The Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery Operations is holding open house forums around New York City to let homeowners affected by Sandy learn about mold removal, FEMA money and the new flood maps. The Staten Island forum will be held on Saturday, March 16, from 12 to 6 p.m. at New Dorp High School at 465 New Dorp Lane. Future forums will be held on the South Shore of Staten Island and the Far Rockaway section of Queens.

Click here to learn more. For more information about housing recovery, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/housingrecov.

According to the latest poll by the Siena Research Institute (SRI), New York State consumer home buying plans were up 0.4 points to 4.8 percent in February. Overall consumer confidence also increased.

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The deadline for applications to NYSREEF's Next Generation Scholarship is this Friday, March 15. Please encourage your college-aged relatives to apply by Friday at 5 p.m.!

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NYSAR is actively working on the below legislation in the New York State Legislature:

· Restrictions on Property Owners Use of Apartments (A.3033 - Wright). To view NYSAR's memorandum in opposition, click here.

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By a vote of 95-40, the state Assembly approved a moratorium on hydrofracking in New York State until May 2015. Also last week, by a vote of 101-44, the Assembly approved a bill raising the state's minimum wage to $9 per hour from its current $7.25 level, and indexing future increases to automatically rise with the rate of inflation.

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The Tuesday, March 19, NYSAR Radio show will cover agency issues, specifically related to seller's agents. Tune in at 10 a.m. on March 19 by using the player on the NYSAR Radio page or click here to listen on your Apple computer. You will need to be logged in to listen. If you have not yet created your account with the website, you will need to click on "New User" on the Member Login page and follow the prompts.

Click here  for more information as well as a list of links to play NYSAR Radio from any of your mobile devices.

NYSAR has partnered with local boards and associations to offer RI402 - Real Estate Issues - Not Knowing Can Be Dangerous - in 14 locations around New York State in 2013. Each class will be free to members who register for another REALTOR Institute course, a $225 value. This is a limited-time offer for currently scheduled classes only, while space is available. Call 800-239-4332 to register today.

REALTOR Institute 408 - "e-PRO Day One" - will be offered March 20 at the Buffalo Niagara Association of REALTORS in Amherst, NY. This new addition to the GRI program covers day one of the two-day e-PRO certification (day two is completed online - additional fee applies). In this program, you'll focus on the changing market, creating an online presence and managing your online reputation.

Click here for more information or to register.

The Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) course will be offered March 21-22 at the Long Island REALTOR Service Center in Woodbury, NY. This course helps you develop the business-building skills and resources for specialization in the senior real estate market by: expanding your knowledge of how life stages impact real estate choices; connecting you to a network of resources; and fostering empathy.

Click here for more information or to register.

CRS206 - Technologies to Advance Your Business - will be offered March 21-22 at the Greater Binghamton Association of REALTORS in Johnson City, NY. This course will teach you to analyze your technology to meet the expectations of today's consumer.

TransUnion SmartMove is an easy, comprehensive and reliable web-based tenant background check offering access to a full credit report, criminal report, customized leasing recommendations and suggested deposit amount to request at lease signing. The trusted brand's process is all online and you pay only when you use it with no set-up, minimum or annual fees. Click here to learn more.

Access affordable, exclusive voluntary products including accident, disability, cancer, critical illness, term-life and universal life insurance from Allstate. You can select the plans you need or bundle them together to enhance your coverage. This plan can be used as a supplement to the major medical plan or on its own.

To learn more or get a customized quote, call 888-834-3713 x18626 or visit www.MyRealtorInsurance.com/NYSAR.

The March RPAC silent auction item is the Sharper Image Travel Charging Kit. The kit allows you to charge up to three electronic devices at once including iPads, iPhones, including iPhone 5, iPods, smartphones, laptops, e-readers, MP3 players and more. The RPAC monthly auction items will now be open for a two-week period instead of the full four weeks. As a result, bidding on the March auction item closes Wednesday, March 20.

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Congratulations to HGAR for raising $20,000 for RPAC during a broker luncheon atop the Ritz Carlton in White Plains last week. The intimate event drew the area's top producing brokers for an informational session on the power of RPAC, including guest speaker NAR Political Director Karl Eckhart. Thank you to HGAR leadership, including President Katheryn DeClerck, RPAC Chair Adam DiFrancesco, NYSAR President-elect JP Endres Fein and the approximately 50 attendees for generously investing in RPAC.