I’ve been listening to a lot of reflections about our lives one year ago this March and what has transpired since. It was a year ago this very week that the HGAR staff went virtual and I left my office in White Plains thinking life would likely return to normal in a month or two.…
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The best edge-of-your-seat thrillers have that moment when the main character walks into a situation that, as the observer, you clearly see they are stepping into danger. If you are like me, I am yelling at the screen, “You nut job, you are about to get killed! Can’t you see that!” You know what I…
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How does a small business in a small community handle Cancel Culture? As someone who expresses opinions freely on social and traditional media, I come face-to-face with these concerns as do many community leaders. Here’s a personal story that seems pertinent. The last week in August 2020, I tested positive for COVID-19 and spent two…
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The American Rescue Plan, as it is known, has passed Congress. It is a necessary package with lots of provisions. The price tag is $1.9 trillion. The plan includes money for state and local governments, along with money for the MTA ($6.5 billion). The money for New York State and local government ($23.8 billion) is…
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The Enhanced STAR program for seniors (65+) is under attack again in the governor’s proposed budget. This could negatively impact seniors who qualify for the program. In Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal he would move new homeowners aged 65 and over to a tax credit check instead of an upfront savings on their tax bill. This…
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Famed American Bandstand host Dick Clark once clarified his multi-decade influence over the music industry. “I don’t set trends,” he offered, “I just find out what they are and exploit them.” Much the same can be said of Westchester County, where the area’s changing real estate landscape is more a reflection of emerging national and…
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I begin this article with a confession. Until the most recent advertising campaign from the National Association of REALTORS®, the “That’s Who We R” campaign, I was not a big fan of the previous NAR public image campaigns. I thought Ty Burrell did an excellent job playing the fictional character Phil Dunphy on Modern Family.…
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This devastating pandemic has resulted in so many lives lost, others negatively impacted, and businesses have taken a wallop. Landlords are struggling to fill spaces being left empty by businesses closing their doors. Each day yet another business announces that they are closing due to COVID-19. Life will go on despite the terrible heartbreak, physical…
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When I was dating my better half, we spent a lot of time at Gedney Park in Chappaqua with his three daughters, ages 12, 10 and 7 at the time. We loved getting nets and trying to catch tadpoles and water snakes and little lizards that frequent the pond, as well as racing up and…
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ALBANY—The leadership of the State Senate Democratic Majority announced on Feb. 8 it will advance major legislation to continue addressing housing discrimination across New York State. The legislative package was created following two public hearings on housing discrimination that included 25 subpoenas. The package of bills is also in response to legislative suggestions outlined in…
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This week, the quarterly “Pattern for Progress Housing Update” is being released, which will provide an analysis of the residential real estate market of 2020. As many of us know, no matter what field we are in, the residential real estate market skyrocketed in 2020 as interest rates dropped and the housing inventory declined. Simultaneously…
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In 1896 Adolph Simon Ochs purchased the New York Times and developed the tag line, “All the News That’s Fit to Print,” which is still used by the paper to this day. I feel the same way about Real Estate In-Depth. For the past 25 years, under the expert stewardship of Editor John Jordan, Real…
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I open my computer to begin my very first article for Real Estate In-Depth, and in true avoidant behavior, I open up a new window and begin scanning the Internet. First is Facebook (of course) where being a peeping Tom is totally allowable and desired. Liking your friends’ pictures and making a comment on a…
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A COVID rescue package has been signed into law by President Trump. The legislation included the following: One item is $4 billion for the MTA. The funding is critical to stave off cuts that the MTA claimed would be unavoidable without federal aid. If the aid was not forthcoming, MTA claimed that Metro North service…
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I’m going to make this short and sweet. Enough! Enough with the political grandstanding. Enough with the conspiracy theories. Enough with the inflammatory rhetoric that is tearing at the framework of our democratic institutions and creating baseless distrust of our electoral system—the backbone of our democracy. We need to move on to the next chapter.…
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The year 2019 was a tough year for the real estate industry. Legislation was proposed to limit the fee earned by a real estate licensee to one month's rent. Fortunately, the bill lost traction for the time being. In June of 2019, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019…
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As HGAR President Gail Fattizzi observes in her column for Real Estate In-Depth this month, 2020 was a year like no other. It has tested us in ways that we could not have imagined prior to the pandemic. From the complete lockdown of the Spring, to the resurgence of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which…
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December has just about come and gone. Some progress has been made on the legislative front at the federal level. A $906-billion stimulus bill has been introduced in the Senate by a team of bipartisan lawmakers. The fate of the bill waxes and wanes each day. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insists the bill include…
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I can’t believe that it has been a year since I stepped into the role of HGAR 2020 President, and that this is my last Real Estate In-Depth column. I suspect every past President has felt and/or said the same thing. But this truly has been a year like no other. This year has been…
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For seven consecutive Small Business Saturdays, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell and I visited five to six businesses countywide to shop and promote Putnam County retail in one day. Normally we would take pics and post, doing our best to get the word out. This year was a little different. Since MaryEllen was visiting family,…
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