According to the latest poll by the Siena Research Institute (SRI), New York State consumer home buying plans were down 7.7 percent in December from the last measurement in September 2015. Overall, New York State consumer confidence stands at 85.2, up 2.7 points. New York’s overall consumer confidence is 7.4 points below the nation’s index of 92.6. Learn more here.

According to Freddie Mac’s most recent Primary Mortgage Market Survey, mortgage rates fell back below four percent to start the year. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.97 percent, down from 3.01 percent the week prior. A year ago, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.73 percent. Click here to learn more.

Over the last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been rolling out his proposals for the upcoming legislative session and state budget. He will be delivering his State of the State address tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 12:30 p.m. in conjunction with his Executive Budget Proposal. Cuomo will focus on: new ethics legislation for elected officials; tax cuts for small businesses; increasing the minimum wage; local government consolidation; homelessness; and state infrastructure. More on this story can be found here. You can also stream tomorrow’s address here.

Negotiations over the future of the 421-a tax break for developers are improving after they stalled for months in the fall. However, some involved in the negotiations continue to express doubt that an agreement will be settled by the Jan. 15, 2016 deadline. Learn more here.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie opened the year saying his conference would push to make permanent an extension of a surcharge on New Yorkers making a million dollars or more, which passed into law in 2011. That tax plan also included cutting the state income tax rates for those earning between $20,000 and $200,000. State income tax rates with the higher surcharge on millionaires is set to expire in 2017. More on this story can be found here.

The Tuesday, Jan. 19, NYSAR Radio show will cover advertising issues. Tune in at 10 a.m. on Jan. 19 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.

Gently-used items will be sold to business meeting attendees shopping in the NYSAR Housing Opportunities Foundation's "It's New to You" couture store on Feb. 8-9 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY. Shop for men's and women's formal wear, business wear, smart casual clothing, outerwear, shoes and accessories. You still have time to donate as well - just bring items with you to the meetings! Click here for more information.

Join NYSAR and one of our newest Member Perks partners, Healthiest You, for a free webinar on Thursday, Jan. 21, at 2:30 p.m. that explains: what telemedicine is; Healthiest You's winning platform; and how you'll benefit from enrolling.As a NYSAR Member Perk, members can enroll an entire family for just $9 per month. There will also be a brief Q&A session at the end of the webinar. Click here to register today.

The GRI-1 Ethics course will be offered on Friday, Jan. 22, at the LIBOR REALTOR Service Center in Woodbury, NY. This course satisfies NAR's mandatory quadrennial ethics training requirement. You'll discover how to: put the Code of Ethics to work for you; maximize your REALTOR benefits; and enhance your professionalism and career through community involvement.

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

NYSAR’s newest Member Perks partner, Mailify, is an email marketing software application that helps you to create, send and track beautiful and effective email campaigns and newsletters. With mobile-responsive email templates specifically designed for real estate, live personal support and the best deliverability in the industry, Mailify will take your email marketing to the next level. Brokers can even setup a master account and give agents access to shared credits and templates. NYSAR members save 20 percent and your first 5,000 email credits are free with member code "NYSAR." Click here for more information.

You have until Jan. 31 to shop the NYSAR exchange for health insurance options in 2016.USI Affinity’s dedicated sales representatives will help you navigate the plan options and find the coverage that best suits your needs. Remember, you will face tax penalties if you do not obtain coverage. Also, if you miss open enrollment, you will not be able to obtain health insurance until the next open enrollment period unless you qualify for a special enrollment. Shop the NYSAR exchange at http://www.myrealtorinsurance.com/nysar or call USI Affinity’s dedicated sales representative Ned Cox at 888.834.3713 for more information. Click here to watch a recent webinar about how to best navigate open enrollment season.

The 2016 RPAC fundraising goals will be identical to the 2015 RPAC fundraising goals for the local boards. Our statewide fundraising goal will again be $778,677. In terms of participation goals, NYSAR will be eliminating the current participation goal structure and replacing it with the NAR participation goals set for the state, which have yet to be set. Once the participation goals have been set by NAR, then NYSAR will share them with the membership. In addition, beginning in 2016, for an RPAC investor to be counted toward participation totals for the local, state and national level, the minimum RPAC investment will be $15. To view 2016 fundraising goals by board, click here.

Back by popular demand, the RPAC VIP Lounge will be held at the Desmond on Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.! Take refuge from NYSAR’s hectic business meetings by visiting the RPAC Lounge, where you’ll gain access to a continental breakfast, deluxe hot lunch buffet, snacks and beverages, chair massage, manicurist, psychic readings, cable TV, computers, printer, unlimited Internet access, cell phone chargers, newspapers and more! Register online while registering for the business meetings by clicking here. For complete details on the RPAC Lounge, click here.
Cost: $250 RPAC Pledge or Investment.
Questions? Email Derick King at dking@nysar.com or call 518-463-0300 x238.