WHITE 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.…
Read MoreHAVERSTRAW—The Town of Haverstraw has joined a growing number of Rockland County municipalities to enact a “No-Knock” registry. The Haverstraw Town Board recently approved an amendment to its peddling and solicitor law and established a no-knock registry, according to a report in the Journal News. Town Supervisor Howard Philips told the newspaper that the amendment…
Read MoreCHICAGO—Tenant demand for U.S. office space continued to cool off in the first quarter of 2017. Brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield reports that overall occupancy levels remained stable, while rents continued to rise in most major markets. Neighboring Fairfield County, CT had the highest first quarter office vacancy rate in the nation at 23.1%, followed…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Approximately 100 real estate professionals attended a program on April 4th at the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors’ offices in White Plains that provided answers to the sometimes complex and often-times confusing regulations surrounding Section 8 housing and Source of Income legislation. The “Breakfast with Benefits” program entitled “Common Myths About Section 8 Housing”…
Read MorePersonal assistants, although typically unlicensed, can provide an enormous benefit to Brokers and Office Managers in performing necessary administrative tasks. There are instances in which a personal assistant may also be licensed as either a Salesperson or Associate Broker, and work in that capacity as well. However, those types of rare instances invoke tax and…
Read MoreNEW ROCHELLE—The Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation, together with the Women’s Council of Realtors, will present their “Runway for Hope” Fashion Show on Thursday, May 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. The event, featuring fashions courtesy of Lord & Taylor in Eastchester and modeled by HGAR…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—In what county officials say is the largest public-private partnership in Westchester County history, County Executive Robert P. Astorino and Board of Legislators Chairman Michael Kaplowitz announced the approval of the $1.2-billion Westchester Bioscience & Technology Center project on 80 acres of vacant land in Valhalla. The two county leaders staged a press conference…
Read MoreELMSFORD—The Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation’s $5,000 donation last year to the Food Bank for Westchester helped supply funding for the Elmsford-based charity’s BackPack Program, designed to help alleviate child hunger. Created in 2009, the program provides Westchester’s at-risk children with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food for weekends and school vacations. Members of the Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation…
Read MoreThere are many issues of concern to Realtors on the political horizon this year. Congress is currently absorbed considering the nomination of a Supreme Court Justice as well as the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) so, tax reform, while currently not yet at the forefront, has serious implications for Realtors. 1031 exchanges are being targeted in…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—The National Association of Realtors is urging Realtors as well as consumers to the pending expiration of the National Flood Insurance Program on Sept. 30. NAR officials warn that a possible program expiration would harm consumers and threaten the health of the residential real estate market. While NAR is working closely with federal regulators and…
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