WASHINGTON—The nation’s leading housing economists spoke last month at an economic and policy forum to appraise the state of the U.S. housing market. The event, held by the National Association of Realtors, National Association of Home Builders, and McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute, drew more than 80 attendees representing industry analysts, Congressional staff, and members…
Read MoreNEW CITY—Rockland County Executive Ed Day unveiled on April 30th the “Rockland Codes Initiative,” a sweeping effort to combat illegal housing and overcrowding in the county. The first phase of the initiative will utilize the broad powers of the Rockland County Department of Health to improve the local housing supply for all economic segments of…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors’ Board Director and civil rights and fair housing advocate Barry Kramer will receive the Pioneer of Fair Housing Award from non-profit housing services agency Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. at a dinner in his honor on Tuesday, June 30th. The awards dinner for the popular and affable Realtor will be…
Read MoreA lot has been said about keeping specific policies in place at the federal and state level to support home ownership. These policies include the soundness of the FHA, stopping a 20 % mandatory down payment requirement for first time home buyers and preserving the mortgage interest deduction There are many other policies that I…
Read MoreEASTCHESTER—Westchester Real Estate, Inc. recently celebrated the accomplishments of its top agents, along with announcing the launch of a new consumer e-newsletter, “Trending Today.” At an exclusive Awards & Networking luncheon at the Pelham Split Rock Golf Club on April 10, 2015, the elite group of top performing agents enjoyed a cocktail hour, lunch, brief…
Read MoreNEWBURGH—The RE/MAX Benchmark Realty Group participated in the 16th Annual Habitat for Humanity Walk for Housing at Washington’s Headquarters on April 26th. In conjunction with a bowling event held prior, the walk participants and fellow agents donated more than $500 towards the Walk for Housing. RE/MAX Benchmark Realty Group was also a corporate sponsor of…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s White Plains office held a grand re-opening celebration on May 7th for the completion of the renovations to its office space at 278 Mamaroneck Ave. A host of local dignitaries as well as representatives of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors attended the event.
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Vacation home sales boomed in 2014 to above their most recent peak level in 2006, while investment purchases fell for the fourth straight year, according to an annual survey of residential homebuyers released on April 1 by the National Association of Realtors. NAR’s 2015 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey, covering existing- and new-home transactions…
Read MoreNYACK—Wright Bros. Real Estate Inc., a locally-based real estate brokerage firm serving Rockland County and the lower Hudson Valley, has been selected for membership in the Chicago-based Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. It was announced on May 1 that Wright Bros. had joined Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a global network…
Read MoreMOUNT VERNON– MacQuesten Development LLC and New York State Homes and Community Renewal held a groundbreaking ceremony late last month on a new $31.5-million mixed-use Transit-Oriented Development for downtown Mount Vernon. The Modern, to be built on an underutilized former industrial area, will include 80 affordable rental apartments and approximately 9,400 square feet of commercial,…
Read MoreALBANY—The New York State Legislature passed a $142-billion budget on-time budget on March 30 that includes some controversial education reform, campaign finance reform, as well as enhanced infrastructure spending thanks to $5.4-billion in bank court settlement revenue. For the real estate industry, Gov. Cuomo earmarked some of the one-time bank funds for financing of the…
Read MoreWHAT’S NEW FOR HGAR EDUCATION IN 2015? AFTER HOURS PROGRAM Complete Your Required 22.5 Hours Of Continuing Education In The Evenings.8 Evening Sessions, including the required 3 hours of Fair Housing for only…..$199.00/Members $269.00/Non-Members (pre-registration required) Goshen – May 2015 -6:00pm-9:15pm 5/5/15-Distressed Market Guide; 5/7/15-Fair Housing; 5/12/15-NAR Ethics; 5/14/15-Short Sale Solutions; 5/19/15-Real Estate Auctions 101; 5/21/15-Communication Skills;…
Read MoreCommunications and Member Services Director of Communications Mary Prenon provided the report from the Communications Council, advising that a new HGAR Member Perks Program has been launched. Enrollment is free and the program provides access to exclusive offers and discounts from popular merchants. Approximately 400 people have already signed up. Prenon further advised that the…
Read MoreSpring is in full spring! Whatever does that mean? One sure sign of spring is that golfers are returning to the links. So why not examine the Westchester County real estate market using a golf analogy? But first, a little background. The fourth quarter of 2014, as well as 2014 as a whole, showed strong…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS– ERA Insite Realty Services in White Plains represented both the seller and purchaser of a multi-unit townhouse development close to downtown White Plains that recently closed, the company reported recently. The property sold for $2.5 million. The seller, Chris Suriano, was represented by Michael D’Onofrio and Louis Budetti, and the buyer, 24 Gatehouse…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS— Keller Williams associates will be taking the day off on Thursday, May 14, 2015, but it will hardly be a day of rest. Associates have chosen to “Give Where They Live” as part of RED Day, the company’s annual day of service, dedicated to renewing, energizing, and donating to their local communities. As…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Pending home sales in February increased to their highest level since June 2013 as sizeable gains in the Midwest and West offset smaller declines in the Northeast and South, the National Association of Realtors announced on March 30. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 3.1% to 106.9 in…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Existing-home sales increased modestly in February, but constrained inventory levels pushed price growth to its fastest pace in a year, the National Association of Realtors reported on March 23. Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 1.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.88 million…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—For the second year in a row, a harsh winter that featured significant snow, extreme cold and on many days biting winds kept many prospective homebuyers bundled up next to the fireplace and away from Realtor Open Houses. Despite the long winter of 2014-2015, homes sales in the four-county region of the Hudson Gateway…
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