The number of closed home sales in New York State during January dipped by 10.7 percent compared to January 2014, according to the housing market report released by the New York State Association of REALTORS. The statewide median sales price posted a 2.1-percent gain and pending sales jumped nearly 3 percent compared to a year ago. 

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Slightly lower interest rates and home prices in markets across the country contributed to a slight increase in nationwide housing affordability in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI).Syracuse, NY claimed the title of the nation’s most affordable major housing market, as 92.8 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the fourth quarter of 2014 were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $67,700. 

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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.

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The FAA has begun the rule making process to address the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles, otherwise known as drones. The proposed rule would allow the commercial use of drones in a variety of situations including real estate photography. The rule governs machines weighing 55 pounds or less. Some of the restrictions placed on operators include: daylight flights only; line of sight operations only; flights limited to an altitude of 500 feet; and operator certification by the FAA. The proposed rule does not require the operator to obtain a pilot's license.

The FAA asked for 60 days of public comment on its proposal for commercial drones, but industry experts expect the analysis of comments could take 18 months or longer before the rules are completed. For more information and updates on this issue, click here.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has outlined significant reforms to New York State’s ethics laws and rules. The reforms are included in the 30-day amendments to the 2015-16 Executive Budget. These 30-day amendment proposals build on the other ethics reforms already included in the governor’s Executive Budget, which include limits on campaign contributions, the authorization of a new public financing system for elections, and the closing of the LLC loophole.

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio are set to launch a coordinated crackdown on landlords accused of trying to harass tenants from their rent-stabilized apartments. Schneiderman and de Blasio announced on Thursday an aggressive new effort to go after property owners who use illegal tactics to force out tenants paying lower rent.

The Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force will take particular aim at landlords that use harassment to force current occupants to vacate their apartments in order to fetch higher rents or convert rent-regulated buildings to luxury condominiums. The joint task force will confront the rise in complaints that landlords are using a variety of tactics, including disruptive and dangerous renovation and construction projects, to force tenants into vacating rent-regulated apartments.

Join NYSAR for a free, informative update on current real estate-related legal issues this Thursday, February 26, at 2:30 p.m., presented by NYSAR Director of Legal Services Anthony Gatto, Esq. Topics to be covered include: broker rebates; unauthorized practice of law; lead paint; arms-length transactions; and recent court and DOS decisions pertaining to commissions, fair housing and escrow. Click here to register today.

The Tuesday, March 3, NYSAR Radio show will cover the topic of lead paint disclosure. Tune in at 10 a.m. on March 3 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.

The NYSAR Housing Opportunities Foundation raised nearly $3,000 during the "It’s New to You" couture store fundraiser held in conjunction with the Mid-Winter Business Meetings at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY. Gently-used items were sold to business meeting attendees during the two-day event including men's and women's formal wear, business wear, smart casual clothing, outerwear, shoes and accessories. Proceeds from the fundraiser go directly to the foundation’s first-time homebuyer grant program. Click here for more information about the foundation.

Operate your business without the risk of claims, fines and lawsuits with the GRI-4 Legal course, offered March 3 at the Mahopac Library in Mahopac, NY. Gain a complete understanding of: advertising that is legal and ethical; contracts, forms, deposits, disclosures and record retention; risk management strategies; and title insurance and settlement procedures.  

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

The Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) course will be offered March 5-6 at the Buffalo Niagara Association of REALTORS in Amherst, NY. This course helps you develop the business-building skills and resources for specialization in the senior market by: expanding your knowledge of how life stages impact real estate choices; connecting you to a network of resources; and fostering empathy. 

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

NYSAR's partnership with UPS gives you access to exclusive shipping discounts – up to 30 percent! Enroll today to start saving on every package you send. Visit http://www.savewithups.com/nysaror call 800-325-7000 to enroll.

NYSAR's compliance partner, PossibleNOW, makes Do-Not-Call compliance easy. With DNCQuickcheck you can instantly verify phone numbers, access compliance training, generate reports for safe harbor defense assistance and much more. Individual accounts pay just $10/month (a 50-percent savings) or cover unlimited agents in one office for $100/month. To subscribe, visit www1.dncquickcheck.com or call 800.585.4888 and use member code SC1477NY.

RPAC of New York unveiled the official RPAC flask during the recent NYSAR business meetings, which generated $1,500 for RPAC though sale proceeds. To purchase your RPAC flask today for a $50 RPAC investment, please complete the order form and return to NYSAR’s Political Affairs Coordinator Derick King via fax at 518-462-5474 or email at dking@nysar.com.

Once again, NYSAR is offering the RPAC of New York Major Investor Installment Plan. The plan gives members the option to spread their RPAC investments over a course of months to achieve Major Investor status ($1,000+) by the end of the fundraising year in December. How the program works: members pledge to become an RPAC Major Investor, provide NYSAR with their credit card information, select five months to spread out their payments and NYSAR will charge their card over five monthly installments. Click here to enroll in the RPAC Major Investor Installment Plan today.

In addition to the Major Investor Installment Plan, RPAC of New York is thrilled to announce the "Pay As You Go Major Investor Pledge" program. This new program allows Major Investors to pledge their RPAC support at the Major Investor level and to pay incrementally throughout the year. This may be accomplished by attending state and/or local RPAC events or by investing in RPAC whenever financially convenient during the year. This program gives Major Investors the flexibility to pay as they go and will also assist staff in maintaining an accurate list of Major Investors across the state, ensuring all are on track to fulfilling their pledges by the close of the fundraising year. To pledge your Major Investment through the Pay As You Go Major Investor Pledge, click here.