Alabama RealEstateRama

Last night, Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL) offered two amendments to the FY16 Transportation, Housing & Urban Development Appropriations Act, which sought to eliminate federal government subsidies of Amtrak, thus forcing Amtrak to operate in the black. The Congressional Research Service reports that, from 1971 to 2015, federal Amtrak subsidies totaled $78 billion (in constant 2015 dollars). In Fiscal Year 2014, Amtrak had a net loss of $1.1 billion. The House voted on Brooks’ amendments this afternoon and they were not adopted

Mayor Sandy Stimpson today reopened the CSX parking lot located on Water Street. The city-owned lot, on the east side of Water near the foot of Government Street, is free and open to the public.

Passco Companies, LLC has acquired The Arlington at Eastern Shore, a 300-unit, Class-A multifamily community located in the Spanish Fort suburb of Mobile, Alabama. The property was acquired using Fannie Mae financing, according to Gary Goodman, Senior Vice President Acquisitions of Passco Companies LLC

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) released the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final Clean Water Rule.

The National Water Center, a new facility located at the University of Alabama, is poised to become an incubator for innovative breakthroughs in water prediction products and services. As the country becomes more vulnerable to water-related events, from drought to flooding, the innovative predictive science and services developed by NOAA and its partners at the National Water Center will bolster the nation’s ability to manage threats to its finite water resources and mitigate impacts to communities.

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced full committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. The legislation includes several priorities that are important to the state of Alabama. Following today’s action by the Committee, the bill will go to the full Senate for consideration.

Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell voted for H.R. 2353, the Two-Month Highway Trust Fund Extension, but added that the short-term extension fails to address the urgent need to fix our nation’s crumbling infrastructure

Federal water regulators seeking to greatly expand their reach into small ponds, puddles and ditches on private lands would be forced to abandon their scheme under a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Labor — in partnership with the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration and the Appalachian Regional Commission — today announced the availability of up to $35.5 million to help communities and workers successfully adapt to changes in the coal industry and power sector.

Congressman Byrne’s amendment would eliminate all funding for the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program. The program funds research and development of “clean-energy” technologies. Congressman Byrne believes the program to be unnecessary government influence in the free market and a waste of taxpayer dollars

The City of Mobile on Friday demolished its 4th home this week as part of Mayor Sandy Stimpson's fight on blight campaign. This is the 8th home the City has demolished in April, with four more emergency demolitions currently scheduled.

The Boulder Group, a net leased investment brokerage firm, has completed the sale of a single tenant CVS property located at 2280 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Mobile, AL for $3,856,462. The 10,195 square foot retail building is located on 2.15 acres of land. The property is positioned at the signalized intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and South Craft Highway.

Congresswoman Terri Sewell issued the following statement after the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act (H.R. 650), a bill she co-sponsored to preserve critical access to financing for manufactured homes for low-income and rural families, passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

"These new homes are a prime example of how we are taking back our neighborhoods. It's the answer to many of the challenges we are facing including blight, housing and crime. You can expect more transformations like this in the months to come." - Mayor Sandy Stimpson

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has named Holley Thomas, Double Springs, Ala., as its Craft Professional of the Year. Thomas works as a foreman for KBR. Thomas received the honor March 6 during ABC’s National Craft Championships (NCC) and Workforce Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Join us for free workshops to empower you and your family to build a stronger financial foundation. All workshops are held at the Lifelines Counseling Services office, 705 Oak Circle Dr E, Mobile, 36609. Due to limited space, please call 251-602-0011 to register in advance for the workshops.

An Alabama real estate investor pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a conspiracy to commit mail fraud related to public real estate foreclosure auctions held in southern Alabama, the Department of Justice announced today.

As recovery continues from the April 28 to May 5 severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that hit Alabama, federal officials are offering help on how to rebuild “stronger and safer” for the next disaster

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), senior member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, today stressed the need for housing finance reform but detailed his opposition to related legislation under consideration by the committee. Shelby pointed out that the proposed bill would greatly expand and further complicate the role of government in housing markets, empowering a new super-regulator with the same authorities used to bail out Wall Street and putting taxpayers on the hook for trillions of dollars of liability. In doing so, Shelby strongly challenged the assertion that the legislation is the best way to move beyond the unacceptable status quo. Excerpts of Shelby’s statement are below in bold, followed by the full text of his prepared remarks

Today, U.S. Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) commended the Tennessee Valley Authority’s announcement that it will work with a newly created Alabama state board, legislators and local officials to find a long-term funding solution to manage invasive aquatic weeds in residential and commercial areas of Guntersville Reservoir. According to TVA’s release, “If the stakeholder group of homeowners, anglers, environmentalists and state and local agencies agrees to reinstate a Guntersville weed management plan, TVA will provide short-term funding to treat weeds in residential and commercial areas for six years beginning this summer.