WAITSFIELD, VT - January 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ward Smyth made it his business 30 years ago to be aware of – and understand how to – protect homeowners from exposure to radon gas. Every home Smyth has built or renovated has underground pipes vented through the roof, and a tough vinyl sheet under the concrete foundation to prevent the odorless radioactive gas from seeping through the basement and into the living quarters.

BETHEL, VT - December 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jim Douglas today announced that $857,000 in Vermont Community Development Program grants are being awarded to four communities – Bethel, Randolph, Vergennes and Rochester. He made the announcement at a ceremony at the Bethel Town Hall, highlighting an affordable housing project in specially targeted for seniors and the disabled.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Senate today cleared the way for an additional $10.8 million for home heating assistance for about 27,000 Vermont households, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced.

December 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- At the invitation of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan traveled to Vermont to address the need for greater access to affordable housing in rural states.

BURLINGTON, VT - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today called for full funding of the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Montpelier, VT. - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jim Douglas today announced nearly $600,000 to help repair the fire-damaged building that houses Montpelier’s senior center, as well as to help develop 14 senior apartments on the site. That was one of several Vermont Community Development Program grants announced, which also included funds for two affordable housing groups to merge their operations

Monkton & Ferrisburgh, VT - November 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nearly 200 acres of productive farmland have been permanently protected through conservation, the Vermont Land Trust announced today. The Vermont Land Trust, the Town of Monkton, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and the Claflin family worked together to conserve the Claflin's family farm.

BURLINGTON, VT - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The state’s non-profit network of NeighborWorks® HomeOwnership Centers of Vermont (HOCs) received the 2010 Housing Hero award. Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) Executive Director Sarah Carpenter presented the award to six HOC representatives at yesterday’s 2010 Vermont Statewide Housing Conference held at the Hilton in Burlington.

BURLINGTON, VT - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A record number 480 people attended yesterday’s Vermont Statewide Housing Conference held at the Hilton in Burlington. The previous record for the biennial event was nearly 450 in 2006. “This year’s huge attendance is partly due to an increasing awareness of the importance of housing, a result of the mortgage crisis that brought the topic to the top of the news over the last year,” says VHFA Policy & Planning Manager Maura Collins, chief organizer of the conference

BURLINGTON, VT - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today introduced Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan at the Vermont Housing Conference where both addressed the need for greater access to affordable housing in rural states

BURLINGTON, VT - November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Burlington’s Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO) has published “Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice.” The 50-page report examines hurdles that might prevent Burlington residents from equal access to housing opportunities and suggests potential solutions

November 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- How familiar are you with Vermont’s unclaimed property program? The state has had an unclaimed property law on the books for more than 40 years and has for decades worked to alert Vermonters to check for their name. However, despite ongoing outreach efforts, phone calls and comments about unclaimed property made to the State Treasurer’s Office staff suggest some are still unclear about what the program is. Consider these examples

RE TOWN, VT - November 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Central Vermont Community Land Trust (CVCLT) has converted a dilapidated foreclosed property in Barre Town into a sustainable new home with low operating costs, thanks to funding from an innovative federal program.

WEST RUTLAND, Vt. - October 28, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today announced a $175,000 federal energy efficiency grant for a 17-unit affordable housing project in the historic St. Stanislaus School and Convent buildings.

October 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new report on the Vermont’s non-profit affordable housing providers says the state should consider consolidating them and introducing performance measures to increase efficiency and accountability

Burlington, VT - October 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Vermont received 250 housing choice vouchers (HCV) from HUD’s Rental Assistance for Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities Program.

Montpelier, VT - September 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The state has given the Town of Colchester a green light for a Tax Increment Financing District within the Severance Corners Growth Center, a move that will assist the town’s development efforts there.

COLUMBIA, MD - September 14, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- South Burlington-based Cathedral Square Corporation today received a MetLife Foundation Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing.