Viewpoints

Richard Haggerty

GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: HGAR Travels to Cannes, France For ‘World’s Leading Property Market’

March 19, 2019

This past week HGAR President Ron Garafalo, CID President John Barrett, HGAR Director of Professional Development and Industry Relations Theresa Hatton and I spent four days at the MIPIM conference in Cannes France. MIPIM is a French acronym that stands for Marché International des Professionnels d'Immobilier, and the conference bills itself as the "world’s leading…

Jennifer Maher

PUTNAM POSTING: State of the County Recap: Making Smart Choices for Putnam

March 19, 2019

Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell gave her 8th State of The County address on March 7, 2019. It has been her mission to raise the level of professionalism of these events (she also gives a budget address annually), and she has done an amazing job. It always airs live on News Channel 12 and is…

Ron Garafalo

PRESIDENT'S CORNER: April is Fair Housing Month

March 18, 2019

Hello friends. As I enter my third month as HGAR President, I want to start with a very big thank you for all the support I have received. Our HGAR staff has been simply amazing in working with me, our committees and all of our members in so many ways. They are truly the best,…

Philip Weiden

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: Natural Gas Moratorium Not Unexpected

March 13, 2019

The Natural Gas Moratorium announced by Con Edison, affecting new requests for natural gas service, will stunt growth and halt many development projects that could be coming online. For years New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has rejected construction of new natural gas pipelines across New York State. Warnings have been sounded regarding the problem…

Letter to the Editor

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Different Perspective on Natural Gas Moratorium

March 13, 2019

I’m Ann Finneran, and I am an Associate Broker with RM Farm Real Estate in Livingston Manor, NY. I was also a charter member of Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Energy (SASD), whose mission is "to promote a new standard for mindful development that is environmentally responsible, socially equitable and economically just; to inspire the residents…

Philip Weiden

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: RPAC is Off to a Running Start

March 13, 2019

RPAC is off to a running start this year with more than 80 people attending our first event at La Fontana in White Plains. We raised more than $2,000 for RPAC at that event. Our next successful event was held at Dave and Busters where we also had a big turnout. RPAC Chairs Crystal Hawkins…

George Latimer

GUEST VIEWPOINT: County Executive Requests Gas Moratorium Delayed Until August

February 21, 2019

Editor’s Note: The following is the transcript of Westchester County Executive George Latimer’s submitted testimony before the New York State Public Service Commission on Feb. 13 at the White Plains Library regarding the impending new natural gas connection moratorium to be imposed on March 15, 2019 by utility Con Edison. Good afternoon, I’m Westchester County…

John Ravitz

GUEST VIEWPOINT: Natural Gas Supply Crisis Poses Threat to Region’s Economic Health

February 19, 2019

Editor’s Note: The following was the testimony given by John Ravitz, executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Business Council of Westchester, at a hearing of the New York State Public Service Commission at a hearing at the White Plains Library on Feb. 13. Good evening. My name is John Ravitz. I am…

Richard Haggerty

GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: Dark Clouds Can Lead to New Opportunities

February 19, 2019

2018 was a solid year for real estate in the lower Hudson Valley. However, as the year progressed, we did experience slowly declining sales numbers. Whether this had to do with prospective purchasers having concerns about the SALT deduction limits is probably too early to tell, and we should have a better feel when we…

Ron Garafalo

PRESIDENT'S CORNER: Raise the Bar, Commit to Excellence

February 19, 2019

Happy February to all my HGAR friends. As we make our way through winter in the Hudson Valley, I know that spring will be here soon. Yes, there is always something to look forward to and there are always reasons to be positive. Spring brings us the busiest time of the year in real estate.…

Jennifer Maher

PUTNAM POSTING: Analyzing Two Significant State Issues

February 13, 2019

In his first state of the state since Democrats took control of both the State Assembly and Senate. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is quickly implementing his vision. Legislation that was stalled in a Republican-controlled State Senate now is likely to pass and the governor is obviously aware of that fact. Two specific proposals that stand out…

Philip Weiden

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: February Legislative Update

February 13, 2019

The New York State budget is facing a sudden major shortfall because of changes due to the cap at $10,000 on state and local taxes (SALT), according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It is the biggest drop in income tax collections in many years. This could be one of the effects of the federal tax reform…

Philip Weiden

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: NAR Releases 2019 Legislative Agenda

February 6, 2019

The National Association of Realtors’ 2019 legislative agenda has been released. The industry has big goals ahead for 2019 with a new Congress that took power amid a month-long partial government shutdown. Some of the key NAR legislative agenda items are below. I will cover more agenda items in my column for the February print…

Richard Haggerty

GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: Handling Curve Balls

January 21, 2019

One of the challenges of engaging in legislative and regulatory advocacy on behalf of the real estate industry is dealing with the unexpected curve ball that seems to come out of nowhere. You try swinging at it and the ball floats right underneath your bat. John Jordan writes about such a curve ball on the…

Philip Weiden

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: NAR Helps Secure FEMA Reversal On New Flood Policies During the Shutdown

January 12, 2019

WASHINGTON—In a critical win for home sales while the partial shutdown of the federal government is ongoing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will issue and renew flood insurance policies, reversing an unexpected and controversial ruling the agency released late last month. "FEMA and the administration deserve credit for hearing our concerns and acting swiftly to…

Ron Garafalo

PRESIDENT'S CORNER: Please Get Involved With HGAR!

January 11, 2019

Happy New Year to all of my friends at HGAR. I am truly honored to serve as your 2019 HGAR President. I want to thank our immediate Past President Barry Kramer for the exceptional job he did in 2018, as well as all of the members of the Board of Directors for their hard work…

Jennifer Maher

PUTNAM POSTING: Distillery Project Moves Forward in Carmel

January 7, 2019

It’s official: the Gleneida Distillery NY Inc. project will be a $44-million asset to the Town of Carmel, Putnam County and the Hudson Valley region. After extensive review and a well-attended and thorough public hearings, the Carmel Planning Board approved the project to be built on the former Guideposts grounds. After construction is completed by…

Richard Haggerty

GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: Tenacity Can Pay Dividends

December 19, 2018

I rarely look back at previous Articles that I have written for Real Estate In-Depth. December is one of the few times when I make an exception. As the year comes to a close, I like to revisit what was on my mind the previous year, and in reading my article from last year it…

Barry Kramer

PRESIDENT'S CORNER: A Look Back on a Very Productive 2018

December 17, 2018

It’s been an honor to serve as your 2018 President. These past 12 months have been very busy and productive, and I’m proud of what’s been accomplished under my tenure. I’d like to review a few of the highlights. Our Installation Gala in January was a smashing success, and I’m sure it was the first…

Jennifer Maher

PUTNAM POSTING: Who Says You Can’t Shop Putnam County?

December 10, 2018

We gave this tired old saying a run for our money on “Small Business Saturday.” Thanks to American Express and their promotion of the event, our local press, including radio and TV seemed to give Small Business Saturday as much or more coverage than Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Reports from our local businesses all…