74,863-square-foot store in Decatur, Alabama. Completion is expected to be July 2009. The store will be located on Wimberly Road and is adjacent to Home Depot. This convenient location is just off of Beltline Road and is close to the newly constructed Chili's Restaurant. Academy Sports was founded in 1938 and is one of the country's largest sporting goods retailers. It employs more than 11,000 people at 105 stores across the southeastern United States. Great news for Decatur! Come visit us! 10/19/2008

Morgan County Real Estate: June 2008 Summary and Market Update Submitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate AgentCell:  256-479-9664Email: KimberlyGrant@exitrealtyhsv.comHuntsville/Madison AL Real Estate Blog June has come and gone and the summer heat is upon us.  Now it is time for another market update.  Here is a recap of June real estate sales for Morgan County Real Estate.  Here's the chance for all those wondering how the market is doing to find out!!  There were 104 houses sold and closed in June which was down slightly from 119 sales for the month of May. Morgan County's average selling price is $139,737 for June and the median sales price for the month of June is $125,000 which increased from $106,000 for the month of May. Morgan County averaged 102 days on the market f... 07/19/2008

Huntsville Alabama Real Estate Blog: May 2008 Morgan County Homes Sales Submitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate AgentCell: 256-479-9664Email: Kimberly@KimberlyGrant.info Another month in 2008 has come and gone and that means more market reports for our real estate market.  There were 118 homes sold this month.  Total sales in Morgan County for May 2008 was $14,835,219.  The median selling price for March 2008 was $125,722.   Below is a breakdown of the home sales in Morgan County for May 2008 by property type.  By far, existing homes were the largest category for sales last month.  Sales of existing homes represented almost 92% of all the sales for May.  Here you can see the price range of the sales for the Morgan County area.  The largest number of home sales was in the pr... 06/17/2008

Morgan County Real Estate: May 2008 Summary and Market Update Submitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate AgentCell:  256-479-9664Email: KimberlyGrant@exitrealtyhsv.comHuntsville/Madison AL Real Estate Blog May has come and gone and summer is upon us.  Now it is time for another market update.  Here is a recap of May real estate sales for Morgan County Real Estate.  Here's the chance for all those wondering how the market is doing to find out!!  There were 118 houses sold and closed in May. Morgan County's average selling price is $125,722 for May and the median sales price for the month of May is $106,000. Morgan County averaged 91 days on the market for sale.  This decreased a bit from the average 112 from last month but its exactly the same for this month last year.  Current... 06/17/2008

Decatur Alabama Homes for Sale: Decatur Alabama Real Estate Submitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate AgentHuntsville/Madison AL Real Estate Blog We have reached the last week in February in Decatur Alabama.  The Morgan County real estate market is still holding steady as we prepare to move into the Spring Season.  I think we live in one of the best cities in the nation for a number of reasons and the current state of our real estate market is one of them.Here is the real estate market update for Decatur as of 3pm on February 24, 2008.  Currently there are 481 Decatur Homes for Sale.  That may seem overwhelming but with the right real estate professional the process can be very easy.  If you are interested in buying, selling, or investing in Morgan County real estate, please ... 02/24/2008

Decatur Alabama Homes for Sale Submitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate AgentHuntsville/Madison AL Real Estate Blog Spring will soon arrive in Decatur and Morgan County.  The Morgan County real estate market is gearing up to prepare to move into another busy moving season.  I think we live in one of the best areas in the nation for a number of reasons and the current state of our real estate market is one of them.  If you are interested in purchasing Decatur real estate soon, there are resources available to you to assist in your decision.Currently there are about 469 Decatur Homes for Sale.  If you are interested in buying, selling, or investing in Morgan County real estate, please feel free to utilize any of the following links:Feel free to browse any of our local Homes fo... 01/18/2008

Morgan County Real Estate: October Summary and Market UpdateSubmitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate AgentHuntsville/Madison AL Real Estate BlogOctober has come and gone and it is time for another market update.  As of today November 10, 2007, here is a recap of October real estate sales for Morgan County Real Estate.  Here's the chance for all those wondering how the market is doing to find out!!  There were 101 houses sold and closed in October.  This is down slightly from last month that saw 121 houses closed in the Morgan County Real Estate market.  Morgan County's average selling price is $121,827 for October and the median sales price for the month of October is $104,900.Morgan County averaged 105 days on the market for sale.  This increased slightly from the average o... 11/10/2007

Morgan County Real Estate: August Summary and Market Update Submitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate Agent Huntsville / Madison AL Real Estate BlogSeptember has come and gone and it is time for another market update.  As of today October 6, 2007, here is a recap of September real estate sales for Morgan County Real Estate.  Here's the chance for all those wondering how the market is doing to find out!!  There were 121 houses sold and closed in September.  This is down slightly from this month last year that saw 143 houses closed.  Morgan County's average selling price is $142,163 which is up from last year's average price of $139,262.  The median sales price for the month of September is $129,500.Morgan County averaged 106 days on the market for sale.  This increased from th... 10/06/2007

Decatur Alabama Homes for Sale Submitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate AgentHuntsville/Madison AL Real Estate Blog September has arrived for us.  The Morgan County real estate market is still holding steady as we prepare to move into the Fall Season.  I think we live in one of the best areas in the nation for a number of reasons and the current state of our real estate market is one of them.Currently there are about 497 Decatur Homes for Sale.  There is still time to purchase and get moved in and settled into that new home before the holidays.  If you are interested in buying, selling, or investing in Madison County real estate, please feel free to utilize any of the following links:Feel free to browse any of our local Homes for Sale.  You can also receive home listings by ... 09/08/2007

Morgan County Real Estate: August Summary and Market Update Submitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate Agent Huntsville Real Estate BlogAugust has come and gone and as we enter September it is time for another market update.  As of September 6, 2007, here is a recap of August for Morgan County Real Estate.  Here's the chance for all those wondering how the market is doing to find out!!  There were 142 houses sold and closed in August.  This is down slightly from this month last year that saw 147 houses closed.  Morgan County's average selling price is $146,739 which is up from last year's average price of $133,504.  The median sales price for the month of August is $134,000.Morgan County averaged 90 days on the market for sale.  This decreased from the average of 105 from last... 09/06/2007

Decatur Seeks To Pass No Smoking Ordinance Submitted by: Kimberly Grant, Huntsville Real Estate AgentHuntsville/Madison AL Real Estate BlogThe Decatur City Council voted yesterday evening to pass an ordinance that would prohibit smoking in all public places.  It passed with a vote of 3-2.  This ordinance includes restaurants, bars, and even public sporting events.  Local restaurant owners expressed their concerns on what effect this could have on their business.  The ordinance is intended to protect individuals from the harm of exposure to second-hand smoke while in public places.If the ordinance passes approval, it could take effect October 1st.  It is unsure at this time if Decatur Mayor Don Kyle will pass a veto with a suggestive alternative to require the business to choose whether ... 08/07/2007