Affordable Housing Institute : US

Sustainable affordability is tough.  People think affordable housing is hard to build and easy to manage.  The reality is precisely the reverse: easy to build (just throw money),
hard to own and manage,
requiring periodic revitalization, and very hard to make into a successful community. 
The property needs an advocate.
 
Shelterforce, the bimonthly publication of […]

Think all American homes are huge McMansions with soaring prices? 
 

 
Think again.  For $119,000, CNN lists a site showing pictures of properties like this:
 

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Three more senior Fannie Mae executives have stepped down:
 
Moving into unspecified advisory roles were senior vice presidents Jonathan Boyles, who oversaw accounting policy and tax; Janet L. Pennewell, who oversaw financial reporting; and Sam Rajappa, who oversaw internal auditing, company spokesman Charles V. Greener said.
 
The staff changes follow on OFHEO allegations of what sound like […]

With increased GSE regulation clearly in play, the scramble begins for the right to ride the tiger.  Congressional Quarterly (subscription required) has a nifty short article nominating three candidates and giving brief reasons for, against, and who is supporting what. 
 
Of interest are the arguments against each of CQ’s nominees:

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Be careful of what you wish for, as you may not like it.   Yesterday’s post explored Massachusetts Proposition 2½, which caps local property taxes at 2.5% of fair value.  So a homeowner is safe, right?  Well, as the Boston Globe points out …
 
Many homeowners believe that Proposition 2½, the property tax limit approved in 1980, […]