A drop in mortgage rates last week seduced more homeowners looking to lower their monthly payments. Refinancings led a seasonally adjusted 2.9-percent gain in mortgage application volume, which also accounts for home purchases, last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Meanwhile, applications for home purchases, which are viewed as a leading gauge of future buying activity, dropped just 0.1 percent last week and are down 14 percent from a year ago. Click here to learn more.

REALTORS raised concerns earlier this year when the Federal Housing Administration’s "Single Family Housing Policy Handbook" included new requirements for appraisers to operate and physically observe appliances on a property during the completion of an appraisal. In response to those concerns, HUD recently announced updates to their handbook that clarify this requirement. According to the new guidance, appraisers must simply note that certain appliances contributing to the market value of the property are physically present. Click here to learn more.

Don't forget to register to vote! The more REALTORS who vote, the stronger the REALTOR voice is before local, state and federal government, which shape the policies and regulations that directly affect our industry. Click here for the voter registration and change of address form, and get to the polls for the general election on Nov. 8. The mail-in voter registration deadline for the general election is this Friday, Oct. 14.

Last week, it was reported that some new homeowners still haven’t received their STAR Program rebate checks yet. However, on Tuesday, Oct. 4, the New York State Department of Tax and Finance indicated that they have identified those who received inaccurate checks and are currently sending out the difference, where applicable. The problem, according to Tax and Finance staff, was that seniors were receiving just the Basic STAR, instead of the Enhanced STAR, a difference of almost $700 on average. The full story can be found here. Click here for an informational flyer NYSAR produced for REALTORS informing new homeowners of recent changes to the state’s STAR Program.

On April 1, 2017, the National Flood Insurance Program rates are scheduled to increase by an average of 6 percent. According to an update from the National Association of REALTORS, under 2014 Affordability amendments, individual property owners may see a rate increase up to 18 percent for newer properties and 25 percent for older ones. Rates for newly-mapped properties begin at the lowest or preferred risk rate and gradually increase to full risk using a multiplier table, which will also be updated as part of the April 1 changes. The story can be found here, and FEMA’s summary can be found by clicking here.

The Tuesday, Oct. 18, NYSAR Radio show will cover agency issues, specifically related to dual and designated agents. Tune in at 10 a.m. on Oct. 18 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.

Join NYSAR and RPR for the "10 Ways to Earn More Business than your Competition" webinar tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. During this session, you’ll learn how to use RPR to improve prospecting and farming strategies, run accurate comp analyses, identify distressed properties and their impact on neighborhoods, set industry standard values on home investments, and more! You’ll also get a quick overview of RPR Mobile. Start impressing clients - register for this webinar today.

The GRI-6 Sellers course will be offered Oct. 12 at the Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS in Rochester, NY. Represent seller clients in a way that keeps them coming back. Get a competitive advantage with strategies to: gain more listings; get clients to price to sell; enhance your marketing; avoid Fair Housing violations and safety concerns. 

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

The GRI-1 Ethics course will be offered Oct. 12 at SUNY Canton in Canton, NY. Capitalize on what sets REALTORS apart from real estate licensees by learning how to put the Code of Ethics to work for you. Satisfies NAR's mandatory quadrennial ethics training requirement.

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

The Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) course will be offered Oct 19-20 at the Greater Capital Association of REALTORS in Albany, NY. Specialize in the 50-plus real estate market by expanding your knowledge of: current lifestyle and housing trends; how life stages impact real estate choices; and how to develop a network of resources. 

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

The 64^th Annual Fall Appraisal Conference, sponsored by NYSAR’s Appraisal Committee, will be held on Oct. 27-28, 2016 at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY. The committee will offer the 2016-2017 National USPAP Update, taught by Rebecca Jones, for New York State appraiser and real estate continuing education credits on the first day of the conference. On the second day of the conference, Walter Hang, president of Toxics Targeting, Inc., will teach "Toxic Pollution Concerns and Real Property Appraisals," followed by Joe Whittington of Northeastern Appraisal with "The Facts about Wet Basements." Both courses have been submitted for New York State appraiser and real estate continuing education credits. Please follow this link for more information on the conference, and click here to go directly to the registration page.

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 register for the "Tax and Retirement Planning for REALTORS" webinar on Oct. 27.

With this money- and potentially life-saving benefit, you have the opportunity to evaluate your risk for several of today's most critical - and often undiagnosed - health conditions. Held in convenient neighborhood or corporate settings across New York State, Life Line Screening offers painless, non-invasive screenings for strokes, aneurysms and other vascular diseases.

The four-screening stroke, vascular disease and heart rhythm package ($240 value) is available at special NYSAR pricing of $135. Keep in mind, these same tests would likely cost more than $1,000 at a hospital. Call 800-636-0248 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com/nysar for more information or to find a screening near you.

Features include: easy-to-use remote control, special Halloween sounds, powerful headlight and puffing smoke. 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 Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Local board RPAC events have already raised more than $130,000 for RPAC so far this year. Thank you to those boards that have already stepped up and hosted an RPAC event. Boards continue to host events into the fall. For a complete list of the RPAC events still on the calendar, click here.