News

Pattern for Progress Report Cites Factors For Rockland’s ‘Crushing’ Tax Burden

October 26, 2016

PEARL 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…

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Realtors Author Books on Keys to Healthy Living and Long Life

October 26, 2016

Karen 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…

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Striving to Improve the County’s Fiscal Outlook and Quality of Life

October 25, 2016

A 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…

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Tourism Opportunities Abound in Putnam County

October 24, 2016

Putnam 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…

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Classes Begin at Tilly Foster Educational Institute in Carmel

October 24, 2016

CARMEL—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…

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Trades Union Buys Putnam County Property for Training Center

October 24, 2016

BREWSTER—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…

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Airbnb Sues NY State Over NY Law Regulating NYC Rentals

October 24, 2016

NEW 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…

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PEDC Celebrates 20th Anniversary and Year of Business Development

October 20, 2016

CARMEL—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…

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PRESIDENT’S CORNER: Always Committed to Protecting the Consumer

October 20, 2016

Homeownership 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…

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GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: Celebrating 100 Years and Beyond….

October 20, 2016

On 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,…

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HGAR’s Connolly Named to Board Of National MLS Trade Organization

October 20, 2016

LAS 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…

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HGAR Approves Merger With Manhattan Association of Realtors

October 20, 2016

Gary 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…

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Hudson Valley Home Market Continues Healthy Sales Gains

October 20, 2016

WHITE 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…

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PUTNAM POSTING: Can Ecotourism Boost Putnam County’s Economy?

October 20, 2016

We 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…

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NAR Members Can Save On QuickBooks Products

October 18, 2016

WASHINGTON— 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…

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BARRISTER'S BRIEFING: HUD Releases New Guidance on Fair Housing Protections

October 17, 2016

The 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…

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Ron Garafalo - Downsizing Brings Opportunities

October 17, 2016

Being 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…

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State Court Ruling Backs Kiryas Joel’s Annexation

October 12, 2016

MONROE—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…

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Home Sales Volume Continues to Climb in Hudson Valley

October 11, 2016

Editor’s Note: The following is the full text version of the 2016 Third Quarter Residential Real Estate Sales Report for Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange Counties, New York released recently by the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service. WHITE PLAINS—The Hudson Gateway region’s real estate market continued its high-volume roll through the third quarter of this…

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