On Thursday, March 31, 2011 Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the nomination of Cesar A. Perales for New York State secretary of state. Perales will also serve as a senior advisor for policy to the governor.

The Department of State handles the licensing and regulation of the real estate profession through its Division of Licensing. The secretary of state oversees and maintains the process businesses undergo in order to legally conduct business in New York State.

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New York State February 2011 home sales decreased by 3.1 percent from February 2010, while also falling below January's total, according to preliminary single-family sales data accumulated by the New York State Association of REALTORS. The statewide median sales prices continued to trend upward.

New York REALTORS sold 4,020 existing single-family homes in New York State during February 2011, a 3.1-percent decrease compared to the February 2010 sales total of 4,149, and 12-percent behind January's 4,538 total.

The February 2011 statewide median sales price of $245,000 represents an increase of 13.4 percent compared to the February 2010 median of $225,000, while posting an 8.9-percent increase from December 2010.

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According to the latest poll by the Siena Research Institute (SRI), New York State consumer home buying plans increased 0.4 points to 4.4 percent in March. Overall, New York State consumer confidence decreased 0.1 points, while the nation's confidence decreased 10 points. At 67.6, New York's overall consumer confidence is 0.1 points above the nation's confidence level of 67.5.

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NYSAR Radio will air its fifth show, "Current legal issues and trends," on Tuesday, April 12, at its new time from 10-11 a.m. The Internet-based, live call-in show is an extension of NYSAR's widely used free Legal Hotline and will be hosted by NYSAR Director of Legal Services S. Anthony Gatto, Esq. During the show, members can call and ask their real estate-related legal questions. The ultimate goal of the show is to assist the member making the call and to educate all listening members.

For more information about NYSAR Radio, please click here.

On Thursday, April 21, 2011, at 2:30 p.m. NYSAR will be hosting the quarterly legal webinar titled, "Agency: Substantive Contact and the Use of the Disclosure Form." Presented by NYSAR Director of Legal Services Anthony Gatto, Esq., this free, informative webinar will cover will explore what constitutes "substantive contact" and various exceptions that have evolved over the years. The webinar will also review when to use the agency disclosure form when "substantive contact" occurs. The webinar will conclude with a brief Q & A session.

Click here for more information and to register.