DALLAS, Tex.-Despite a 14 percent reduction, Texas facilities continue to lead the nation in toxic releases, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) latest report. According to the EPA, Texas released 260 million pounds in 1997. Louisiana was second with 186 million pounds released.

Texas also was tops in on-site air emissions (nearly 109 million pounds) and underground injections (nearly 90 million pounds). In Louisiana, toxic releases increased 5 percent since 1995. While air emissions have been reduced, surface water discharges have increased. Louisiana led the nation with 46.9 million pounds of toxic chemicals discharged to surface water in 1997.

Among other states in the region, Arkansas had a 58 percent increase in releases, vaulting it from 24th place to 16th. Although New Mexico's total releases have dropped 24 percent since 1995, it moved up seven places to 25th.

In Oklahoma, a decrease in air emissions is largely responsible for the state's more than 17 percent reduction in toxic releases. However, the state still ranks 30th nationally overall.

The EPA report is based on annual reports required for submission from individual manufacturing, processing and federal facilities nationwide. For details of the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), visit http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/tri/. The TRI's hotline is 1-800-424-9346.

DALLAS, Tex. /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas office of Turner Construction Company has been awarded a $7.5 million contract to renovate Carrier Center, a 300,000-square-foot, seven-story building in downtown Dallas. Construction is scheduled for completion in July. The building being renovated was built in 1921 and was once the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The National Association of Realtors (NAR) strongly supports companion bills introduced in both the House and Senate that would enable commercial property owners to amortize more quickly the costs of leasehold improvements made on behalf of tenants.

The bills would reduce the amortization period for leasehold improvements in non-residential buildings from 39 to ten years. The current 39-year period requires that leasehold improvements be amortized over the life of the building rather than over the length of the lease.

HOUSTON, Tex. -- The first real estate-related Web site to feature direct links to the court systems and law-making bodies in all 50 states and the federal government is now on line.

Developed by real estate information specialists at Stewart Title, REprofile.com was created to provide timely news and information for all segments of the real estate industry, including attorneys, financial institutions, title agents, real estate brokers, sales agents and consumers.

REprofile.com directly links to court sites and the federal judiciary and features real estate-related legislation. The site offers daily news from two major sources and significant court decisions pertaining to commercial and residential real estate finance, property casualty and title insurance.

REprofile.com also serves as a portal to Stewart's Virtual Underwriter on-line software and Stewart.com. It links to LoopNet Commercial Database, residential listings and associated residential and commercial real estate sites, including the National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors and other information sites. The Stewart site has an up-to-date calendar of events for real estate and legal professionals.

CHICAGO, Il. -- The world's first global commercial real estate auction is among two major events this fall sponsored by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Chicago-based Sheldon Good & Company International will conduct the auction.

The auction will be part of "TRANSACT '99," the nation's first global real estate conference developed jointly by NAR and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Approximately 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the event which culminates with the Sept. 24 auction.

CHICAGO, Il. -- The world's first global commercial real estate auction is among two major events this fall sponsored by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Chicago-based Sheldon Good & Company International will conduct the auction.

The auction will be part of "TRANSACT '99," the nation's first global real estate conference developed jointly by NAR and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Approximately 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the event which culminates with the Sept. 24 auction.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Remodeling is more popular than ever. Spending on remodeling homes exceeds expenditures to build new ones. Along with this increase, however, has come an increase in remodeling complaints. Complaints about remodelers consistently lead the American Homeowners Foundation (AHF) complaint list.

According to the AHF, most homeowner-contractor disputes arise not over specific terms of a formal contract but rather over issues not addressed either verbally or in writing.

"It's amazing the number of major remodeling agreements based only on a one-page bid sheet or a handshake," says AHF Vice President Chris Christensen. "No one-page document can cover all elements of a good agreement or even most of the potential problems."

To help reduce disputes, the AHF has developed a 1999 remodeling contract. Homeowners, remodeling contractors, architects and attorneys provided input into development of the comprehensive six-page agreement.

The contract has sections on payment schedule by task, a description of the work to be done, a timetable for completion and special instructions and provisions.

COLLEGE STATION, Tex. -- Building permit statistics were the most popular area on the Real Estate Center's home page during March. More than 17,100 hits were recorded in that area. Population data was the second most popular section with nearly 8,000 hits.

ATLANTA, Ga. /PRNewswire/ -- Gables Residential Trust was saluted recently by the National Home Builders Association and Multi-Housing News with the prestigious "Pillars of the Industry" award for Gables Central Park, a 273-home community in Austin.

FAIRFAX, Va. /PRNewswire/ -- Aureus Group, LLC, a privately held, Dallas-based real estate company has entered an agreement to purchase two assisted-living communities from Sunrise Assisted Living, Inc. for $27.9 million in cash.

Sunrise will continue operating the communities in Columbia, Md., and Norwood, Mass., under long-term agreements with Aureus. The properties have a combined resident capacity of 182.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Growth in the number of condominium, cooperative and homeowner associations nationwide has spurred membership in the Community Associations Institute (CAI). CAI now has more than 17,000 members.

San Antonio, Dallas and Houston made the country's "Top Ten Worst Mouse Cities" list released yesterday by Reckitt & Colman, maker of d-CON rodenticides. The information is based on sales of rodenticide products in grocery stores nationwide.

The good news is that San Antonio fell to third in the latest survey (1998) after leading the nation in 1997. Houston dropped to seventh after being second a year earlier. Dallas was fifth in 1998 after not being on the 1997 list.

"Musophobia (fear of mice) is the third most common fear among Americans," says Richard Poche, wildlife and rodent control expert with d-CON. "For a nation inherently afraid of rodents, the cities on the Top Ten List need to be doing a much better job of preventing rodent infestation."

Copies of a new study to identify the level of lending in minority and low-income areas of selected Texas communities is available from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

"Home Mortgage Disclosure Act: Then and Now" compares and contrasts annual data to determine if lending has increased in minority and lower-income areas as a result of enforcement of HMDA reporting requirements on race, sex and income.

Although state government tax revenues increased by 7 percent from 1997 to 1998, latest data from the Commerce Department's Census Bureau shows Texas with the third lowest per capita state taxes.

New Hampshire has the lowest per capita state taxes -- $851. South Dakota is second with $1,129. Texas' taxes total $1,246. Others in the five lowest tax states are Tennessee ($1,288) and Alabama ($1,318).

State governments collected $475 billion in tax revenues in 1998. Alaska was the only state to show a tax revenue decrease -- 27 percent. Maine had the largest increase at 17 percent.

Nationally, per capita tax collections total $1,762 for every man, woman and child. Per capita taxes are highest in Connecticut ($2,869), Delaware ($2,665), Hawaii ($2,662), Minnesota ($2,434) and Massachusetts ($2,357).

WASHINGTON, DC -- Construction of new homes fell 1.3 percent in March to an annual rate of 1.77 million units. This was the second straight month housing starts have declined. Even so, March was still .19 million units higher than March of last year.

The biggest decline was in the Northeast which plunged 28.9 percent.

Declining building permits is causing concern because they are an indicator of future housing activity. In all, building permits fell 6 percent, the biggest decline in four years.

AUSTIN, Tex. /PRNewswire/ -- FPL Energy, Inc., and Central and South West Corporation have announced that the first 19 of 107 wind turbines are being interconnected with the Texas electrical grid. When fully energized, the project will become the state's largest wind energy generating facility.

FPL Energy's Southwest Mesa Wind Project is located on top of a 600-foot mesa spanning Upton and Crockett counties near McCamey, Texas, some 60 miles south of Midland-Odessa. In June, the facility will begin supplying 75 megawatts of renewable energy to CSW's West Texas Utilities Company subsidiaries. CSW recently signed a 20-year power purchase agreement to buy renewable energy from FPL's wind-powered facility.

The $82 million project employs almost 200 people during construction. Landowners will receive annual royalties for the use of their property.

HOUSTON, Tex. -- U.S. Representative Gene Green (D-Tex.) and representatives from Fannie Mae presented $5,000 Tuesday to the Latino Learning Center to assist with its "Home to Own" program.

"Owning your own home is part of the American Dream, and quality, affordable housing is an important part of making this dream a reality," said Green.

The Latino Housing and Economic Development Corporation was formed specifically to identify and pursue community projects within target areas of the inner city. The "Home to Own" program includes housing development and construction of new single-family and multifamily affordable housing. The program also encourages economic growth and revitalization while providing goods, services, job creation, skills training, pre-purchase counseling and first-time homebuyer education.

The Latino Housing EDC plans to expand into Houston's inner city neighborhoods on the near north side and and near east side. Home prices will be as low as $58,000.

MENLO PARK, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Homes.com (www.homes.com), one of the nation's leading providers of online real estate services for Realtors and consumers, has announced a partnership with GMAC Home Services, parent company of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Service. Homes.com will develop and host branded Web sites for each of the more than 800 Better Homes and Gardens member firms.

The agreement also extends an offer to the 24,000 individual BH&G sales professionals to participate in the company's new Internet strategy to tap the growing consumer population on the Web.

WASHINGTON, DC -- A new direct response marketing report designed to help real estate professionals generate qualified buyers ready to bid on today's best properties is now available.

"Smart Buying: Eight Inside Tips Every Buyer Must Know in Today's Market" is produced by the Gooder Group, a Fairfax, Virginia, publisher of lead-generating marketing materials.

"If buyer's don't know how to compete for the best properties in today's active market, they could lose out," said Dan Gooder Richard, president of the Gooder Group. "The Smart Buying brochure is designed to attract motivated buyers with money to real estate professionals who are happy to share their professional market savvy. . . "

The booklet includes advice on getting loan pre-approval, research, making an offer and more.

To obtain a free copy, send your business card and a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope to: Estate sales, Gooder Group Dept. 678, or send e-mail to leas@gooder.com.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. housing market continues its strong performance, supported by a case of economic factors including low unemployment rates, low mortgage rates and higher consumer income, according to the latest "Real Estate Outlook" publication from the National Association of Realtors.

National Association of Realtors' new Chief Economist James F. Smith, wrote that in January the nation's current period of continued growth had surpassed the previous longest ever peacetime economic expansion, which occurred between November 1982 and July 1990.

"And the ride isn't over yet," said Smith. "On January 16, 2000, the current economic growth will become the longest one in the history of the United States, topping the 106 months from February 15, 1961, to December 15, 1969.

NAR forecasts growth in the real gross domestic product (GDP) will slow to 3.5 percent for 1999 from 3.9 percent last year, while consumer price inflation is expected to rise 1.8 percent this year, up from 1.5 percent last year.

Disposable income is expected to rise 3.4 percent this year, while unemployment is expected to dip to 4.2 percent in 1999 from 4.5 percent in 1998.

Qualifications for a Texas real estate license are going to be reviewed. A notice of intent to review the provisions was approved this week by the Texas Real Estate Commission. Suggestions for substantive changes are to be considered during coming weeks.

TREC Administrator Wayne Thorburn, said the assessment is particularly important because it "goes to the heart of all professional real estate education requirements. I urge all interested persons and groups to carefully consider these rules and advise the Commission on what changes they feel may be needed."

Four rules relating to conditions for payment of certain commissions are being considered for repeal by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). The rules relate to payment of certain commissions, definitions of real estate, offering property from another state and auctioning the property.

If adopted, the proposal would reduce 25 rules in 11 pages to 21 requiring only seven pages. The four provisions are viewed as unnecessary because their requirements are already in the Real Estate Act.

After reaching record highs at the end of 1998, the National Association of Home Builders' Housing Market Index (HMI) declined for the third consecutive month in March.

The March reading of 69 is still relatively high but is down four points from February and down nine points from the HMI's all-time high of 78 in November and December of last year.

"The average interest rate on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages rose to more than 7 percent in early March, and that increase likely played a role in builders' reduced expectations," said Charlie Ruma, NAHB president. He said that while the index suggests slightly reduced demand, builders continue to express concerns regarding labor shortages and the availability of finished lots.

The HMI is derived from a monthly survey of builders. NAHB has been conducting the survey for nearly 20 years.

HOUSTON, Tex. /PRNewswire/ -- Weingarten Realty Investors announced yesterday the company has acquired the Sherman Plaza Business Park in Richardson. The property was bought from the Fidelity Mutual Insurance Company. A sale price was not disclosed.

Sherman Plaza contains 99,500 square feet and is located on 7.2 acres. It was developed in 1978, and currently is 87.5 percent leased.

FORT WORTH, Tex. /PRNewswire/ -- Panattoni-Hillwood will construct a 415,000-square-foot build-to-suit facility in the Waters Ridge II Business Park in Lewisville. The facility is for Four Seasons, a major supplier of automotive air conditioning and heater replacement parts.

MESQUITE, Tex. /PRNewswire/ -- The largest Hampton Inn and Suites in the United States has opened here. The hotel and adjacent rodeo arena offer 84,000 square feet of meeting space.

The hotel has the third largest ballroom in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex -- 17,500 square feet -- and the most meeting space per room in Texas.

The hotel has 160 guest rooms, including 54 deluxe and fireplace suites, each with a fully equipped kitchen. The hotel is located at the intersection of Interstate 635 and Texas Highway 152.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo this week awarded public housing authorities $46.8 million in Family Unification Grants to help members of about 7,000 low-income families stay together despite housing crises.

Housing authorities in 31 states, including Texas, Puerto Rico and Guam, will receive the grants which fund rental assistance subsidies that enable parents to pay just 30 percent of their income to rent privately owned apartments.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Mortgage Bankers Association of America (MBA) released its weekly Mortgage Application Survey on Wednesday, reporting that mortgage loan applications for the week ending April 9 decreased 1.8 percent from the previous week. Compared to the same week last year, loan applications were down 13.1 percent.

According to the survey, the average contract interest rate for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages was 6.87, down from the 6.96 the previous week. Points decreased from 1.42 to 1.34 (including origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio loans.

The average contract interest rate for one-year ARMs was 5.99 percent, up slightly from 6.96 the previous week. Points decreased from 1.23 to 1.11 for 80 percent LTV loans.