TARRYTOWN—Danone’s US operations headquartered in Westchester County have been making national as well as local news of late that has involved a multi-billion dollar acquisition that more than doubled its size and an impending move of its corporate headquarters from Greenburgh to Downtown White Plains. Danone President, USA Yogurt Sergio Fuster detailed the latest news…
Read MoreBRONXVILLE—Citing a continuing trend in the real estate brokerage business away from provincial offices that service a few communities, the ownership of Bronxville Real Estate announced today that it will now operate as Park Sterling Realty. The firm’s rebranding is intended to convey the geographic reach of its customer base that far extends from the…
Read MoreNEW YORK—The Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a unanimous ruling found that Westchester County has failed to comply with certain requirements of the 2009 fair housing court settlement. In a scathing rebuke of the county’s long-held arguments to the contrary, the Second Circuit Court upheld previous federal district court rulings that the county had…
Read MoreRYE BROOK—Residential brokerage firm Houlihan Lawrence announced on April 25th that it entered an exclusive marketing partnership with BLADE, a private aviation startup that has been coined by some as “the Uber of Helicopters.” The partnership, which began this month, will bring prominent exposure for properties listed with Houlihan Lawrence, appearing to BLADE fliers throughout…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Westchester office market posted strong leasing activity in the first quarter and the removal of some properties from the inventory helped dramatically reduce the county’s office vacancy rate. In a recently released report on Westchester and Fairfield County’s office markets, brokerage firm Colliers International Group Inc. reported Westchester exhibited strengthening fundamentals, while neighboring…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—The Trump Administration’s decision earlier this week to impose tariffs or duties on Canadian imported lumber could have significant impacts on prospective new homebuyers as well as the U.S. economy, the National Association of Home Builders warns. Earlier this week, the Trump Administration announced it was imposing tariffs on imported Canadian lumber ranging from 3.02%…
Read MoreWestchester County is vibrant and spring always ignites a sense of urgency in the residential sales market. Buyer demand is high and sellers who have priced their homes wisely have seen them sell quickly. However, overvalued homes sit on the market for some time. The strong buyer demand, combined with low for-sale inventory, have fueled…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Multifamily development has truly taken hold in downtown districts in White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers and Mount Vernon. Private investors are now preparing plans or breaking ground on a host of major transit-oriented projects that will no doubt reshape the skylines and fortunes of Westchester’s major cities. Recently, developers and chief elected officials took…
Read MoreGOSHEN—The developer of LEGOLAND New York hopes to secure approvals for its much anticipated, but somewhat controversial, $500-million theme park here by sometime this summer, which would allow the firm to begin construction before the end of this year. Phil Royle, head of community & project relations for LEGOLAND New York, speaking before about 70…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The recent approval by the Westchester County Legislature of a planned $1.2-billion biotechnology park on mostly county-owned land in Valhalla is a clear sign that political and business leaders are counting on the biotechnology and healthcare sectors to be economic engines for the region in coming years. Earlier this month, the Westchester County Board…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Hudson Valley Realtors are overwhelmingly confident the heady times of strong sales and rising prices will continue throughout this year. However, there is also a consensus that continued declines in for-sale inventory will limit buyer options and could put a damper on buyer demand sometime in the future. First quarter home sales in the…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—After a proposal to sign a long-term lease with a private investment firm to manage and operate Westchester County Airport met with resistance from county legislators, the Public-Private Partnership initiative is moving forward after all. Westchester County issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Public-Private Partnership for the “Lease, Management Operation, Maintenance and…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Growing consumer interest and demand for greener, more sustainable properties is driving a dialogue between Realtors and homebuyers and sellers. Over half of Realtors find that consumers have interest in real estate sustainability issues and practices, according to the National Association of Realtors’ recently released “Realtors and Sustainability” report. The report, stemming from NAR’s new…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino announced recently the appointment of George Oros as the new Director of Economic Development. Phil Oliva, the Deputy Director of Communications, succeeded Oros as Chief of Staff. Both appointments were effective March 13. Oros replaced William Mooney III, who had been with the Astorino administration since 2010 and…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Statistics released by the Westchester County Clerk’s office on April 10 point to a falling market share for foreclosed and distressed properties in Westchester County. Westchester County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni reported that foreclosure filings in 2016 were down 54.8% from their all-time high in 2009 (3,123), but judgments on foreclosure actions last year…
Read MoreA Conversation with Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino WHITE PLAINS—As Westchester County enters the second quarter of 2017, the commercial and residential real estate markets are robust as businesses and new residents invest in the county. The county’s biotech and healthcare industries are driving economic growth and creating new jobs in their respective sectors, as…
Read MoreImportant Elements of The Real Estate Transaction: Real estate closings in parts of New York State do not always go as smoothly as one would like. In many other states, real estate transactions are handled primarily by the real estate agents and not the attorneys, who negotiate the offers between sellers and buyers and primarily…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS— High sales rates, a sharp decline in inventory, and an uneven pattern of price increases across the region marked 2017’s first quarter entry to the real estate market recovery of the past five years, according to the recently released “2017 First Quarter Residential Real Estate Sales Report for Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange…
Read MoreBUCHANAN—Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino is seeking permission from the Westchester County Board of Legislators to file an Article 78 proceeding to require New York State to conduct an environmental review of the impacts of the Indian Point closure deal with Entergy Corp. At press time, however, it appears the county executive may not be…
Read MoreDaily Puzzle Solver Donna Riniti, senior managing director of Coldwell Banker’s 63-person Yorktown Heights office, credits a bad experience years ago with a Texas real estate agent for prompting her to get into the real estate business. Originally from Texas, Riniti decided to sell her home on her own prior to moving to the Northeast.…
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