Residential

WRO Seeking Donations for Upcoming Online Fundraiser

July 27, 2020

WHITE PLAINS—Donations are now being accepted for a planned online (Facebook) auction to benefit Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc., a White Plains-based non-profit organization whose mission is to promote equal, affordable and accessible housing opportunities for all residents of our region. Please help WRO prevent mortgage defaults and evictions during this difficult time. Anyone wishing to…

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NAR Looks to Drum Up Support for Rep. Maloney’s ‘First Time Homebuyer Pandemic Savings Act’

July 22, 2020

WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) introduced the “First Time Homebuyer Pandemic Savings Act” on Wednesday (July 22), a new bill that will help first-time homebuyers realize their dreams of homeownership, during and after America’s recovery from the coronavirus public health and economic crisis. Shortly after its introduction, the National Association of Realtors issued a…

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NAR: Existing-Home Sales Climb Record 20.7% in June

July 22, 2020

WASHINGTON—As states across the nation continued to reopen their economies, existing-home sales rebounded at a record pace in June, showing strong signs of a market turnaround after three straight months of sales declines caused by the ongoing pandemic. A report released today indicated that each of the four major regions achieved month-over-month growth, with the…

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Hudson Valley Unemployment Rate Rises to Record-High 12.2% in June

July 22, 2020

ALBANY—The New York State Department of Labor announced on Tuesday, July 22 that the Hudson Valley unemployment rate rose to 12.2% in June, up from the 11.1% jobless rate in May 2020 for the region. According to preliminary data, New York State’s area unemployment rate seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate increased from 14.5% in May to 15.7%…

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Westchester IDA Approves Assistance Program; OKs Incentives for Two Major Mixed-Use Projects

July 16, 2020

WHITE PLAINS—The Westchester County Industrial Development Agency at its session on July 9 approved a new financial assistance program designed to ensure the short-term viability of both small businesses and not-for-profit corporations negatively impacted by COVID-19. The program allows the IDA to provide financial assistance through the State Disaster and Emergency Loan and Grant Program.…

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NAR’s Fair Housing Policy Director Greene Tells HGAR: To Solve Racism: “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat”

July 16, 2020

WHITE PLAINS—National Association of Realtors Fair Housing Policy Director Bryan Greene said the current racial equality and COVID pandemic crises remind him of the classic motion picture— “Jaws” where actor Roy Scheider as Chief Martin Brody upon seeing the killer great white shark for the first time, says, “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat.” Greene,…

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Realtors Believe Worst of Pandemic’s Impacts are Behind Us

July 15, 2020

WHITE PLAINS—The second quarter home sales market in the Hudson Valley, dominated by restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in New York State, struggled mightily with sales activity down significantly. Second quarter home sales, according to a recently released report by OneKey™ Multiple Listing Service LLC, were down anywhere from 39.8% in the…

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Analysis: COVID-19 and Westchester County Unemployment Trends

July 13, 2020

By Eric Pierson, AICP Editor’s Note: The following analysis was originally published on the Business Council of Westchester’s Data Exchange (https://thebcw.org/data/)on July 9, 2020. As we get farther away from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge of the economic damage rendered by this disease.…

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HG Realtor Foundation Cautiously Resumes Volunteer Events

July 10, 2020

WHITE PLAINS—Stymied by COVID-19 from on-site volunteer events since mid-March, the Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation (HGRF) is carefully resuming volunteering with local charities and non-profit organizations throughout the Hudson Valley. On July 28, Realtor volunteers will join an outdoor event, sponsored by the Westchester County Parks Foundation, to clean up Twin Lakes Park in Eastchester.…

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Strong Majority of Realtors Say Market Is in Recovery Phase as Buyers Return

July 10, 2020

WASHINGTON—After enduring months of setbacks brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey from the National Association of Realtors released on Thursday, July 9 shows that more than nine in 10 of its members believe they are in the process of recovering as many states start to reopen their economies. NAR's 2020 Market Recovery…

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Hudson Valley Home Sales Take Hit from Coronavirus

July 7, 2020

WHITE PLAINS— The optimism felt by residential real estate practitioners in the first quarter of 2020 when strong sales figures in the lower Hudson Valley region, served by OneKey™ Multiple Listing Service LLC, seemed to be an indication of a robust year ahead for residential real estate sales. This optimism took an abrupt left turn…

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May Pending Home Sales Notch Record-Setting 44.3% Increase

July 1, 2020

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.…

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NYC Brokers Discuss COVID, Market Activity, ‘Black Lives Matter’

June 26, 2020

WHITE 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…

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NY State’s New Fair Housing Regulations Now in Effect

June 24, 2020

ALBANY—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,…

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OneKey MLS Consumer-Facing Site Serving Greater NY Metro Goes Live!

June 23, 2020

NEW 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…

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Existing-Home Sales Fall 9.7% in May; NAR Expects Strong Rebound in Coming Months

June 22, 2020

WASHINGTON—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…

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