GATEWAY PERSPECTIVES: Forging Relationships

In February of this year I wrote about our discussions with the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island to create a regional MLS covering New York City and the greater suburban area. I’m happy to report that those discussions continue to move forward in a very positive direction. I’m also very pleased to advise that on April 12th at our Goshen office, the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service, Inc. and the Sullivan County Multiple Listing Service, Inc. finalized an agreement to combine the two MLSs, expanding the HGMLS coverage to five counties in the Hudson Valley.

The discussions with SCMLS were ongoing for many months and I want to applaud SCMLS President Rosie DeCristofaro and SCBOR AE Mary Bakalis for being such engaged partners in these discussions. SCMLS currently has approximately 200 agents in 58 primary participating offices, and a listing inventory of more than 1,400 active listings. It’s anticipated that the integration of the Sullivan County office/agent and listing information will be fully integrated into the HGMLS system by the end of June. HGMLS has evolved over the years by a successful joining of forces of several MLS’s. This growth has enabled all participants and subscribers to access a widening market area to the benefit of the customers and clients we serve as well as the cost savings from having only to join a single MLS.

Prior to driving over to Goshen on April 12th, I participated in a very exciting program, which HGAR co-sponsored with the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. (HVEDC) called “Hudson Valley Visionaries: The Future of Commercial Real Estate.” More than 300 attendees congregated at the Nelly Goletti Theatre at Marist College in Poughkeepsie to listen to the combined wisdom of a star-studded panel that included Seth Pinsky, Executive VP, RXR Realty; Robert Weisz, CEO, RPW Group; Sarah Jones-Maturo, President, RM Friedland; Luiz Aragon, Development Commissioner, City of New Rochelle; Tim Smith, Regional Vice President, Crown Castle Fiber; Anthony Gioffre III, Partner and Chair of Land Use, Zoning & Development Group, Cuddy & Feder LLP and Frank Cuevas, VP, Real Estate Strategy & Operations, IBM.

As I participated in the program it occurred to me how beneficial it is for HGAR to have such strong relationships with individuals like Larry Gottlieb, the President and CEO of the HVEDC (who did all of the heavy lifting for the event), Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the Westchester Business Council, and Maureen Halahan, President and CEO of the Orange County Partnership, who were all in attendance at the event. These individuals and the organizations they represent truly make a difference in the economic viability of our region and I value their leadership, wisdom and friendship.

As I indicated in my remarks at the event, as like-minded organizations, we cannot afford to be individual islands advocating for our separate interests. Instead we must forge relationships and partnerships to collectively advocate for ideas and shared interests that will benefit all of us. Whether it is forging relationships with our fellow Realtors on Long Island or in Sullivan County, or with other business organizations, rewards that accrue from these relationships make us all stronger.

Richard Haggerty
HGAR CEO