Younger buyers are likely to drive growth in residential markets in the years ahead as the economy stays on a positive track and interest rates stay relatively low, two top economists said Friday at the 2016 REALTORS Conference & Expo in Orlando, FL. Look for existing-home sales to end the year at a 5.4 million level, a small increase from last year, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun told REALTORS at a residential economic forum. For 2017, he expect sales to grow modestly, to 5.5 million units and then to 5.7 million the year after that. Learn more here.

Thanks to rising home prices, homeowners are getting richer, a new study says. The amount of homeowner equity has doubled in the last five years, according to CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index and HPI Forecast for September 2016. Click here to learn more.

NYSAR would like to remind all REALTOR members to get out and vote in today’s general election! As a member of NYSAR and the National Association of REALTORS, you’re already a member of the REALTOR Party, the only advocacy group in the U.S. that fights exclusively for home ownership, real estate investment and strong communities. The REALTOR Party is working hard to advance candidates and public policies that support the interests of the REALTOR community, so make you voice heard by voting today!

A plan to revive the popular 421-a property tax break has begun to take shape during closed-door negotiations involving Gov. Andrew Cuomo, developers and labor leaders. The potential agreement would reinstate and lengthen the life of the property tax exemption to possibly 45 years. The law governing 421-a expired 10 months ago and was not extended by the state Legislature. Click here to read the full story.

Maria Wells, chair of the National Association of REALTORS’ Insurance Committee, reminded the audience of a REALTORS’ role in educating clients about flood risk to their property during the 2016 REALTORS Conference. Wells suggested that REALTORS find a good insurance agent they can trust and get to know their state floodplain manager so they have a place to ask questions. Click here for the full story.

The Tuesday, Nov. 15, NYSAR Radio show will cover recent court and New York State Department of State decisions. 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 here.

Learn how to pay the least amount of taxes possible next year by doing a few simple things today during the November Tax Tips webinar on Nov. 17 at 2:30 p.m. Former IRS trainer and best-selling author Sandy Botkin will teach you how to give yourself a raise by keeping more of what you earn! The webinar will conclude with an overview of the Taxbot mobile app. As a NYSAR Member Perk, members receive a 50-percent discount. Register today!

The GRI-8 Technology course will be offered Nov. 14 at the Greater Binghamton Association of REALTORS in Johnson City, NY. Learn how to be mobile and paperless in your real estate practice with tips on: transaction management tools; Internet advertising and syndication; e-marketing and social media; automation hardware, software and apps.

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

The GRI-5 Buyers course will be offered Nov. 14 at the High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid, NY. Demonstrate your value to buyers from listing to closing and learn strategies to: secure more buyer clients; guide buyers through the process from pre-qualifying to closing; assure Fair Housing compliance; and keep you, your clients and customers safe.

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

The GRI-2 Business course will be offered Nov. 15 at the High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid, NY. Take your business to the next level and gain market share. Learn how to: create an effective business plan build support structures using assistants and teams; tap into niche markets; and develop policies to avoid risk.

 

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

Join NYSAR and RPR for the "Tips for Growing Leads and Increasing ROI with RPR" webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 2:30 p.m. Learn how to build a start-to-finish, successful real estate prospecting strategy using RPR’s dynamic data and impressive reports, available only to REALTORS. The webinar will also show you how to: calculate the marketability of your target zone; create a customized farm area using search tools and maps; spark conversations with homeowners using the RPR app and reports; convey your value to for-sale-by-owner listings; and build brand awareness with reports that peak homeowner interest.Register today!

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.

Amazon Echo is a hands-free speaker you control with your voice. Echo connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more — instantly. All you have to do is ask. Email bids to dking@nysar.com, call Derick King at 518-463-0300 x238 or join the RPAC of New York Facebook group to submit a bid. Bidding remains open until COB, Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Please mark your calendars - NYSAR must receive all RPAC investments by Wednesday, Nov. 30, to be applied toward the 2016 fundraising year. All donations received by NYSAR after Nov. 30 will be applied toward the 2017 RPAC fundraising year. Thank you all for the support toward our shared RPAC goals.