Viewpoints

Real Estate In-Depth

Senate Majority Advances Housing Discrimination Legislative Package

February 8, 2021

ALBANY—The leadership of the State Senate Democratic Majority announced on Feb. 8 it will advance major legislation to continue addressing housing discrimination across New York State. The legislative package was created following two public hearings on housing discrimination that included 25 subpoenas. The package of bills is also in response to legislative suggestions outlined in…

Joe Czajka

GUEST VIEWPOINT: Homeownership—Student Debt and a Mismatch Between Supply and Demand

February 2, 2021

This week, the quarterly “Pattern for Progress Housing Update” is being released, which will provide an analysis of the residential real estate market of 2020. As many of us know, no matter what field we are in, the residential real estate market skyrocketed in 2020 as interest rates dropped and the housing inventory declined. Simultaneously…

Richard Haggerty

GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: Still Looking Great!

January 21, 2021

In 1896 Adolph Simon Ochs purchased the New York Times and developed the tag line, “All the News That’s Fit to Print,” which is still used by the paper to this day. I feel the same way about Real Estate In-Depth. For the past 25 years, under the expert stewardship of Editor John Jordan, Real…

Crystal Hawkins Syska

PRESIDENT'S CORNER: Will You Do the Work?

January 20, 2021

I open my computer to begin my very first article for Real Estate In-Depth, and in true avoidant behavior, I open up a new window and begin scanning the Internet. First is Facebook (of course) where being a peeping Tom is totally allowable and desired. Liking your friends’ pictures and making a comment on a…

Philip Weiden

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: Highlights of the Latest COVID Aid Package

January 15, 2021

A COVID rescue package has been signed into law by President Trump. The legislation included the following: One item is $4 billion for the MTA. The funding is critical to stave off cuts that the MTA claimed would be unavoidable without federal aid. If the aid was not forthcoming, MTA claimed that Metro North service…

Richard Haggerty

GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: Enough!

January 8, 2021

I’m going to make this short and sweet. Enough! Enough with the political grandstanding. Enough with the conspiracy theories. Enough with the inflammatory rhetoric that is tearing at the framework of our democratic institutions and creating baseless distrust of our electoral system—the backbone of our democracy. We need to move on to the next chapter.…

Eliezer Rodriguez

The Dangerous Impact of Intro 2047 on the Welfare Of Our Community and the Real Estate Industry

December 15, 2020

The year 2019 was a tough year for the real estate industry. Legislation was proposed to limit the fee earned by a real estate licensee to one month's rent. Fortunately, the bill lost traction for the time being. In June of 2019, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019…

Richard Haggerty

GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: 2020: From Adversity to Opportunity

December 14, 2020

As HGAR President Gail Fattizzi observes in her column for Real Estate In-Depth this month, 2020 was a year like no other. It has tested us in ways that we could not have imagined prior to the pandemic. From the complete lockdown of the Spring, to the resurgence of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which…

Philip Weiden

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: December Legislative Update

December 10, 2020

December has just about come and gone. Some progress has been made on the legislative front at the federal level. A $906-billion stimulus bill has been introduced in the Senate by a team of bipartisan lawmakers. The fate of the bill waxes and wanes each day. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insists the bill include…

Gail Fattizzi

PRESIDENT'S CORNER: What Follows a Year Like No Other?

December 10, 2020

I can’t believe that it has been a year since I stepped into the role of HGAR 2020 President, and that this is my last Real Estate In-Depth column. I suspect every past President has felt and/or said the same thing. But this truly has been a year like no other. This year has been…

Jennifer Maher

PUTNAM POSTING: Paying It Forward

December 10, 2020

For seven consecutive Small Business Saturdays, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell and I visited five to six businesses countywide to shop and promote Putnam County retail in one day. Normally we would take pics and post, doing our best to get the word out. This year was a little different. Since MaryEllen was visiting family,…

Jeff Vegh

GUEST VIEWPOINT: U.S. Department of the Treasury’s FinCEN Issues New Geographic Targeting Order

December 8, 2020

What happens when real estate is not purchased with the best of intentions? In the broadest of terms, as real estate agents and brokers, the end-goal is to make the sale, (hopefully) have the buyer and seller walk away happy as a result of the deal and collect our commissions. At what point in the…

Brian Levine

BARRISTER'S BRIEFING: Offers: Trying to Make Sense of it All

December 8, 2020

Before we begin, it is important to understand that only NAR is authorized to interpret the Code of Ethics, its applications, and its proper enforcement to Member Boards and Board Members. Professional Standard hearing panels rely on these interpretations, as well as NAR’s case interpretations in forming their decisions. No other body, state association, local…

Tracey Daniels

GUEST VIEWPOINT: Due Diligence for Coops and Condos in the Age of COVID-19

December 7, 2020

Purchasers can spend weeks, months, sometimes even years searching for that perfect place to call home. Finally, they find it—a great space, perfect location, priced within the budget. New York is a caveat emptor state—buyer beware—and before a purchaser signs a contract for the perfect home, they need to do due diligence. When buying a…

Philip Weiden

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: 2020 Election Update

December 1, 2020

2020 marked a big elective year with races on all levels across the country. There was, of course, the Presidential election, as well as Senate and House races that would ultimately decide who would be controlling each House. In addition, state legislatures across the country were also up for grabs. Control of the state legislatures…

Mike Oates

GUEST VIEWPOINT: The Hudson Valley Needs 5G Digital Infrastructure to Support its Future Success

November 24, 2020

With the coronavirus pandemic shining a bright light on the importance of online access, one fact has been made clear: the digital divide is painfully real. Online access is essential. It is the key to success in our increasingly virtual world. But it is out of reach for more than 160 million Americans—including many here…

Brian Levine

BARRISTER'S BRIEFING: Good Intentions Paving the Way to Hell: Love Letters and Escalation Clauses

November 23, 2020

The old proverb states, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” This becomes the challenge to all buyer agents acting in their client’s best interests; do the right thing, but don’t do it to such an extent to cause harm. In past years, Realtors encouraged drafting a “love letter” to the homeowner, where…

Richard Haggerty

GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: Hate Speech Has No Place in the Realtor Vocabulary

November 16, 2020

At the Board of Directors Meeting of the National Association of Realtors, Inc. this past Friday, (November 13th), the Directors overwhelming approved changes to the Realtor Code of Ethics that ban hate speech relating to any of the protected classes included in Article 10 of the Code of Ethics. The most significant change is the…

Gail Fattizzi

PRESIDENT'S CORNER: Lessons From a Year of Resilience and Perseverance

November 12, 2020

If I were to go back two years, to when I accepted the position of HGAR President-Elect, and knew then what I know now about how 2020 was going to play out, maybe I wouldn’t be sitting here today as HGAR 2020 President! But in this case, 20/20 hindsight (pun intended!) doesn’t change anything and…

Philip Weiden

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: November Election Update

November 12, 2020

The 2020 Presidential election is in the books. Former Vice President Biden is now President-elect Joseph R. Biden. History is also being made this election as Kamala Harris is the first female Vice President in U.S. history. She currently serves as U.S. Senator from California. Before that she served as the Attorney General for the…