The “zombies” of issues left to be decided are poised to walk the halls again this coming legislative year. With the added specter of a presidential election year, the 2024 New York State Legislative Session will play out while some State Representatives fight in primary elections, providing a backdrop for a legislative session where there…
Read MoreIt is disheartening, but this column yet again has to address the very real threats that cyber-attacks and ransomware incidents pose to industries, including the real estate industry, and individuals. Recently there has been a wave of serious cyber and ransomware attacks against well-known companies, such as Rapattoni, one of the largest national companies providing…
Read MoreBy now you may have seen the headlines and heard the outrage and opinions being formed regarding the National Association of Realtors and the allegations and controversy relating to sexual harassment and hostile workplace environments. I don’t work for NAR, so I will not address any of the NAR allegations, but because I work for…
Read MoreThe Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors regrets to inform its membership of the tragic passing of real estate veteran, HGAR member, association executive and attorney Don Cummins III on Friday, Sept. 1 at the age of 54. Cummins was previously the Team Leader at Keller Williams Realty Partners of Baldwin Place and formerly served as…
Read MoreOver the years, this column has reviewed various court decisions issued by New York courts on the doctrine of “Caveat Emptor” or “Buyer Beware,” which have usually been decided in favor of the seller. Two recent court cases, Striplin v. AC&E Home Inspection Corp. [see https://bit.ly/45kseul] and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Schepisi [see https://bit.ly/3Kxpf9W],…
Read MoreAs the Professional Standards Administrator for HGAR, I often speak about the Code of Ethics (COE) and filing complaints. I thought I would use this month’s article to go over the process of filing a complaint and what happens. Before You File Before you file a complaint, we encourage you to reach out to the…
Read MoreThe dust has settled and we find ourselves standing on the brink of success? As you know, the 2023 legislative session was exciting, but unproductive. Passing about half the number of bills as they did the year before, the 2023 session will be remembered for having a budget that was a month late, a housing…
Read MoreIn June, both the New York State Assembly and Senate approved passage of the Limited Liability Company Transparency Act [see https://bit.ly/3JMhqNu] (the “LLC Transparency Act” or “New York’s Act”). The bill is awaiting signature by Gov. Kathy Hochul and would go into effect 365 days after it is signed. The legislature’s stated purpose of the…
Read MoreThe warmth of the summer is creeping in and it’s time to put your toes in the sand and relax; unless you’re a Realtor. For Realtors, it’s the busy season, but you know this already. So, after you have finished showing all those properties, completed your prospecting, followed up on your phone calls, listed and…
Read MoreWith much debate during the State Budget Fight, the State Legislature seemed ready to jog out the rest of the Legislative Session with infighting, no movement on the housing crisis and a lot still left to be done. What started as a lion of a legislative session, centered around a newly-elected governor and a plan…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence (AI) is certainly the new “new frontier” filled with all the promise and all the dangers that customarily accompany any new journey into uncharted territory or newly introduced technology. AI has taken front stage in our daily lives, and it is only the beginning. There are a multitude of articles and news stories…
Read MoreChatGPT, Chatsonic, BingChat, YouChat. No, these are not social media sites where you chat about your favorite recipes or movies. These are artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot sites where a person can enter a query and have a response generated by the computer, culling information from the vastness of the Internet. The results are human-like e-mails,…
Read MoreThe Banking Crisis, Commercial Real Estate, the Debt Ceiling, Fears of Recession In January and February, the stock market had rebounded nicely from a difficult 2022, and while interest rates remained at elevated levels, they were off of the highs reached in November. Both the stock market and real estate market seemed to stabilize somewhat…
Read MoreMost Realtors think that all the articles of the Code of Ethics apply in all situations. If you thought this, you’d be wrong. In New York State, there are two specific provisions of the Code of Ethics that do not apply. Because of the recent uptick in calls and e-mails regarding them, I thought it…
Read MoreVarious state and federal court decisions have been issued recently impacting the real estate industry. At the federal level, two important decisions have been issued relating to antitrust lawsuits involving the payment of real estate commissions and the Department of Justice’s investigation initiated in 2019 into the National Association of Realtors’ Clear Cooperation Policy and…
Read MoreAll New York state real estate Salespersons or Associate Brokers must place their licenses with a brokerage in order to conduct business. While you may not be an employee, the brokerage is required to monitor and supervise your activities. If a licensee violates the Department of State (DOS) rules and regulations relating to real estate…
Read MoreStone Soup—For those that haven’t heard this story, it’s about hungry travelers who say they are going to boil a big stone in a pot of water to make soup for everyone. While they say it’s delicious, they also say that it needs a little bit of garnish, which is missing, to improve the flavor.…
Read MoreOn Jan. 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission issued a proposed rule (see https://bit.ly/3T5ixuM] (“Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” or NPRM), that would ban employers from imposing non-compete clauses and agreements on employees. The public comment period for the NPRM ends on April 19, 2023. The rule’s genesis stems from an Executive Order issued by President…
Read MoreIt is an absolute pleasure to be writing this column. Not only is this the first time a Government Affairs Director has provided a column in many months, but also, this is my first opportunity to introduce myself to the HGAR membership. On top of that, we are weeks away from Lobby Day! My name…
Read MoreIn early 2023, it is clear that cryptocurrency, blockchain technology and the metaverse are on track for a significant recovery. In 2020 and 2021, increased interest in blockchain technology and significant investment in cryptocurrency and the metaverse became a major focal point for companies and investors alike. Throughout 2022, however, we witnessed what has been…
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