One of my favorite Putnam County restaurants, Dish Bistro in Mahopac, closed its doors last week for good, after quite a successful run across several owners. None, however, did as well as Chef Peter Milano. Peter is not a classically trained chef, but rather self-taught. He travels the world to work with talented chefs from…
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Increases in transfer tax rates, a.k.a. mansion tax, have already affected sales and sale prices of co-ops and condos in Manhattan According to an article published in the New York Times, recent sales were down 14.2% and sales price fell 8.2%. According to the article, days on market are the longest they’ve been since 2012.…
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Earlier this year, HGAR embarked upon a new strategic planning process. Our previous strategic plan was implemented in 2014 and while that plan has served us well, it was time to take stock of the organization and develop a new road map on how to move forward with the greatest possible impact to benefit the…
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Hello to all my friends at HGAR. As summer ends and fall begins, we start thinking about the beauty of the Hudson Valley. Tens of thousands will be visiting our area to view the beauty of the fall foliage, visit our farms and explore all that our region has to offer. We have many Realtor…
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After a public hearing and discussion, on Dec. 14, 2018, Westchester County enacted the Cooperative Housing Corporation Disclosure Law. The provisions of the Disclosure Law went into effect on Dec. 14, 2018. The Disclosure Law can be found in Section 700.21-a of the Westchester County Fair Housing Law. Westchester County joins the following municipalities and…
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The United States has a housing crisis. There are essentially two components to it that leaders in state capitals across the country have refused or been unable to tackle effectively. Some states are starting to get innovative in how they handle this problem. The first issue occurs where local governments refuse to build affordable housing…
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Henry Boyd, the president of the Carmel-Kent Chamber of Commerce, has weighed in on behalf of their Board of Directors with an e-mail to its membership regarding the proposed truck wash on Route 52 in Kent. The area is blighted, this project would only serve to further that stigma, and so they are strongly and…
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Health insurance is of the utmost importance to every American no matter what profession they are in. It can determine what type of care someone gets and what level of care they can afford. Realtors are independent contractors and, in most cases, cannot obtain health care through their brokerage affiliation. If the Realtor is a…
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Every August the National Association of Realtors brings together the CEOs and President Elect’s from all of the local Realtor Associations from around the country for a “Leadership Summit.” The day-and-a-half long program is packed with motivational speakers and interactive sessions. HGAR’s incoming President for 2020, Gail Fattizzi and I just returned from this year’s…
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On July 30, more than 60 business leaders and owners gathered at the Putnam County Golf Course for the 2nd annual Putnam County Business Council “Leadership Breakfast” series. The meeting began with a remembrance of the Honorable Jimmy Reitz and the start of a scholarship fund. Tompkins Mahopac Bank provided the initial spark with a…
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So far this year, RPAC has surpassed its fundraising and participation goals as compared to recent previous years. The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors has reached 74% of its participation goal. This means that so far 2,381 HGAR members have contributed to RPAC. Our participation goal—set by the National Association of Realtors—is 3,815 members. Due…
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As we enter the final weeks of summer, we can look forward to the stunningly beautiful days of fall. We so often take for granted the beauty of our region, and forget how very fortunate we are to live in an area that offers us all so much. Millions of people throughout the world travel…
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The New York State legislative session came to an end in June, and it was certainly a session like no other in recent history. With the Democrats in control of both the Senate and the Assembly, bills and initiatives that had been stuck in limbo for years were acted upon with new energy. In total,…
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Hello Friends, As we begin the second half of the year, I congratulate all of you on all the business you did in the first half of the year. It has been a very busy year. Yes, I know certain areas are busier than others. Some have price increases this year, while others are down…
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As the summer heats up, I realize it is time for me to do my annual Putnam County summer article. As I say every year, Putnam County is a great place to summer! We truly have it all—water, beaches woods, swamps, hills to hike, as well as shopping and dining! “Staycations” are popular in today’s…
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There is currently a proposal before the New York City Council (Intro 1423) that would cap Realtor’s apartment rental fees at one month’s rent. A hearing was held on the bill on June 27th at City Hall where hundreds of Realtors and real estate practitioners turned out in opposition to the bill. The cap on…
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I’m not sure how long that saying has been around, but it does resonate with me, because in order to make informed decisions, you need to know what you don’t know. For example, what services do our members value? What are they most concerned about? What keeps them up at night? What is their work/life…
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Hello friends, as we approach the beginning of summer and get close to the halfway point of 2019, I hope that all of you are having a very productive year and are taking some time to enjoy yourself as well. It has been a very busy year for me and one that has reinforced my…
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This column has discussed Airbnbs before, but there is so much more to the story. In the past I have stayed in Verona, NY for a commercial real estate conference at Turning Stone Casino and Conference Center. Staying in the casino is convenient for the meetings, but personally I never enjoy the feeling of being…
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Thousands of Realtors, including an HGAR contingent led by Legislative Committee Chair Leah Caro and President Ron Garafalo, gathered in Washington D.C. (May 13-17) to meet with their respective members of Congress in the House and Senate. Their meetings centered around the issues currently impacting the real estate industry. Among the topics discussed were mortgage…
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