WASHINGTON—Pending home sales mounted a record comeback in May, seeing encouraging contract activity after two previous months of declines brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the National Association of Realtors. Every major region recorded an increase in month-over-month pending home sales transactions, while the South also experienced a year-over-year increase in pending transactions.…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—In a 37-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge C.J. McMahon denied a request by a group of Westchester County residential landlords to impose a temporary restraining order on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order that extended a moratorium on evictions of commercial and residential tenants due to the coronavirus pandemic until Aug. 20, 2020. The…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors and co-sponsor TitleVest recently assembled a panel of powerhouse New York City residential brokerage executives who offered candid assessments of the area’s real estate markets now and going forward and what the real estate industry must do in this time of civil unrest. The online panel discussion held…
Read MoreALBANY—The New York State Department of State announced that the new regulations for real estate professionals to help combat housing discrimination took effect on June 20, 2020. The new regulations, which the New York State Real Estate Board approved in December 2019, mandate enhanced disclosures by real estate professionals to help ensure prospective home buyers,…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Consumers now have access to a listing search portal that boasts approximately 40,000 listings from some 500 communities throughout the New York metropolitan area. Officials with OneKey MLS staged a virtual press conference on Monday, June 22 to announce that the consumer-facing MLS platform, which provides real estate professionals and their clients unprecedented access…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Existing-home sales fell in May, marking a three-month decline in sales as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the National Association of Realtors. Each of the four major regions witnessed dips in month-over-month and year-over-year sales, with the Northeast experiencing the greatest month-over-month drop at 13%. Total existing-home sales, completed transactions that include…
Read MoreNEW YORK—The first regional MLS in the New York Metro area, OneKey MLS, has announced the launch of its new consumer search website—OneKeyMLS.com. The new listing search portal offers consumers more than 40,000 listings and some 500 communities throughout the New York Metropolitan area, making it the largest selection of for sale and lease listings…
Read MoreRYE—Houlihan Lawrence announced on June 15th the appointment of Susanna Cronin as the new manager of its Rye brokerage. Cronin, who has more than two decades of experience in residential real estate, has lived in Rye for the past 25 years and has an intimate knowledge of the Sound Shore communities, company officials stated. Cronin…
Read MoreNEW YORK—The owners of Terra Holdings announced recently that brokerage firm Halstead is now part of Brown Harris Stevens. The strategic restructuring of Terra Holdings subsidiaries significantly expands the footprint and resources of Brown Harris Stevens residential brokerage. The transition will occur with a phased in approach beginning in New York City. Senior management of…
Read MoreWhile predicting continued difficult times ahead, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun and Joseph Rand, chief creative officer for Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty, agree that the national and local housing markets entered the coronavirus pandemic in March in a strong position, and will enjoy a robust rebound as it reopens in coming weeks. Yun…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Today is the day real estate brokers and agents have been anxiously waiting for since March 22 when Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued the “New York on Pause” order that virtually shut down the real estate industry and all other “non-essential” businesses in the state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this morning (June 9) that the…
Read MoreBy Mike Fratantoni and Joel Kan The extraordinary impact from COVID‐19 social distancing measures and business closings is impacting the economy and job market in unprecedented ways. While April economic data has been uniformly awful, more recent data on purchase applications indicate significant pent up demand for housing. Housing demand is strengthening as more states…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—A group of Westchester landlords who own rental properties in Elmsford, Port Chester and Yonkers filed suit on May 25 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District in White Plains against Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his extension of regulations that prohibits landlords from initiating or continuing residential evictions. The suit also contests the…
Read MoreTOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE—Developers are undertaking substantial demolition and renovation work as they move forward with the Hudson Heritage mixed-use community being developed on 156 acres on Route 9 across from Marist College. The $300-million project will include housing, a hotel and conference center, retail, a supermarket, restaurants, entertainment, and medical and office space. The site…
Read MoreRYE BROOK—National Disinfection Services announced on May 15th it is launching what it terms is a “socially minded, one-of-a-kind” residential “Certification of Disinfection” program. The program comes with the “Clean Home Certified” seal of approval—an attestation that their new home is 99.9% free of any and all disease-bearing pathogens like COVID-19. “Given the new realities…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—– The National Association of Realtors issued a report today identifying 10 housing markets with favorable conditions for Millennial homebuyers during the coronavirus pandemic. None of the major cities in the Northeast made the list. The only metro area on the East Coast to make the top 10 Millennial list was Durham, Chapel Hill, NC.…
Read MoreI would like to share my thoughts on the pain, suffering and turmoil that has gripped our region, our state and our nation since the tragic and senseless killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis during the last week. Two and a half months ago COVID-19 began its onslaught in New York, creating what can best…
Read MoreRYE BROOK—The Business Council of Westchester recently issued an extensive list of strategies and recommendations to assist the state and Westchester County in their reemergence from the coronavirus pandemic. The report released on June 1 offers recommendations from the 46 members of the BCW Westchester Economic Recovery Task Force who represent a wide range of…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced on June 1 that he had formed the Westchester County Reopening Task Force, which is charged with finding solutions to advance local businesses interests once the coronavirus crisis ends. The task force is co-chaired by Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker, a former small business owner and past president…
Read MoreALBANY—On Tuesday, May 26th, segments of the construction and manufacturing sectors of the Mid-Hudson regional economy were allowed to go back to work after being shut down under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “New York on Pause” restrictions imposed in March to prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo first announced on May 22…
Read More