2018 is a celebratory year in the history of the fair housing movement. It marks the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act. The act banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the renting, buying, and selling of all types of housing. Passage of the act, which was signed into…
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Most of us remember the Great Recession of 2007-2012 and, more specifically, the crippling financial crisis of 2007-2008. One of the largest—if not the largest—contributors to this event was the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis. During this time, we experienced “a perfect storm” of falling real estate values, tightening mortgage lending practices, and the evaporation of…
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A new section of the New York State real property law went into effect on Nov. 29, 2017. Real Property Law §235-bb addresses new lease requirements for 1-3 family properties. The language of lease agreements for a 1-3 family property now requires the owner to include in every lease entered into after 11/27/2017 conspicuous notice…
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For many years now we’ve been hearing a lot of buzz in the Realtor Association and MLS world about consolidation. We’ve certainly been in the lead on this issue in the lower Hudson Valley, with the Westchester County Board merging with the Putnam County Association in 2009, and the Westchester-Putnam merger with the Orange County…
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Co-op boards have had unlimited timeframes in which to give an answer of acceptance or rejection to prospective purchasers. That may now end in Rockland County. A new bill, if it becomes law, will mandate that a co-op board must accept or reject an applicant in 45 days or less from the time that they…
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As a long-time advocate for legislation that would improve transparency in co-op transactions, I am pleased that progress is being made. After several years serving as Vice Chair of the NYSAR Co-op Working Group under the excellent leadership of Chair Barbara Ford, I am honored to now serve as Chair along with Long Island’s Liz…
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Today’s political climate is so full of partisan rage that many pundits seem to have lost their ability to evaluate clearly. The tax reform recently passed by Congress is a perfect example. The varying opinions out there seem to say it’s the worst or the best. That seemed rather far-fetched, so since I am not…
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Governor Andrew Cuomo in his State of the State address and in his budget address earlier this month called for a new payroll tax system to be implemented in New York. In his remarks, he unveiled two proposals. One was to completely eliminate the income tax with a payroll tax so that an employer could…
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New York State is facing a budget deficit in the upcoming fiscal year. The budget is due by April 1st and faces a potential shortfall of $4 billion. Both political parties will point to the other as the culprit and both parties likely have valid points on why the state finds itself in this position.…
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Last year in my December column I wrote about diversity. I also included this sentence in my introductory paragraph. “In the 50-plus years since Dr. King’s assassination we have certainly made progress in improving race relations and creating economic opportunities for all of our citizens, regardless of race or ethnicity. However, all we have to…
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The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce board members have been bringing to the forefront key issues for nearly 10 years. We recently put together a County Planning task force to drill down and implement those issues. Here are some highlights of our efforts: County Chamber Planning: Meetings will be held with the County Executive, Planning…
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Real estate brokers and agents have to comply with the federal law known colloquially as RESPA, which stands for the “Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.” This law restricts real estate licensees from receiving anything of value in exchange for the referral of settlement service business. Appraisers, real estate licensees and title companies are just a…
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Happy New Year! I would like to thank the members of HGAR for their confidence in electing me as their 2018 President. It’s quite an honor and privilege to serve such a great association. I have some big footsteps to follow. My predecessor Dorothy Botsoe did an awesome job and had us all drinking tea…
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Now that federal “tax reform” has passed and been signed into law, it remains to be seen how the provisions of the bill will affect home values and taxes in the State of New York. It is an opportunity for New York State government to reimagine the way government works and functions. Several initiatives could…
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I entitled my December column last year, “Blink of an Eye,” and it certainly does feel like the years go by more and more quickly. However, I must confess that from a political stand point, it seems like about four years of politics were jammed into 2017 instead of just one. In many respects it’s…
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"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." Walt Disney It’s here, December, which means January will be knocking on our doors shortly. And 2017 was a year filled with the courage to accept change and make some new moves. From our Grand Gala top of the year kick-off,…
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In 2010, New York Gov. David Paterson signed “Amanda's Law,” which went into effect on February 22 of that year. The law is named for 16-year-old Amanda Hansen of West Seneca, NY, who died in early 2009 due to a carbon monoxide leak from a defective boiler while she was sleeping at the home of…
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On Small Business Saturday, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell and I conducted our fifth annual tour of Putnam County small businesses. Stores were filled with great selections, beaming with community pride and the kind of service only small town retail can provide. We visited flower shops, gift shops, boutiques, liquor stores and more. It’s amazing…
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Depending on your outlook, New York City government either has a spending problem or a revenue problem. In the last four years the New York City budget has gone from around $72.7 billion to approximately $86 billion. A good economy has caused revenues to the city government to surge, but a downturn in the economy…
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There are new Department of State regulations that went into effect on Oct. 1, 2017 and will expire Oct. 1, 2022 concerning cease and desist zones in parts of the Bronx and Queens counties. The DOS determined that these new rules were warranted to prevent what were perceived by the public to be intense, repeated…
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