(Courtesy of AJC):  In a two-part series running October 28-29, AJC reporters Russell Grantham and J. Scott Trubey examine foreclosure vacancies in southwest Atlanta and the impact on the metro area's recovery.  The second part of the series delves into code enforcement strategies. Several Piece by Piece partners are quoted.  In coordination with the AJC series, WSB-TV aired a story by investigative reporter Jodie Fleisher on unclaimed vacant houses that litter neighborhoods across the metro area and threaten local government budgets.     WSB-TV     AJC

The National Foreclosure Prevention and Neighborhood Stabilization Task Force,  a cross-industry group of local and national organizations working to address the impacts of the foreclosure crisis on communities, is collecting signatures on a letter to Joe Smith, Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight.  The letter makes recommendations on reporting points under the Anti-Blight provision.  They include:  Expand quantitative measures of anti-blight activities; Publish the policies and property standards set for REO properties; Publish anti-blight and tenant protection policies; and Identify REO properties held.  The current text of the letter is available here.  Please contact Sarah Jawaid at [email protected] if you have questions or if your organization is interested in signing the letter.   MORE

A new report released by the Center for Housing Policy and Center for Neighborhood Technology gauges the housing and transportation cost burdens of moderate-income households living in the 25 largest metro areas at the end of the decade.  Housing and transportation costs rose faster than income during the 2000s, increasing the burden that these costs placed on already stretched budgets.  This held true for each of the 25 largest metropolitan areas, though the disparity was greater in some areas than others. When transportation and housing costs are combined, Atlanta ranks as the 5th least affordable MSA for moderate-income homeowners following Miami, Riverside, LA, and San Diego.   MORE   

(Courtesy of AJC):   A report released recently by a real estate tracking firm offers a promising sign for Atlanta's real estate market.  The metro area's foreclosure activity dropped by about 21 percent from the second quarter to the third quarter, according to RealtyTrac. Foreclosure activity also dropped about 20 percent from the same time period last year.  The news isn't all good. Metro Atlanta's foreclosure rates are still more than twice the national average, with one of every 112 housing units facing foreclosure. In all, there were about 19,000 foreclosure auctions and bank repossessions in the metro area during the third quarter.  MORE

(Courtesy of Shelterforce):  Since the onset of the recent foreclosure crisis and the collapse of much of the nation's housing finance system, questions have been growing as to how best to rebuild the system in a manner that avoids the problems inherent in past mechanisms. The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Center for Community Capital (UNC-CCC), and Center for American Progress (CAP) have been working together to develop a set of recommendations on ways to ensure a robust secondary mortgage market that serves all households in an equitable manner.  Jim Carr, Senior Policy Fellow with Opportunity Agenda, identifies eight essential secondary market functions.   MORE

November 1 at 10:00 AM.  Chairman Charlotte Nash and Commissioner Mike Beatty of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs will hold a  press conference to kickoff the HomeSafe Georgia Program in Metro Atlanta.; Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. MORE