Keough Challa People are unsure about job prospects and income growth. They’re worried about declines in house prices. But housing sales may have bottomed out. That could mean stability in home prices and be a sign of a turnaround, said Ray Owens, a senior economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Owens was one of eight speakers last night at the 2009 Virginia Economic Outlook Forum at SunTrust Bank in downtown Richmond. The event was presented by the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce.

NEW FACES Joey Strumb and Linda Butler have joined Barber & Rhodes Real Estate as agents. —Compiled by Trudy Knight <div class=tagline><tagline type=std><br> Send information to Real Estate Notes, Richmond Times-Dispatch, P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293-0001; e-mail <a href="mailto:tknight@timesdispatch.com">tknight@timesdispatch.com</a>; or fax (804) 775-8141. Notices must be submitted in writing. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday, 10 days before publication. Photos are used at our discretion and will not be returned.</tagline></div>

SALES Porter Realty Co. Inc. reports the following sales: <li>20,000 square feet at 2020 Tomlyn St. in Henrico County for $1.6 million to JT Holdings.  Richard W. Porter represented the seller. <li>8,000 square feet at 13541 E. Boundary Road in Chesterfield County for $638,000 to Eastbound.  Byron W. Holmes represented the seller. LEASES

Sales of existing homes rose in July, surpassing expectations, as buyers snapped up deeply discounted properties in parts of the country hit hardest by the housing bust.

The western Henrico community is a 'small town'—and growing.

NEW FACES Hometown Realty reports the following new agents:  <li>Kim Hicks at the Colonial Heights office.  <li>Angela Lawson at the King William office.  <li>Rick Sandstrom at the Twin Hickory of fice. Mike Puccio is a realtor at Keller Williams Realty.  PEOPLE IN THE NEWS John T. Sutton III, senior vice president at CB Richard Ellis/Richmond, has been appointed to the board of directors of CB Richard Ellis of Virginia Inc. Bruce E. Mason and William W. Reynolds, both senior vice presidents at CB Richard Ellis/Richmond, have been reappointed to the board.

LEASES CB Richard Ellis reports the following leases: <li>46,283 square feet at 805 Liberty Way in Chester to EPT Inc.  <li>8,493 square feet at 9130 W. Broad St. in Henrico County to Perfect Pets Inc.  <li>6,070 square feet at 1131 Alverser Drive in Chesterfield County to Home Lighting Ltd. —Compiled by Trudy Knight <br> Send information, in writing only, to Commercial Notes, Richmond Times-Dispatch, P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293-0001; fax (804) 775-8141 or e-mail <a href="mailto:tknight@timesdispatch.com">tknight@timesdispatch.com</a>. Call (804) 775-8049 for more information. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday, 10 days before publication. Photos are used at our discretion and will not be returned.

Following is a list of building permits issued in the past few months in the Richmond area for construction valued at $50,000 or more. The name listed is that of the owner and contractor unless otherwise noted; the project is a single-family dwelling unless otherwise noted. Real estate transfers for the same localities appear Saturdays in the Find section. Permits and transfers can be accessed online at <a href="http://www.inRich.com" target="_blank">www.inRich.com</a>.

Appraisers from Virginia, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania came to Henrico County yesterday to voice concerns about practices they say taint their estimates of property values.

The old Southside Regional Medical Center building—on a 24-acre site near downtown Petersburg—will be demolished. But the future of 801 S. Adams St., with a land value estimated at $522,700, is unknown, said Handy L. Lindsey Jr., president of the Cameron Foundation, a nonprofit organization that owns the facility. "Plans are being developed," he said, noting that a committee composed of foundation board members and city leaders will determine what to do with the property.

When companies such as Wachovia Securities pack up and leave town, the move affects more than employees.

NEW FACES Base Camp Realty of Richmond Inc.: <li>Stuart Holmes, Rhonda Muscarella and Dionne Wood are agents. Terri Brennan is an associate at Re/Max Today. Kerry D. Kreis is a Realtor at Keller Williams Realty. PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Sandra B. Baber and Jefferson L. Dykes have earned their SR/WA designation from the International Right of Way Association. They are with KDR Real Estate Services.

SALES Grubb & Ellis/Harrison & Bates reports the following sales: <li>W.S. Richardson Jr. sold 5.3 acres at 2587 Homeview Drive in Henrico County to the Virginia Home for Boys & Girls for $750,000.  J.F. Williams III represented the seller. <li>Virginia Properties Inc. sold 3.846 acres at 3000 Peyton Road in Henrico to Parham Forest Partners for $432,675.

Building and mortgage loans are tough to get, and second mortgages are nearly impossible. Looking for 100 percent financing on a house or building project? Forget it. Banks will continue to write off billions of dollars in bad mortgage loans, financial experts say. Some have gone under and more will follow. That doesn't leave builders and developers in a good place as the housing slump and credit crunch drags on. Some builders have gone belly up. Most have cut back.

RRHA's reach extends beyond public housing and into new homes, community development.