Realtors, Mayors Recognize Miami-Dade for Virtual Housing Center

RISMEDIA, Feb. 6, 2008-The National Association of Realtors® and the U.S. Conference of Mayors have named Miami-Dade County an Ambassador City for its Housing Central Web portal. The virtual one-stop housing center connects residents with affordable homes and rental units and provides valuable information and resources for area families.

The county developed Housing Central to help residents find homes and rental properties that best meet their needs. The Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches (RAMB) is working closely with Miami-Dade County to link Housing Central to the Realtor association’s multi-language Website, providing hundreds of additional property listings.

“Realtors build communities and care about the lack of affordable housing opportunities in many of our cities and towns,” said NAR President Dick Gaylord, a broker with RE/MAX Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, California. “Our goal is to help all families at all income levels find a place they can call home.”

Housing Central’s locator tool helps individuals search rental properties or homes for sale according to location, price or property features. The Website also lists Section 8 properties as well as income-based and special-needs housing. Landlords or individuals selling homes under $400,000 can also post their homes for free on the Housing Central Website. Currently, more than 2,600 properties are listed on the site.

In addition to property listings, Housing Central also has information about Miami-Dade County’s housing programs, online applications for financial aid and lists of services available to help potential home buyers finance and purchase a home.

During a luncheon today at the Country Club of Coral Gables, a representative from NAR joined David Gatton, director, Council on the New American City, U.S. Conference of Mayors, in presenting the Ambassador for Cities plaque and $5,000 for the Housing Central initiative to Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez and RAMB’s Chairman Kim Kirschner, and President of Residential, Terri Bersach.

“Initiatives like Housing Central have helped hundreds of families quickly and easily find and access affordable homes and rentals, a top priority in many of our communities,” said Gaylord. “We are in an ever-changing real estate market, and this Web portal is helping address the needs of both current Miami-Dade residents and those looking to relocate to the area.”

NAR and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, through its Council on the New American City, launched the Ambassadors for Cities program in 2003 to encourage cities and local Realtor associations to form partnerships to promote affordable housing and homeownership.

For more information, visit www.realtor.org.

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