Consumers have a fairly optimistic 12-month outlook on housing at the end of the summer home-buying season, according to Fannie Mae Chief Economist Doug Duncan. The optimism is buoyed by confidence in the job market and more favorable expectations regarding their personal finances compared to a year ago. Click here to learn more.

NYSAR has introduced an updated informational flyer for new homeowners following recent changes to the state’s STAR Program. The flyer includes eligibility for the program, how to enroll, and where to contact the New York State Department of Tax and Finance. REALTOR members are encouraged to share the document with their clients. A link to the flyer can be found here.

On Wednesday, Sept. 7, the New York State Legislature held its second water quality hearing. For more than five hours, a panel of officials from the New York State Department of Health and Environmental Conservation and their commissioners were the topic of criticism and questioning from state lawmakers. A third and final hearing was scheduled for yesterday, Sept. 12, on Long Island. Read the full story here.

Last week, the Cuomo Administration issued a press release indicating it will be introducing legislation requiring the EPA to test all public water systems, even those serving less than 10,000 people, in addition to the mandatory testing of private wells. Under his proposal, Gov. Cuomo said the state would require testing of private wells upon the sale of homes or when a new home is built. The same standards would apply to landlords that own homes using private wells. NYSAR staff will be meeting with the governor’s office next week to outline concerns with mandatory well testing tied to the real estate transaction. More on this story here.

On Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Bob Bellafiore and Steven Greenberg, two of Capital Tonight’s "insiders" and political consultants, will address the Legislative Policy Forum during NYSAR’s Fall Business Meetings at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino. The pair will assess the state of the political landscape at the national level and here in New York State. They will discuss the most unique presidential race in our lifetimes, future control of the United States Senate and House, and closer to home, the elected officials in New York State and New York City.

The Tuesday, Sept. 20, NYSAR Radio show will cover common commission issues. Tune in at 10 a.m. on Sept. 20 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 here.

New York State Association of REALTORS member Susan Gruen Helsinger from Merrick, NY was named a finalist for the National Association of REALTORS’ Good Neighbor Awards! The public can vote for their favorite of the 10 Good Neighbor finalists. The finalist who gets the most votes - the Web Choice Winner - will take home an additional $1,000 donation.Help Susan get the recognition she deserves for her good works, and help her win a grant to advance her efforts. Voting is open until Sept. 26. Click here to vote today!

The Pricing Strategies: Mastering the CMA (PSA) course will be offered Sept. 20 at the Otsego-Delaware Board of REALTOR in Oneonta, 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.

RPR Mobile delivers RPR’s vast repository of property information and tools anytime, anyplace, to any iPhone or Android phone. Use your phone’s location to instantly view any property nearby, or search for properties to find listing, sales, valuation, assessment, deed, foreclosure, school, photos, maps, and market trend information. Create, customize, view, save, and send RPR reports with your added photos, audio, and text notes. Download it today at the App Store or Google Play. Join NYSAR for this comprehensive review webinar of all the powerful features of this great REALTOR-only tool! Click here to register today.

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. NYSAR encourages all members to participate as many of the sessions do not require official committee service. Watch a video featuring NYSAR President Linda Lugo explaining why this set of meetings will be better than ever here. 

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

One out of every four adults will have their identity stolen – are you next? According to NYSAR Member Perks partner IdentityForce, a leader in identity protection, identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States and can happen at anytime, anywhere and to anyone. Knowing this, NYSAR has negotiated a special discounted rate to provide you with a proven solution to safeguard your personal information. Don’t wait to fall victim to identity theft, let IdentityForce start protecting you today! Visit www.identityforce.com/nysar for more information and 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.

The September RPAC auction item is a Coach OTL Signature J Small Kelsey bag in black. 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 Thursday, September 22.

Test your trivia knowledge while raising funds to support RPAC during the RPAC Trivia Night on Monday, Sept. 26, from 7:30-11 p.m. at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY. In addition to the trivia tournament, there will be live and silent auctions, a selection of your favorite hot pub foods, and a cash bar. Tickets are $50 and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Register online to attend NYSAR’s Fall Business Meetings and the RPAC Trivia Night today. Or, simply download, complete and return the registration form to NYSAR via fax at 518-462-5474. Questions? Contact Derick King at dking@nysar.com or 518-463-0300 x238. Click here to watch a promotional video.

Once again NYSAR will be featuring live and silent auction items as part of the RPAC Trivia Night fundraiser via our talented auctioneer, Matt Arnold. If local boards or individual members would like to donate auction items, please contact Derick King at dking@nysar.com or 518-463-0300 x238 with a description of the item and the value by this Friday, Sept. 16. Local boards and individual members will receive RPAC credit for auction item donations!