Archive for the “Buyers” Category

CHICAGO, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ — iExplore (http://www.iExplore.com)
announced today their list of Top Ten Summer World Travel Destinations for
Cultural Exploration as determined by vacation purchases of its adventure
and experiential travelers.
1. The Pyramids, Egypt

The largest man made structures in the world and are one of the most
lasting symbols of ancient civilization.

2. Machu Picchu, Peru

Recently named one of the world’s new seven wonders; this remote Inca
citadel has perhaps the most dramatic setting of any ruin in the world.

3. Thailand

Thailand is a rush to traveler’s senses: a bustling, exotic, and vivid
culture that never ceases to amaze visitors.

4. Madagascar

Madagascar, the fourth-largest island in the world is a land unlike any
other. Madagascar is an enticing destination for those who find its lack of
modern conveniences, tourist infrastructure and efficient transport system
an interesting proposition rather than a problem.

5. Great Wall, China

The only man made structure that can be seen from space spans more than
4,000 miles across mainland China.

6. Jerusalem, Israel

The old walled city of Jerusalem, a holy site of Judaism, Christianity
and Islam, is dominated by historic sites such as the Dome of the Rock,
Wailing Wall, and church of the Holy Sepulchre.

7. Taj Mahal, India

The world’s most famous testament of love. This white domed mausoleum
made of the finest stones in Agra, India is the finest example of Mughal
architecture and Muslim art and recognized for its beauty the world over.

8. Tunisia

Tunisia, the smallest country in North Africa, has a lot to offer
travelers including Mediterranean beaches, the Sahara desert, to sets from
the film Star Wars.

9. Vietnam
Only in Vietnam is the past and the present encapsulated so perfectly.

10. Japan Ancient temples and futuristic cities; mist-shrouded mountains and
lightning-fast bullet trains; kimono-clad geisha and suit-clad businessmen:
Japan offers all of this and more.

iExplore offers guided tours to most of the above destinations. Call
1-800-IEXPLORE (1-800-439-7567) for details and pricing.

Foreclosure Activity Up 14 Percent in Second Quarter According to RealtyTrac(R) U.S. Foreclosure Market Report

Activity Increases 121 Percent From Q2 2007
95 of 100 Largest Metro Areas Post Annual Increases

IRVINE, Calif., July 25 /PRNewswire/ — RealtyTrac(R)
(http://www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure
properties, today released its Q2 2008 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report(TM),
which shows foreclosure filings were reported on 739,714 U.S. properties
during the second quarter, a nearly 14 percent increase from the previous
quarter and a 121 percent increase from the second quarter of 2007. The
report also shows that one in every 171 U.S. households received a
foreclosure filing during the quarter.

RealtyTrac publishes the largest and most comprehensive national
database of foreclosure and bank-owned properties, with over 1.5 million
properties from over 2,200 counties across the country, and is the
foreclosure data provider to MSN Real Estate, Yahoo! Real Estate and The
Wall Street Journal’s Real Estate Journal.

“Although much of the fallout from foreclosures is being driven by
rampant activity in a few states, such as Nevada, California, Florida,
Ohio, Arizona and Michigan, most areas of the country are seeing at least
some increase in foreclosure activity,” said James J. Saccacio, chief
executive officer of RealtyTrac. “Forty-eight of 50 states and 95 out of
the nation’s 100 largest metro areas experienced year-over-year increases
in foreclosure activity in the second quarter.

“Bank repossessions, or REOs, accounted for 30 percent of total
foreclosure activity in the second quarter, up from 24 percent of the total
in the first quarter,” Saccacio continued. “This shift in the distribution
of activity indicates that there is a progression toward purging the
problem loans out of the system — at which point the housing market can
regain some sense of normalcy. Of course if another surge in defaults
occurs, which could well happen later this year, it would refill the
foreclosure pipeline and prolong the recovery.”

Read the rest of this entry »

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif., July 15 /PRNewswire/ — On July 17, 2008,
at 10:30am, AvalonBay Communities, Inc., Millennium Partners, the San
Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), and the County of Contra Costa will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a innovative public/private transit- oriented development, Avalon Walnut Creek at Contra Costa Centre. The four partners are jointly investing $400 million in this residential/mixed-use Transit Village, which is adjacent to BART’s Pleasant Hill station.

Contra Costa County Supervisor Susan Bonilla said: “The transit village will show the rest of California that providing adequate public infrastructure and services that keep pace with growth is the best way to increase density within transit rich locations. By creating a public/private partnership and engaging the local community, Contra Costa Centre and the BART Transit Village are providing over 2800 residential units and employment for 6500 people; and the Pleasant Hill BART station is serving 6500 BART customers daily.”

Ceremony will Mark Start of Transit Village at Pleasant Hill BART Station
Successful Public-Private Partnership Brings Transit-Oriented Mixed-Use
Development to Contra Costa Centre

LOS ANGELES, July 9 /PRNewswire/ — This is a terrible time for home
buyers and the mortgage industry. Interest rates are lower than they have
been in years. Home prices are lower than they have been in years. People
holding substandard ARM’s must refinance now. It is a buyers’ market out
there yet no one is buying. The public is understandably scared to death of
mortgages and the brokers, banks and loan companies that sell them.

Beginning July ‘08, a potential borrower will be able to call their
trusted life, health or casualty insurance agent for their next new home
loan, refinancing or reverse mortgage. Most Americans have an insurance
agent and very often the relationship with that agent is 5, 10 or even 20
years long.

THE WEALTHBRIDGE NETWORK was founded by insurance agents for insurance
agents. Wealthbridge works exclusively with only the finest, highest
quality, financially stable mortgage originators in the United States.

The process is simple. The borrower contacts their local insurance
agent and he or she refers the case to Wealthbridge for contact. A
Wealthbridge Team Member will contact the insurance agent’s client and
immediately begin the loan process. According to Steven Conte, Wealthbridge
President, “Our mortgage originators are so safe that they will provide
guarantees in writing. Should the underwriting process take too long or
should the rate change while in underwriting, the client will be
compensated.” Studies have shown the public is very comfortable dealing
with their insurance agent and through this referral process the anxiety of
shopping for a home loan is reduced or removed completely.

CONTACT: Steven E. Branstetter, CEO (800) 366-5656, Extension 245, 267