WHITE PLAINS—In his first appearance before the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors’ Commercial Investment Division, Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas gave an ambitious, but at the same time pragmatic view of the City of Mount Vernon’s future. The mayor spoke before a gathering of approximately 75 CID members and guests at the HGAR offices in…
Read MorePEARL RIVER—A report commissioned by the Rockland Business Association and authored by Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress blames a myriad of issues, including public service salaries, for Rockland County’s high tax burden. The Newburgh-based research and policy organization in a report entitled “A Crushing Burden: Why is Rockland County So Heavily Taxed?” blames high public…
Read MoreKaren Mayo of Exit Realty in Elmsford and Gwen Weiss-Numeroff of Keller Williams Hudson Valley Realty in New City have more in common than just selling real estate—they have both authored books about staying healthy and living a long life. A Realtor since 2013, Mayo worked in banking and mortgage financing with firms like Wells…
Read MoreA Conversation with County Executive MaryEllen Odell CARMEL—Putnam County’s continued push to foster economic development and tourism continued in 2016 with a host of ambitious initiatives, including the continued improvements at the county-owned Putnam County Golf Course, the redevelopment of the storied Tilly Foster Farm and an initiative with the City of Danbury that could…
Read MoreAs you all may know, the real estate market in our area has become strong again within the past few years. We also know that this is primarily due to "supply and demand," coupled with historically low mortgage rates. The low interest rates are motivating many buyers to get out and buy before there is an increase in…
Read MorePutnam County is quietly positioned between Dutchess County to the north and Westchester County to the south; bordered by the Hudson River to the west, and Connecticut’s Fairfield County to the east. Nestled in the heart of the Hudson Valley, and just sixty-miles north of Manhattan, Putnam County is the perfect place to live, work…
Read MoreCARMEL—On Tuesday, September 13th, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell and Dr. James M. Ryan, District Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer, Putnam | Northern Westchester BOCES, officially opened the new Tilly Foster Educational Institute with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Attendees of the event were taken on a tour of the facility’s state of the art test…
Read MoreBREWSTER—For years officials with Laborers Local No. 60 of Hawthorne had to be creative when trying to secure space to train its membership, using other trade union facilities and sometimes even vacant parking lots for classrooms and field training. That was until they found a home in Putman County. Real Estate In-Depth visited Laborers Local…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Shortly after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that would impose fines of up to $7,500 on hosts of rental housing portal Airbnb that break state and local housing regulations, Airbnb filed a federal lawsuit on Friday Oct. 21 to overturn the legislation. According to a report in the New York Times, Airbnb contends in…
Read MoreCARMEL—This year has been a cause for celebration for The Putnam Economic Development Corp., which launched operations 20 years. In addition, the organization charged with business attraction and retention has launched “The Year of Business Development in Putnam County.” Under the leadership of its president Jill Varricchio the PEDC has embarked on promoting the county’s…
Read MoreHomeownership and property rights are the pillars of our industry and by showing support for those two ideals, through contributions to RPAC, we have protected and empowered our members so they can be the best at what they do. Undoubtedly, our primary goal as an association is to ensure that our members continue to grow…
Read MoreOn Monday, October 17th, the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, Inc. conducted its Annual Member Day and celebrated its 100th Anniversary at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown. The day included informative sessions which focused on topics like Google products and memory retention, as well as an ethics class taught by HGAR’s Director of Legal Affairs,…
Read MoreLAS VEGAS, NV—At its annual convention in Las Vegas last month, The Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS), the professional trade organization that serves the Multiple Listings Services industry across North America, elected new officers and directors for 2017. Gary Connolly, Director, Multiple Listing Service & Information Systems for HGMLS was appointed by the CMLS…
Read MoreGary Leogrande Named Realtor of the Year TARRYTOWN—The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors made history on Oct. 17. The Realtor association conducted the 100th Annual Meeting in its storied history and the membership, in a unanimous vote, approved the proposed merger with the Manhattan Association of Realtors. (MANAR) Gary Leogrande Named Realtor of the YearThe…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS–The third quarter in the four-county region of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors continued an all too familiar, albeit pleasant theme—continued strong sales volume and little price appreciation that might put the brakes on activity going forward. According to the third quarter residential real estate sales report released recently by the Hudson Gateway…
Read MoreWe have only a handful of hotel rooms. Our commerce districts are relatively small and often overlooked. However, Putnam County has a vast ecological, historical and cultural resource within commutation distance of New York City, potentially making us an ideal ecotourism destination for the millions of people to our south. Given the undeveloped nature of…
Read MoreWASHINGTON— The National Association of Realtors, through its “REALTOR Benefits Program,” has partnered with Intuit, the global leader in financial management software products, to offer exclusive savings on Intuit's signature products QuickBooks Self-Employed and TurboTax. "The addition of Intuit to the REALTOR Benefits Program allows NAR to provide our members with access and discounts to…
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Sept. 15, 2016 issued "Limited English Proficiency" (LEP) guidance that addresses how the Fair Housing Act would apply to claims of housing discrimination brought by LEP persons who do not happen to speak, read, or write English proficiently. Housing providers are therefore prohibited from using…
Read MoreBeing downsized from a corporate position with a large company does have its advantages sometimes. Just ask Ron Garafalo, an associate broker with John J. Lease Realtors in Middletown, who is celebrating his 16th year as a Realtor. “It was back in 2000 when Nestle Foods decided to reduce its workforce,” said Garafalo. “I was…
Read MoreMONROE—New York State Supreme Court Justice Gretchen Walsh has found no reason to invalidate the environmental review or the controversial approval of a 164-acre annexation of properties in the Town of Monroe to Kiryas Joel. The 94-page decision was a victory for Kiryas Joel and a setback for Orange County, eight municipalities and Preserve Hudson…
Read More