This column has discussed Airbnbs before, but there is so much more to the story. In the past I have stayed in Verona, NY for a commercial real estate conference at Turning Stone Casino and Conference Center. Staying in the casino is convenient for the meetings, but personally I never enjoy the feeling of being…
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Thousands of Realtors, including an HGAR contingent led by Legislative Committee Chair Leah Caro and President Ron Garafalo, gathered in Washington D.C. (May 13-17) to meet with their respective members of Congress in the House and Senate. Their meetings centered around the issues currently impacting the real estate industry. Among the topics discussed were mortgage…
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Last month was Fair Housing Month, and HGAR’s Fair Housing and Cultural Diversity Committee, chaired by Dorothy Botsoe and Eydie Lopez, coordinated a wonderful event to celebrate Fair Housing Month entitled “Play by the Rules or Pay the Consequences.” The speakers were Sally Santangello, the executive director of CNY Fair Housing from Central New York,…
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HGAR members, along with Realtors from across the country, are headed at press time to the annual NAR Legislative meetings in Washington DC to meet with their Congressional representatives and advocate for Realtor issues. Among the topics of discussion this year include the National Flood Insurance program. Realtors are fighting to reauthorize the program for…
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June is National Homeownership month, a time to celebrate and promote the American Dream of owning a home. Realtors know that homeownership is the best investment an individual can make to build their personal wealth, however, owning a home is not just in the best interest of the homeowner. Homeownership provides social stability, builds communities…
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The Putnam County Business Council recently welcomed representatives from the New York City Department of City Planning at the April 25th Putnam County Leadership Breakfast, held at Tilly Foster Farm in Brewster. During her presentation, Carolyn Grossman Meagher addressed several inequalities and the need for New York City to reach out to its neighboring communities…
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Members of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors will be heading to Albany on Tuesday, May 7th to present HGAR’s legislative priorities to our Senators and Assembly members. Realtors achieved a victory this year when Governor Cuomo made the property tax cap part of the budget and which caps real property taxes at 2% or…
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Hello friends. This is the time of the year to let the voice and message of all of us to be heard. I have often said that what we do is one of the most important jobs in our country. We are responsible for working with our clients in what is most likely the largest…
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FHA Mitigates Risk in Portfolio The Federal Housing Administration announced that effective for mortgages with case numbers assigned on or after March 18, 2019, the Technology Open to Approved Lenders (TOTAL) Mortgage Scorecard may flag certain mortgages submitted through the automated underwriting system (AUS) and require the lender to manually underwrite those loans. FHA is…
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Raising the bar of professionalism. Improving the ethical standards of the industry. Expanding the competency of agents. These are discussions we have heard over the years and they continue to this day with even more urgency. HGAR President Ron Garafalo has made the mission of improving the level of professionalism in the real estate industry…
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Orange County is one of the fastest-growing counties in New York State and, for more than a decade, we have been seeing a boom in economic activity. But we’ve reached a fork in the road. We must invest in our infrastructure and expand the Route 17 corridor to ensure our quality of life and economic…
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The Westchester commercial real estate market is in the midst of a significant transition in 2019. Individual buildings and large portfolios are being sold to new owners, and the availability of certain types of spaces is extremely low. Tenants need to understand today’s market dynamics and what is happening in terms of pricing to properly…
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This past week HGAR President Ron Garafalo, CID President John Barrett, HGAR Director of Professional Development and Industry Relations Theresa Hatton and I spent four days at the MIPIM conference in Cannes France. MIPIM is a French acronym that stands for Marché International des Professionnels d'Immobilier, and the conference bills itself as the "world’s leading…
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Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell gave her 8th State of The County address on March 7, 2019. It has been her mission to raise the level of professionalism of these events (she also gives a budget address annually), and she has done an amazing job. It always airs live on News Channel 12 and is…
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Hello friends. As I enter my third month as HGAR President, I want to start with a very big thank you for all the support I have received. Our HGAR staff has been simply amazing in working with me, our committees and all of our members in so many ways. They are truly the best,…
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The Natural Gas Moratorium announced by Con Edison, affecting new requests for natural gas service, will stunt growth and halt many development projects that could be coming online. For years New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has rejected construction of new natural gas pipelines across New York State. Warnings have been sounded regarding the problem…
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I’m Ann Finneran, and I am an Associate Broker with RM Farm Real Estate in Livingston Manor, NY. I was also a charter member of Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Energy (SASD), whose mission is "to promote a new standard for mindful development that is environmentally responsible, socially equitable and economically just; to inspire the residents…
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RPAC is off to a running start this year with more than 80 people attending our first event at La Fontana in White Plains. We raised more than $2,000 for RPAC at that event. Our next successful event was held at Dave and Busters where we also had a big turnout. RPAC Chairs Crystal Hawkins…
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Editor’s Note: The following is the transcript of Westchester County Executive George Latimer’s submitted testimony before the New York State Public Service Commission on Feb. 13 at the White Plains Library regarding the impending new natural gas connection moratorium to be imposed on March 15, 2019 by utility Con Edison. Good afternoon, I’m Westchester County…
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Editor’s Note: The following was the testimony given by John Ravitz, executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Business Council of Westchester, at a hearing of the New York State Public Service Commission at a hearing at the White Plains Library on Feb. 13. Good evening. My name is John Ravitz. I am…
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