ALBANY—The New York State Association of Realtors reports that all Democratic New York Congressional representatives, including local Congressional representatives Sean Patrick Maloney, Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel, have come out against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” proposal also known as the GOP tax reform plan released on Nov. 2. Also, New York’s two Democratic…
Read MoreALBANY—New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined a chorus of business and political leaders to voice his opposition to the GOP tax reform plan released on Thursday by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee. In a statement released to the press, the governor did not mince words saying the tax cut plan by the GOP…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—While President Donald Trump described it as a “great Christmas present,” to American taxpayers, real estate executives view the proposed tax reform proposal rolled out by the House Ways and Means Committee today as anything but a gift. Among some of the key provisions in the proposal that would impact the real estate industry are:…
Read MoreStephanie Liggio Wins Affiliate of the Year Award TARRYTOWN—More than 1,000 members of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors participated in the HGAR’s 101st Annual Meeting held on Oct. 30th at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown. The business portion of the all-day event was highlighted by the election of HGAR Officers and Directors, who will…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Despite solid interest in buying a home—sparked by steady job gains, record low mortgage rates and higher rents—the severe drought in housing supply in much of the country over the past year as well as accelerated price growth kept many first-time buyers out of the market. This is according to the National Association of Realtors'…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Developer LCOR announced recently the completion of construction and the debut of its residential tower project near the White Plains Metro North train station called “Continuum.” The tower building is the first phase of a $250-million twin tower mixed-use project. Located at 55 Bank St., Continuum features a 16-story tower with 288 residences and…
Read MoreHARRISON—In recent months, industry experts and media outlets have claimed the same thing: retail is dead. Brick and mortar has seemingly been replaced by omni-channel shopping, with many industry cornerstones and “Mom and Pop” shops shuttering doors across the country. While many in the industry have started to pull away from the retail sector, commercial…
Read MoreALBANY—New York State residents could lose more than $72 billion in reported income and property tax deductions if the current Big 6 tax reform plan is enacted. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli in a report released on Oct. 27th said the tax reform plan calls for eliminating most itemized deductions, including state and local…
Read MoreCongress is now actively engaged in modifying the tax code and Realtors and homeowners in New York State stand to lose big time if Congress votes to repeal the state and local income and property tax deduction. This deduction has been a part of the tax code for decades and helps New Yorkers to participate…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, who was the keynote speaker at HGAR’s Commercial Investment Division on Oct. 26, said that one of his administration’s main goals has been to change the city’s negative image that at least in part was caused by the school desegregation case that garnered national headlines in the late 1980s. In…
Read MoreGOSHEN, NY—On Oct. 25th Merlin Entertainments, the developer of the proposed LEGOLAND New York theme park here, and New York State announced their respective commitments to move the $500-million project forward. On the one hand, Merlin Entertainments announced it will begin construction on the project in early 2018 after recently securing site plan approval from…
Read MoreYONKERS—Fashion retailer Century 21 Stores has entered the Westchester County market with the opening of a new store at the Mall at Cross County here. The department store chain held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 24th for the more than 70,000-square-foot store. The store at 750 Central Park Ave. occupies two floors and features…
Read MoreBETHLEHEM, NY—U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo were joined by New York Realtors in urging the state Congressional delegation to oppose the elimination of state and local property tax deductions as part of the Republican-led tax reform campaign in Washington, D.C. At a press conference held on Oct. 23 at a…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Hudson Valley residential market continued to post strong sales volume, although three of the four counties in the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors’ market area experienced sales declines in the third quarter of this year as compared to a year ago. Residential brokers emphasized that sales volume in the third quarter of last…
Read MoreNEW YORK—The New York City Council approved the massive Bronx Point project along the Harlem River waterfront in the South Bronx on Oct. 17th that will be led by a Larchmont-based developer, which will bring approximately 1,000 new housing units to the area as well as a new school and hip-hop museum. City officials announced…
Read MoreUpdates on Tilly Foster, Envision Brewster and How Sewer, Water Projects Could Foster Growth CARMEL—Prior to MaryEllen Odell taking office in November 2011, the economic development efforts in Putnam County were to put it politely outdated and were in fact close to non-existent. Since taking office Odell has made business attraction and retention, as well…
Read MoreSPRING VALLEY—Rockland County-based investment firm Concord Capital NY reported on Oct. 16th that it is seeking approvals to build a $175-million transit oriented development in Downtown Spring Valley. The project, which the firm states will be modeled after successful redevelopment initiatives in Downtown Yonkers, New Rochelle and in TOD-oriented locations on Long Island, calls for…
Read MoreIn place of its annual conference in Austin, TX this year, Keller Williams reached out to its agents across the nation to volunteer to help their fellow Keller Williams agents and local families affected by the ravaging floods from Hurricane Harvey. In late August, the Category 4 hurricane ripped through the southern Texas coast with…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—While the contest was nowhere near an all out brawl, Republican incumbent Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino and Democratic challenger New York State Senator George Latimer did take some verbal jabs at one another in a fiery first debate held on Tuesday evening at SL Green Realty’s Reckson Metro Center at 360 Hamilton Ave.…
Read MoreIrene Guanill describes herself as “a girl from the South Bronx,” who grew up learning how to turn lemons into lemonade. “My mom was always very strong and she taught us to be strong,” she said. “Failure was not an option—you could either sink or swim, and I chose to swim.” Today, the mother of…
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