NEW YORK—Shortly after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that would impose fines of up to $7,500 on hosts of rental housing portal Airbnb that break state and local housing regulations, Airbnb filed a federal lawsuit on Friday Oct. 21 to overturn the legislation. According to a report in the New York Times, Airbnb contends in…
Read MoreCARMEL—This year has been a cause for celebration for The Putnam Economic Development Corp., which launched operations 20 years. In addition, the organization charged with business attraction and retention has launched “The Year of Business Development in Putnam County.” Under the leadership of its president Jill Varricchio the PEDC has embarked on promoting the county’s…
Read MoreHomeownership and property rights are the pillars of our industry and by showing support for those two ideals, through contributions to RPAC, we have protected and empowered our members so they can be the best at what they do. Undoubtedly, our primary goal as an association is to ensure that our members continue to grow…
Read MoreOn Monday, October 17th, the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, Inc. conducted its Annual Member Day and celebrated its 100th Anniversary at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown. The day included informative sessions which focused on topics like Google products and memory retention, as well as an ethics class taught by HGAR’s Director of Legal Affairs,…
Read MoreLAS VEGAS, NV—At its annual convention in Las Vegas last month, The Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS), the professional trade organization that serves the Multiple Listings Services industry across North America, elected new officers and directors for 2017. Gary Connolly, Director, Multiple Listing Service & Information Systems for HGMLS was appointed by the CMLS…
Read MoreGary Leogrande Named Realtor of the Year TARRYTOWN—The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors made history on Oct. 17. The Realtor association conducted the 100th Annual Meeting in its storied history and the membership, in a unanimous vote, approved the proposed merger with the Manhattan Association of Realtors. (MANAR) Gary Leogrande Named Realtor of the YearThe…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS–The third quarter in the four-county region of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors continued an all too familiar, albeit pleasant theme—continued strong sales volume and little price appreciation that might put the brakes on activity going forward. According to the third quarter residential real estate sales report released recently by the Hudson Gateway…
Read MoreWe have only a handful of hotel rooms. Our commerce districts are relatively small and often overlooked. However, Putnam County has a vast ecological, historical and cultural resource within commutation distance of New York City, potentially making us an ideal ecotourism destination for the millions of people to our south. Given the undeveloped nature of…
Read MoreWASHINGTON— The National Association of Realtors, through its “REALTOR Benefits Program,” has partnered with Intuit, the global leader in financial management software products, to offer exclusive savings on Intuit's signature products QuickBooks Self-Employed and TurboTax. "The addition of Intuit to the REALTOR Benefits Program allows NAR to provide our members with access and discounts to…
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Sept. 15, 2016 issued "Limited English Proficiency" (LEP) guidance that addresses how the Fair Housing Act would apply to claims of housing discrimination brought by LEP persons who do not happen to speak, read, or write English proficiently. Housing providers are therefore prohibited from using…
Read MoreBeing downsized from a corporate position with a large company does have its advantages sometimes. Just ask Ron Garafalo, an associate broker with John J. Lease Realtors in Middletown, who is celebrating his 16th year as a Realtor. “It was back in 2000 when Nestle Foods decided to reduce its workforce,” said Garafalo. “I was…
Read MoreMONROE—New York State Supreme Court Justice Gretchen Walsh has found no reason to invalidate the environmental review or the controversial approval of a 164-acre annexation of properties in the Town of Monroe to Kiryas Joel. The 94-page decision was a victory for Kiryas Joel and a setback for Orange County, eight municipalities and Preserve Hudson…
Read MoreEditor’s Note: The following is the full text version of the 2016 Third Quarter Residential Real Estate Sales Report for Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange Counties, New York released recently by the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service. WHITE PLAINS—The Hudson Gateway region’s real estate market continued its high-volume roll through the third quarter of this…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors may have a new neighbor if incentives and approvals are granted by New York State, Westchester County and the City of White Plains. Executives from The Dannon Company, Inc. unveiled plans for the possible relocation of the yogurt giant from Greenburgh to more than 100,000 square feet of…
Read MoreNew York State currently has the longest foreclosure timeline in the country, typically just under three years. If you are a homeowner in New York facing the prospect of foreclosure, this article is designed to give you a brief overview of the foreclosure process in our state. Foreclosures are judicial in New York, which means…
Read MoreYONKERS—Just months after Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano launched the “Rebuild Yonkers Schools” campaign, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sept. 30 signed the New York State legislation that will allow the City of Yonkers to start the process to repair and rebuild the school district’s 39 schools. “The governor’s signing of this act signifies our State’s and…
Read MoreYONKERS—The Yonkers Industrial Development Agency has approved incentives for four projects, including perks for AvalonBay Communities’ 609-unit multifamily development to be built on the Hudson River waterfront. The authority also approved incentives for a 74-unit apartment building to be constructed on a long-vacant “hole in the ground” on upper Warburton Avenue; a high-tech company’s build-out…
Read MoreNEWBURGH—U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney has submitted new federal legislation that would halt current, and any future United States Coast Guard proposal to expand mooring infrastructure on the Hudson River between Kingston and Yonkers. The U.S. Coast Guard is considering the adoption of a new rule that would establish new anchorage grounds for commercial vessels…
Read MoreNEW YORK—U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced on Sept. 28 that the federal government had filed a civil rights suit against longtime Westchester developer Ginsburg Development Companies of Hawthorne for alleged design failures over handicapped access at two completed rental communities in Rockland County. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District also reported that the U.S.…
Read MoreNEW CITY—Days after Rockland County Executive Ed Day announced that he was making good on a promise to foreclosure on non-residential properties with long outstanding tax bills, the owner of the property with the largest delinquency paid his obligations in full. A certified check in the amount of $81,173.32 was received by the Rockland County…
Read More