RPAC has had a very successful year under Chair Crystal Hawkins Syska. The Realtors Political Action Committee held several training sessions throughout the year facilitated by David Severance, president of New Door Leadership, who came up with innovative strategies on how to improve our RPAC outreach and meet our RPAC goal. Currently we have raised…
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NAHREP, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, held a signature event at the Putnam County Golf Course on November 8. With more than 200 attendees, the evening was a huge success. According to its website, “Nosotros somos the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals—We are The Voice for Hispanic Real Estate and…
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A bill (S.3060E) to amend the New York City Administrative Code has been introduced by New York State Senator Julia Salazar for the third year in a row. The bill, known as the “New York State Small Home Anti-Speculation Act,” is in reality, an onerous transfer tax. Commonly known as a flip tax bill it…
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It’s no secret that real estate interests in this area have taken it on the chin for the last couple of years. It started with the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions (SALT) and escalated this year with the expansion of the rent control laws in New York State and the increases in…
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Happy October! As we head into the month of October, let’s not forget the important lessons of September. I am guessing that you are thinking to yourself “what important lessons?” Maybe it’s that as Realtors we should always work in the most ethical and professional manner. How about we shouldn’t allow access to homes to…
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The so-called “just-cause” eviction bill (S.2892A) sponsored by New York State Senator Julia Salazar in the last legislative session is going to come up again in 2020 with the new session. This bill will be something we all must fight to either defeat or to significantly amend. The Senator is noble in her goals. She…
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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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