MINNEAPOLIS—HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, reported on Sept. 6th it acquired The Long & Foster Companies, Inc., the largest private residential real estate company in the United States by sales volume. The acquisition includes Long & Foster’s family of companies, including Long & Foster Real Estate and its market-leading affiliated business lines…
Read MoreAs September begins and we look back at the summer of 2017, I do hope that all of you had a wonderful summer filled with good times. It was definitely a summer that generated significant real estate activity. The theme that started last year continued into this year where the market featured a significantly lower…
Read MoreEASTCHESTER—Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Westchester Properties will present its second annual “Comedy for a Cause” on October 12th at Mulino’s at Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester. Doors open at 6 p.m. All proceeds will benefit The Sunshine Kids Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping kids with cancer. In a statement, Mark Nadler, office leader of…
Read MoreA Burning Passion for Real Estate John Olivero really loves Goshen. Some 27 years ago, the former Staten Island firefighter got in his car and started driving north in search of an affordable home in a nice, quiet community. He got off at the Goshen exit and has been there ever since! Today, the broker/owner…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—The National Association of Realtors released two telling reports this month that detailed the anemic levels of home sale inventory, describing supply conditions as “pitiful” and inventory shortages in some markets as “severe.” In a report released on second quarter home sale prices, NAR stated the headstrong supply and demand imbalances in much of the…
Read MoreMIDDLETOWN—U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY-18) held a press conference at the home of recent first-time homebuyers Taylor and Justin Van Dyke on Aug. 23rd to announce he intends to re-introduce bipartisan legislation to assist first-time homebuyers save for their down payment and pay for closing costs on their initial home purchase. Rep. Maloney ‘s…
Read MorePURCHASE—More than 60 Houlihan Lawrence agents gathered for a forum on the international luxury market that featured a conversation with the brokerage firm’s president Chris Meyers, and Nick Churton, managing director of Mayfair International Realty. The two talked about trends in the international market and today’s changing demographics. The forum was held at 5 Sarosca…
Read MoreToll Brothers Project a First for I-287 Corridor HARRISON—The repurposing of outdated suburban office buildings along the I-287 corridor along what had been known as the “Platinum Mile” took a historic turn to a new crossroads on Aug. 15 when Toll Brothers Apartment Living officially broke ground on the conversion of two outdated office buildings…
Read MoreCENTRAL VALLEY—The proposal to separate the Hasidic Jewish community of Kiryas Joel from the Town of Monroe and create the new community of Palm Tree appears headed to a vote by the Orange County Legislature on Sept. 7 and perhaps a townwide referendum vote on Nov. 7. Hundreds of opponents of a petition filed by…
Read MoreHow many times per day are Realtors asked the simple question: “How’s the market,” and exactly what answer do we give to satisfy our local, inquiring minds? Is it a simple answer or does the answer depend on who’s asking the question or does it really vary from region to region? According to the National…
Read MoreHOBOKEN, NJ—Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty has entered the Hoboken, NJ residential real estate market. The firm reported recently it had acquired Riverside Realty, which is located at 209 Washington St. in Hoboken, NJ. “We received a high demand of requests from agents in Hoboken to find out when we were going to be…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Louis Budetti, principal broker of ERA Insite Realty Services, a full service, residential real estate brokerage firm, announced on Aug. 14 that Carlson Real Estate in Bronxville had merged with his White Plains-based firm. This merger will see the Carlson office on Pondfield Road and ERA Insite’s current Bronxville office at 120 Kraft Ave.…
Read MoreNYACK—Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty reported recently it had successfully raised more than $6,000 this summer to build a hurricane-resistant house for a Haitian family through its partnership with New Story, a non-profit that works to transform dangerous living environments into communities of safe, sustainable homes. One hundred percent of the funds raised by Ellis Sotheby’s…
Read MoreYONKERS— Following an extensive remodel and expansion project, real estate brokerage firm Houlihan Lawrence recently held a grand opening event for its Yonkers office. Guests including Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Houlihan Lawrence CEO Stephen Meyers and President Chris Meyers, enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The ribbon cutting ceremony at the 55 East Grassy Sprain Road…
Read MoreKnowledge Is Power: The New York State Attorney General and the three credit reporting agencies initiated changes by a settlement agreement that resulted in the birth of an entity known as the “National Consumer Assistance Plan.” This new rule changes the way public records related to civil judgments and tax liens are reported on consumer…
Read MoreWASHINGTON— After declining for three straight months, pending home sales reversed course in June as all major regions, with the exception for the Midwest, saw an increase in contract activity, according to a recently released report by the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, climbed…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Residential real estate brokerage firm Douglas Elliman announced on Aug. 1 that it entered into a contract of sale to acquire Los Angeles-based Teles Properties. Upon closing, the operations of Teles will be under the umbrella of Douglas Elliman, making Elliman the second largest non-franchise brokerage firm in the State of California. Teles partners…
Read MoreNEW ROCHELLE—As promised by RXR Realty’s Seth Pinsky at a recent meeting of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors’ Commercial Investment Division, RXR has announced it intends to develop a second major development project in Downtown New Rochelle. RXR Realty, which is building a high-rise mixed-use project at the former Loew’s Theater site in Downtown…
Read MoreGOSHEN—Could the acrimony and litigation between the Town and Village of Monroe and the orthodox Hasidic Jewish community of Kiryas Joel be coming to an end? A proposal is working its way through the Orange County Legislature that could bring a controversial proposal to legally separate what is now the Village of Kiryas Joel from…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—A seven-year battle between Westchester County and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over terms of a controversial fair housing settlement appears to be finally winding down. On July 19th, Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino announced that HUD had accepted the county’s 11th submission of an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing…
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