WASHINGTON— In the era of COVID-19, the value of homes seems to have some immunity to the virus. The overwhelming majority of the nation’s metro areas enjoyed home price increases in the second quarter of 2020, according to the latest quarterly report by the National Association of Realtors released today. Median single-family home prices rose…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors’ 104th Annual Meeting & Member Appreciation Day will be like none other in the association’s history. The October gathering, which normally draws more than 1,200 Realtors and related professionals to the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown, will be held virtually this year, via Zoom webinar, for safety concerns as…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Foreign buyers purchased $74 billion worth of U.S. existing homes from April 2019 through March 2020, a 5% decrease from the previous 12-month period and the second consecutive annual decline in foreign investment in U.S. residential real estate, according to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors. Foreign buyers purchased 154,000 properties, down…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Corcoran Group, LLC announced recently the launch of its newest affiliate, Corcoran Country Living, which is based in the Hudson Valley. The announcement was made virtually by Pamela Liebman, president and CEO of The Corcoran Group. This is the sixth Corcoran affiliate to launch in the U.S. since the start of the year, and…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Fort Schuyler House, Inc., MDG Design + Construction, LLC, Smith & Henzy Advisory Group, Inc., Concord Management of New York, and partners recently celebrated the completion of the $52.7-million revitalization and refinancing of Fort Schuyler House, an affordable senior housing development in the Bronx. The project preserves the affordability of Fort Schuyler House’s 138…
Read MoreALBANY—The fallout from an investigation late last year by Newsday that uncovered housing discrimination practices on Long Island has led to new harsh regulations imposed by New York State, including possible suspension or revocation of a Realtor’s license if found to have violated the state’s Human Rights Law. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Aug. 3 signed…
Read MoreNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the National Governors Association are pressing Congress to include billions of dollars in financial assistance to state governments as part of the next COVID-19 aid package currently being debated in Washington, D.C. Gov. Cuomo in a letter to the New York Congressional delegation said that New York State is…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Donations are now being accepted for a planned online (Facebook) auction to benefit Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc., a White Plains-based non-profit organization whose mission is to promote equal, affordable and accessible housing opportunities for all residents of our region. Please help WRO prevent mortgage defaults and evictions during this difficult time. Anyone wishing to…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) introduced the “First Time Homebuyer Pandemic Savings Act” on Wednesday (July 22), a new bill that will help first-time homebuyers realize their dreams of homeownership, during and after America’s recovery from the coronavirus public health and economic crisis. Shortly after its introduction, the National Association of Realtors issued a…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—As states across the nation continued to reopen their economies, existing-home sales rebounded at a record pace in June, showing strong signs of a market turnaround after three straight months of sales declines caused by the ongoing pandemic. A report released today indicated that each of the four major regions achieved month-over-month growth, with the…
Read MoreNEW YORK— Tishman Speyer President and CEO Rob Speyer announced on July 20 that the firm has hired Gary Rodney to help establish and manage a new affordable housing platform that will initially focus on the New York City region. Rodney will help Tishman Speyer source opportunities to acquire, redevelop and engage in ground-up construction…
Read MoreALBANY—The New York State Department of Labor announced on Tuesday, July 22 that the Hudson Valley unemployment rate rose to 12.2% in June, up from the 11.1% jobless rate in May 2020 for the region. According to preliminary data, New York State’s area unemployment rate seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate increased from 14.5% in May to 15.7%…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Westchester County Industrial Development Agency at its session on July 9 approved a new financial assistance program designed to ensure the short-term viability of both small businesses and not-for-profit corporations negatively impacted by COVID-19. The program allows the IDA to provide financial assistance through the State Disaster and Emergency Loan and Grant Program.…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—National Association of Realtors Fair Housing Policy Director Bryan Greene said the current racial equality and COVID pandemic crises remind him of the classic motion picture— “Jaws” where actor Roy Scheider as Chief Martin Brody upon seeing the killer great white shark for the first time, says, “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat.” Greene,…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The second quarter home sales market in the Hudson Valley, dominated by restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in New York State, struggled mightily with sales activity down significantly. Second quarter home sales, according to a recently released report by OneKey™ Multiple Listing Service LLC, were down anywhere from 39.8% in the…
Read MoreBy Eric Pierson, AICP Editor’s Note: The following analysis was originally published on the Business Council of Westchester’s Data Exchange (https://thebcw.org/data/)on July 9, 2020. As we get farther away from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge of the economic damage rendered by this disease.…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Stymied by COVID-19 from on-site volunteer events since mid-March, the Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation (HGRF) is carefully resuming volunteering with local charities and non-profit organizations throughout the Hudson Valley. On July 28, Realtor volunteers will join an outdoor event, sponsored by the Westchester County Parks Foundation, to clean up Twin Lakes Park in Eastchester.…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—After enduring months of setbacks brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey from the National Association of Realtors released on Thursday, July 9 shows that more than nine in 10 of its members believe they are in the process of recovering as many states start to reopen their economies. NAR's 2020 Market Recovery…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS— The optimism felt by residential real estate practitioners in the first quarter of 2020 when strong sales figures in the lower Hudson Valley region, served by OneKey™ Multiple Listing Service LLC, seemed to be an indication of a robust year ahead for residential real estate sales. This optimism took an abrupt left turn…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Pending home sales mounted a record comeback in May, seeing encouraging contract activity after two previous months of declines brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the National Association of Realtors. Every major region recorded an increase in month-over-month pending home sales transactions, while the South also experienced a year-over-year increase in pending transactions.…
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