WHITE PLAINS—The real estate industry, except for those undertaking limited virtual business, was all but shut down by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo effective 8 p.m. Sunday, March 22 in an attempt to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus. The Executive Order issued on March 20 mandated the temporary closure of all in-office personnel…
Read MoreALBANY—New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued a revised revenue projection for the 2020-2021 state budget that estimates tax revenue will be at least $4 billion below the projections in the Executive Budget of $87.9 billion if a mild recession results from the novel coronavirus pandemic. He also offered one alternative scenario if a…
Read MoreA Lifetime of Volunteering After spending 32 years working with the New York City Housing Authority, it’s no surprise that Amanda Martinez has a knack for finding people homes. The Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty agent actually started her real estate career just two years ago in the brokerage firm’s Goshen office, but has…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Non-profit fair housing agency Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. reported on March 9 it had filed suit against the ownership and manager of the 370-unit Tor View Village Apartments in Garnerville for alleged violations of federal, state and county fair housing laws. WRO charges in its litigation that individuals with mental disabilities were the subject…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—As governments across the globe deal with the spread of the Novel Coronavirus—or COVID-19—the crisis hit home earlier this week when it was learned that an attorney from New Rochelle tested positive for the virus. On March 4, Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed reports that in addition to the 50-year-old attorney, three members of his…
Read MoreCORNWALL ON HUDSON—The Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation, the charitable arm of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, recently presented a $3,000 donation check to the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, based here. The Food Bank of the Hudson Valley is dedicated to alleviating hunger, while preventing the waste of wholesome food. It is a…
Read MoreELMSFORD—Locally-based Robert Martin Company LLC announced on Feb. 25 it had signed a 10,000-square-foot lease for a new child care center at The Elm, a new luxury rental mixed-use building located adjacent to the Saw Mill Parkway in Elmsford. The new child care center, which is expected to have its grand opening this summer, will…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—The United States homeownership rate has recently seen a rebound to 65.1% in the fourth quarter of 2019 from a low of 62.9% in the second quarter of 2016. While the increase in the overall homeownership rate is encouraging, there continues to be a significant racial homeownership gap in America that needs to be addressed.…
Read MoreBRONXVILLE—Locally-based Park Sterling Realty reports that the majority of the sales force of longtime Hastings-on-Hudson residential brokerage Peter J Riolo Real Estate, including its co-owner and president Peter J. Riolo, Jr., have joined the firm. Leah Caro, co-owner of Park Sterling Realty, states that Peter J. Riolo Jr., along with office manager Sharlene Forman and…
Read MoreTOWN OF WALLKILL—The golf course industry nationwide and in the New York metro region continues to struggle with declining memberships and revenues. A host of facilities in the Hudson Valley have turned to either outright sale or multifamily development on their course properties to increase revenues. These deals in some cases are geared to maintaining…
Read MoreNEW YORK—After being selected as the winning developer from a Request for Proposals issued by The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, Douglaston Development of New York City reports it will begin construction this year on a two-phased mixed-use project a block from the facility’s 250-acre grounds. Douglaston is entering into a 99-year lease…
Read MoreSection 1302 of the New York State Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL) has been recently amended to include a new sub-section 1302-A. The result of the revised law is to prohibit a defendant from waiving the defense that the plaintiff lacks standing to bring the foreclosure action. This prohibition extends even after the…
Read MoreALBANY– Two bills sponsored by New York State Sen. Pete Harckham (D, WF-40th District) that will study the use of tax exemptions and the burdens they cause to municipalities and taxpayers were passed on Feb. 11 by the State Senate. Both bills now await passage by the State Assembly and approval from Gov. Andrew M.…
Read MoreTARRYTOWN—The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors has re-launched its Young Professionals Network group for 2020, following a two-year hiatus. YPN, which was originally established by the National Association of Realtors in 2006, is tasked with helping the younger generation of Realtors build a stronger link with the real estate industry and expand networking and business…
Read MoreNEW ROCHELLE—Mill Creek Residential of Boca Raton, FL has acquired a little more than two acres of land that housed the former Blessed Sacrament elementary school and will develop a new eight-story 334-unit multifamily project at the site. The sale of the property was reported by commercial brokerage firm CBRE on Feb. 5, which represented…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Terming the recently released guidance by the Department of State on brokerage commissions as “misguided” and “harmful,” the New York State Association of Realtors and the Manhattan-based Real Estate Board of New York announced on Feb. 7 their intent to file suit against New York State charging that the DOS overstepped its legal authority.…
Read MoreALBANY—The New York real estate industry, particularly downstate, is reeling from guidance recently released by the Department of State that now among other changes regarding regulations on landlords and agents, prohibits a landlord’s agent from collecting a broker/fee commission from a tenant in residential rental transactions. The guidance, part of a sweeping update released by…
Read MoreNEW YORK—With the official launch of the OneKey MLS set for early spring, OneKey MLS executives took to the airwaves on Feb. 4 to promote the merits of the groundbreaking new regional multiple listing service that currently boasts more than 42,000 subscribers across the New York metropolitan area. Richard Haggerty, president and chief strategic growth…
Read MoreNEW ROCHELLE—A former student housing development redeveloped into a transitional supportive housing community has secured refinancing funding in the form of a $9-million Freddie Mac Optigo Targeted Affordable Housing loan. The refinancing deal for 21 Fountain Place was announced on Jan. 29 by CPC Mortgage Company LLC, a subsidiary of The Community Preservation Corporation, Palladium…
Read MoreYORKTOWN HEIGHTS—In what agents for the brokerage firm reportedly described as a “win-win,” select Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage real estate offices serving Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange and Dutchess counties will be merged and will be now known as the “Lower Hudson Valley Regional Office.” The company announced on Jan. 27 that signage and marketing collateral…
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