WHITE PLAINS—2017 HGAR President Dorothy Botsoe ended her year in office the same way that she started it—offering free networking outreach events to the HGAR membership in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties, as well as the Bronx. Her 2017 Holiday Networking events began in November at the Mix Cocktail Bar at the Crowne Plaza…
Read MoreALBANY—Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his “State of the State” address on Wednesday here vowed that the state will file suit against the recently enacted federal tax reform law and will also study restructuring the state’s income tax revenue system. Calling the federal tax reform law an “arrow aimed at New York’s economic heart,” Gov. Andrew…
Read MoreST. LOUIS, MI—New York State ranked third behind Illinois and New Jersey in out migration, according to a study released recently by moving company United Van Lines. The United Van Lines' National Movers Study stated that more Americans are moving westward, while the Northeast and Midwest continued to lose residents. In 2017, more residents moved…
Read MoreNEW YORK CITY—New construction starts in the Bronx are expected to surpass the $2-billion plateau in 2017, according to a report released today by the New York Building Congress. While several new large public works projects came on line this year, the residential housing sector in the borough accounted for more than 50% of the…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Recently released reports on existing home sales and pending sales in November released by the National Association of Realtors showed strong sales activity. However, NAR predicts conditions will weaken somewhat in the new year. The National Association of Realtors reported on Dec. 27 that pending home sales were mostly unmoved in November, but did squeak…
Read MoreALBANY—New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo citing the legislation’s potential costs, reached an agreement on Dec. 18 with the State Legislature to have three state agencies study the fiscal impacts of establishing the New York State First-Time Homebuyer Savings Program. The governor signed the New York First Time Homebuyer Savings Program (NY First Home) bill…
Read MoreALBANY—Rockland County, reversing years of earlier frustration in landing state funding under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Consolidated Funding Application competition, took home an impressive $5.8 million in CFA funding in this year’s competition. Rockland County Executive Ed Day said the awards include funds to expand private businesses, revitalize communities and encourage tourism. "This investment in Rockland…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—It is no longer just millennials fueling interest and investment in walkable communities. According to a new report from the National Association of Realtors, members of the silent or greatest generation (those born before 1944) also prefer smaller homes in neighborhoods with easy walks to shops and restaurants. The 2017 National Community and Transportation Preference…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—As expected, in a procedural vote the House of Representatives approved the Tax Cut and Jobs Act on Wednesday. The controversial measure passed 224-201, with no support from Democratic Congressional representatives. A total of 12 House GOP members voted against the bill. The Senate passed the bill earlier in the morning by a 51-48 margin.…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Westchester County Executive-Elect George Latimer announced his first key administration appointments and all are very well known and respected in political, business and media circles in the county. Latimer announced on Dec. 19 that he had nominated retiring County Legislator Ken Jenkins to be his Deputy County Executive, former New York State Department of…
Read MoreAfter Bringing County Back From Financial Brink Day Looks to Advance Key Policies in Second Term NEW CITY—The chief focus of Rockland County Executive Ed Day’s first four years in office was to implement governmental and budgetary reform to improve county government operations and put the days when county government was on the brink of…
Read MorePredicting the real estate market is about as easy as timing the stock market, due to the complex interplay of forces that create the market. Four basic numbers tend to drive real estate—home sales, home prices, months supply of inventory and mortgage rates. The economy, encompassing inflation and unemployment, as well as policy decisions on…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—With House and Senate Republicans putting the final touches on federal tax reform legislation, Realtors both here and across the nation are preparing for the bill’s passage, possibly before Christmas, and what impacts it could bring to the housing market in 2018. Prominent local Realtors offered mixed opinions on what impacts tax reform will…
Read MoreTARRYTOWN—Westchester County Executive-Elect George Latimer met with county business leaders on Dec. 12th and said that Republicans and Democrats in county government must work together to face new business and political realities. He also said that because the county budget for 2018 has yet to be finalized, he feels somewhat “hamstrung” in trying to implement…
Read MoreALBANY—Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Dec. 13 that the Mid-Hudson region was selected as top performer among the state’s 10 regional economic development councils, landing a total of $84.8 million in state funding for 113 projects. More than $755 million in economic and community development funding was awarded through Round VII of the Regional Economic…
Read MoreBarry Kramer, one of the two principal brokers of Westchester Choice Realty Inc. in Scarsdale, has the distinction of being both the HGAR 2017 Realtor of the Year and the 2018 HGAR President. “I didn’t’ think I could be a Realtor of the Year and president at the same time, so I was really surprised,”…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—In addition to Rockland County Executive Ed Day who recently told Real Estate In-Depth that New York State taxpayers were getting “sandbagged” by the federal tax reform plan, other key state and local leaders also blasted various components of the GOP House and Senate tax reform plans that at press time were being debated…
Read MoreNEW CITY—Rockland County Executive Ed Day presided over the permanent closure of the six-story Sain office building here on Dec. 5th where he urged county lawmakers to facilitate the multi-million dollar sale of the property to make way for a senior assisted living facility. Day announced that the last of the county departments operating at…
Read MoreNEW YORK CITY—The Regional Plan Association in its fourth regional plan says some residents of the New York City metro region are not enjoying the benefits of the robust NYC economy due in large part to the lack of investment in the area’s infrastructure, housing and quality of life. In its 373-page report released on…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Residential brokerage firm Douglas Elliman announced on Dec. 4 it had promoted its chief operating officer, Scott Durkin to president and chief operating officer effective immediately. Durkin, a 30-year real estate veteran and protégée of Barbara Corcoran, joined Douglas Elliman in 2015 as executive vice president of acquisitions and growth. He was promoted to…
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