According to the latest poll by the Siena Research Institute (SRI), New York State consumer home buying plans remained unchanged in December, staying at 4 percent. Overall, New York State consumer confidence increased 0.3 points. 

Click here to learn more.

Time is running out to make your room reservations at the Desmond using NYSAR’s discounted room rates for the Mid-Winter Business Meetings, February 10-13. If you plan to attend the meetings, be sure to make your reservation by Friday, January 10. After January 10, the rooms will be released from the discounted room block and are subject to availability. To make your reservation, click here or call the Desmond at 800.448.3500 and reference attendee code "11T5PI."

Click here for more information on the Mid-Winter Business Meetings or to register.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will deliver his fourth annual State of State address tomorrow, Wednesday, January 8, at 1:30 p.m. in the Empire State Plaza Convention Center.

To watch Cuomo’s State of the State address live, click here. For more information on what Cuomo’s speech might include, click here.

After losing millions in community development grants due to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) determination that Westchester County failed to comply with a 2009 fair housing settlement, the county is pushing ahead with its appeal of a U.S. District Court decision dismissing its challenge to HUD’s ability to deny grants without any judicial review. 

Click here to learn more.

Today’s NYSAR Radio show will cover advertising. 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.

Click here for more information as well as a list of links to play NYSAR Radio from any of your mobile devices.

With the changes resulting from the Affordable Care Act, NYSAR knows that understanding your health insurance options is more confusing than ever before. Fortunately, NYSAR Member Perks partner and insurance administrator USI Affinity is here to help guide and support all NYSAR members towards making the best health care decisions. Get your questions answered today by calling USI Affinity at 888.834.3713.

Gain a full understanding of ethics and arbitration hearings, enforcement procedures and disciplinary guidelines during the 2014 Code of Ethics and Professional Standards Procedures Training. The Code of Ethics and recent changes adopted by NAR’s Board of Directors and Delegate Body will also be covered. In addition to 6 hours of CE credit, this course also satisfies NAR’s mandatory ethics training requirement. 

Click here for the schedule and registration form.

REALTOR Institute 409 – "Equal and Ethical Service" – will be offered February 5-6 at the Ithaca Board of REALTORS in Ithaca, NY. This course fulfills the Code of Ethics training requirement for REALTOR membership and the fair housing training requirement for NYS license renewal.

Click here for more information or to register.

Take advantage of NYSAR’s newest Member Perks partner, Taxbot, to keep more of your commissions through tax deductions! The Taxbot mobile app offers you the ability to track business mileage and expenses with your iPhone or Android smartphone or tablet and turn those expenses into IRS compliant tax deductions. Click here to learn more.

Looking for that distinctive Valentine’s Day gift for the lady in your life? This remarkable Coach handbag is guaranteed to make an amazing gift. The Signature Coach khaki bag with mahogany straps is excellent for all occasions. Bidding closes Tuesday, January 21. Click here to learn more.

The NYSAR Mid-Winter Business Meetings are right around the corner! If you haven’t planned to do so already, plan to take a break from the hectic meeting schedule by attending the RPAC VIP Lounge on Tuesday, February 11. Back by popular demand, the lounge will again be open from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. and will feature breakfast, gourmet hot lunch, manicures, professional photographer, massages, cable TV, computers, printer, phone chargers and more. Admission is a $250 RPAC investment. For complete details and to register, click here.