Home purchase sentiment reached an all-time survey high in July, an indication that Americans are feeling more upbeat about the housing market, according to Fannie Mae. The share of consumers who said they would buy if they were going to move climbed to 67 percent, while the share of consumers who said they would rent dropped to 26 percent, an all-time survey low. Click here to learn more.

Syracuse, NY has ranked in the top five affordable major housing markets in the country in the second quarter of 2016, according to the most recent National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). On the national level, solid home price appreciation more than offset a modest reduction in mortgage interest rates to push housing affordability lower in the second quarter. Click here to learn more.

According to Bankrate.com, New York State had the second highest average closing costs in the nation at $2,560. The survey did not include title insurance, transfer tax, mortgage recording tax, or other government taxes or fees, which drive closing costs higher. High closing costs are the main hurdle for many first-time buyers in New York, which is why NYSAR has proposed the NY First Home program. The program would create a new savings account to help first-time buyers save to cover these costs. To find more information and support increased homebuying in New York, visit nyfirsthome.com.

The Bronx-Manhattan North Association of REALTORS (BMNAR) stepped forward to partner with the Bronx Community Board 9, supporting its efforts with a series of Smart Growth Action Grants from the REALTOR Party. With two successive Smart Growth Action Grants, BMNAR was able to hire independent project managers to initiate a community-based plan from the Department of City Planning towards allowing mixed-use development and affordable housing in the community. More on this story can be found here.

The state Legislature will hold three hearings on water quality and contamination. They will be held Aug. 30 in Hoosick Falls, Sept. 7 in Albany and Sept. 12 in Smithtown. More details on these hearings can be found here.

Today’s NYSAR Radio show will cover common real estate-related environmental issues. 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. Find more information as well as a list of links to play NYSAR Radio from any of your mobile devices here.

NYSAR is looking for participants for a Habitat for Humanity build in Suffolk County. The volunteer dates are Aug. 30, 31, and Sept. 1, from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day. Breakfast and lunch will be provided on-site. Volunteer spots are limited to 15 people per day. Click here for more details and instructions on how to sign up.

The Pricing Strategies: Mastering the CMA course will be offered Sept. 1 at the Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS in White Plains, NY. This course is designed to help residential real estate agents and brokers enhance their skills in providing clients property pricing guidance, creating CMAs, working with appraisers, and educating clients on potential misconceptions about home values. 

Register online today or call 800-239-4432 x219. Click here for more information.

The New York State Association of REALTORSwill hold its annual Fall Business Meetings Sept. 25-28 at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY. You won’t want to miss the opening day keynote speaker, Jeff Slutsky, founder of Street Fighter Marketing, give clever, shrewd and low-cost marketing tactics that get proven results on the local level. General Session keynote speaker Mark Sanborn, president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., will share the exciting opportunities that await you when you pursue your own potential. NYSAR encourages all members to participate as many of the sessions do not require official committee service. Watch a video about what you can expect from the Fall Business Meetings here.

For more information or to register for the meetings, click here.

NYSAR Member Perks partner Taradel is an approved affiliate of the U.S. Postal Service’s Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM®) program. Through this partnership, NYSAR members receive a five-percent discount to design, target, print and mail marketing pieces to every address in a specific zip code or carrier route. Forget buying mailing lists and printing labels, get started with Every Door Direct Mail® today. Click here to access the exclusive NYSAR EDDM® member portal.

NYSAR’s newest Member Perks partner, UBS Financial Services, helps you reduce your taxable income and save for retirement with Independent 401(k) plans. Designed with the flexibility to decide whether to contribute and how much on an annual basis, you have the ability to borrow against your own retirement savings both tax-free and penalty-fee. Through NYSAR’s partnership, you’ll pay a minimal annual fee of only $25 for your account. Visit the Retirement page of NYSAR.com or contact Christopher Michelsen, financial advisor at UBS Financial Services, at 212-626-8515 for more details and to enroll now. Click here to view a recent webinar on tax and retirement planning for REALTORS.

The August RPAC auction item is an Amazon Tap – a compact, portable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled speaker that gives you rich, full-range sound. Just tap the microphone button and ask for music, hear news, search for information, order a pizza and more with the Alexa voice service. Visit the RPAC Facebook group to place a bid or contact Derick King at dking@nysar.com or 518-463-0300 x238. Bidding will be open until the close of business on Friday, Aug. 26.

Congratulations to the Hudson Gateway REALTORS on another successful RPAC event. They raised $1,700 during a Rockland Boulders minor league baseball game. Thank you HGAR for all your support of RPAC. It was a great time!

Thank you to the St. Lawrence Board of REALTORS for hosting New York’s second RPAC Phone-A-Friend phone bank last week. The effort resulted in $150 in new RPAC investments through direct phone calls to members! Thank you to the volunteer callers and to those who invested in RPAC.