Pending home sales in March continued their recent
momentum, rising for the third straight month and remaining at their highest
level since June 2013, according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR).
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking
indicator based on contract signings in March, climbed 1.1 percent to 108.6
from an upward revision of 107.4 in February. The index has now increased
year-over-year for seven consecutive months. The Northeast fell 1.5 percent to
80.2, but is still 0.6 percent above a year ago. To read the entire NAR press
release, click here.
The
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will hold a 60-minute webinar on Tuesday,
May 26, at 2 p.m. to answer frequently asked questions about the TILA RESPA
Integrated Disclosure rule. This fifth and final in the planned series of
webinars will address specific questions related to rule interpretation and
implementation challenges that have been raised by creditors, mortgage brokers,
settlement agents, software developers, and other stakeholders. Click here to
register today.
The
National Association of REALTORS’ REALTOR Magazine is seeking
nominations for the 2015 Good Neighbor Awards. The program recognizes REALTORS
whose extraordinary commitment to community service has helped make their
communities better places to live. Five winners will receive a $10,000 grant
for their community cause and travel to the 2015 REALTORS Conference and Expo
in San Diego. Five honorable mentions will receive $2,500 grants. Entries must
be received by Friday, May 15.
Click here to learn more.
Two special elections will be held today in parts of New
York City to fill two vacancies. Voters on Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn
will go to the polls today to determine who will represent them in Washington.
Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan (R) is facing former State
Senator and current New York City Councilman Vincent Gentile (D) in the race
for 11th Congressional District seat.
In Brooklyn, the 43rd Assembly District seat
vacated by Assemblyman Karim Camara, who resigned to work in Gov. Andrew
Cuomo’s administration, will be filled after today’s election. Democrat and
district leader Shirley Patterson is supported by Borough President Eric Adams.
Patterson will face Diana Richardson, who is supported by the Working Families
Party and formerly worked for Senator Kevin Parker. Other candidates in the
race include Geoffrey Davis and Republican Menachem Raitport.
The State Fire Prevention and Building
Code Council is meeting on May 15 to vote on pending building and construction
code requirements for New York State. These proposed regulations may
contain language requiring the installation of fire sprinkler systems in all
new one- and two-family homes as well as townhomes. NYSAR believes
education, transparency and consumer choice is the appropriate action versus
another state mandate on purchasers of new homes in New York State. Take
action and tell Gov. Andrew Cuomo and your state legislators that you oppose
this mandate by clicking here.
NYSAR also launched a media campaign including a
radio commercial, newspaper ads and a website in opposition to this mandate on
Monday, February 2. A link to the radio commercial and more information
including fire sprinkler facts and poll results can be found at www.stopalbanymandates.com.
NAR
is hosting a Town Hall webcast on Wednesday, May 6, at 2 p.m. for any members
who plan on attending the NAR Mid-Year Meetings in Washington D.C. next week.
NAR’s Chief Lobbyist Jerry Giovaniello and staff will highlight the
issues REALTORS will be presenting to their Congressional Representatives as
well as field questions from participants on the webcast. To participate in the
Town Hall, sign up here. If you can’t make it to
the webcast that day, you can watch the entire program at www.realtor.org/hillvisitmaterials by
May 8.
Today’s
NYSAR Radio show will take a look at recent court and New York State Department
of State decisions. Tune in at 10 a.m. this morning on your PC or Mac by using the player on the NYSAR Radio page. 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.
You
still have time to register for Thursday’s "Intro to RPR: From Desktop to
Smartphone" webinar at 2:30 p.m. In this free webinar, you’ll learn how top
agents use RPR as their all-in-one data and information source to build their
business and impress clients. You'll also learn how to use RPR Mobile on your
Android or iPhone to instantly view properties, create, customize, save, and
send reports with your added photos, audio, and text notes. Click here to
register now!
The
Military Relocation Professional (MRP) core course will be offered on May 7 at
the Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS in Rochester, NY. Help current
and former military service members find housing solutions that best suit their
needs and make the best use of their available benefits.
Register online today or call NYSAR at
800-239-4432 x219. Click here for more information.
The
Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) course will be offered May 7-8 at the
Elmira-Corning Regional Board of REALTORS in Corning, NY. Elevate your
standards, enhance your performance, and demonstrate the knowledge and skills
essential to professionally and ethically represent sellers.
Register online today or call NYSAR at
800-239-4432 x219. Click here for more information.
Join former IRS trainer and best-selling author Sandy Botkin for a free webinar on
May 14, and learn how you can give yourself that raise by keeping more of what
you earn! The webinar will also include an overview of the Taxbot mobile app,
which NYSAR members receive a 50-percent discount on. Click here to register
today.
NYSAR’s exclusive partner for
errors and omissions insurance, Pearl Insurance offers you comprehensive and
affordable coverage customized to fit your needs. Their program, underwritten
by XL Insurance, includes innovative features such as: deductible reduction;
open house coverage; environmental failure to advise; innocent partner
protection; and public relations advisory services.
The
April RPAC auction winner is Randy Kaplan, government affairs director for the
Long Island Board of REALTORS. Thank you Randy for submitting the high
bid of $500 for the pair of New York Yankees tickets for this Saturday’s game
against the Baltimore Orioles. Thank you Randy for all you do to help build
RPAC and for your consistent support at the President’s Club ($500-$999) level
for many years. The May auction item will be announced later this week.
Local
boards across the state have been busy hosting local RPAC events this spring!
Already, local boards have raised more than $10,000 for RPAC through local
board events alone. From March Madness to Cooking for RPAC, wine tastings,
painting for RPAC and casual mixers, REALTORS have come out to support RPAC in
their communities. To view the calendar of RPAC events to be held across the
state over the next several weeks, click here.
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