Home sellers across New York State saw more offers near or at their asking price during the first half of 2014, receiving 95.2 percent of the asking price at closing, according to the housing market report released by the New York State Association of REALTORS. Buyers displayed a willingness to pay more for the right home when faced with fewer choices during the first six months of 2014. 

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In its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for the second quarter of 2014, which reports default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, RealtyTrac Inc. reported New York State ranked number 26 of all 50 states for quarterly total foreclosure filings. New York had 11,909 total foreclosure filings in the second quarter and 3,479 of them were in the month of June.

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Privately-owned housing starts in June were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 105,000 for the Northeast, up 14.1 percent from May, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department.Building permits for the Northeast in June fell 15.5 percent to 98,000. 

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On Thursday, July 17, the Senate approved S. 2244, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2014, by a vote of 93-4. S. 2244 reauthorizes the federal program created by the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) of 2002 for seven years. The government backstop created by the program for cases of catastrophic losses due to a terrorist event allows private insurers to provide affordable terrorism insurance coverage throughout the country, and the recoupment provision in it protects taxpayers while costing the government nothing. In June, the House Financial Services Committee approved its version of a TRIA reauthorization bill, H.R. 4187.

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New York City’s Paid Sick Leave program is set to start tomorrow, July 30. Beginning tomorrow, employees will be able to start using their accrued paid sick leave. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs sent mailers to more than 400,000 small businesses and has launched an online application for small business owners to track paid sick leave for their employees.

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The Tuesday, August 5, NYSAR Radio show will take a closer look at environmental issues. Tune in at 10 a.m. on August 5 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.

Get involved and help guide the future of your state association by signing up for 2015 committee service. Committee sign up will be available online only until Thursday, July 31, at NYSAR.com.

Click here to learn more and to sign up.

REALTOR Institute 407 – "Building Your Real Estate Practice" – will be offered August 7 at the Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS in Rochester, NY. This course will cover business plans, recordkeeping and tax considerations for independent contractors, and managing priorities. This course also covers fiduciary duties, the latest negotiating strategies and enhancing your services. 

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CRS – "Silver Bullet Solutions" – will be offered August 12 at the REALTOR Service Center in Woodbury, NY. This course will teach you to handle the most difficult buyer and seller challenges in today’s market.

Click here to watch a video about the Silver Bullet Solutions course. Call NYSAR at 800-239-4432 x219 to register today. Click here for more information.

This week is your final chance to enroll in NYSAR’s dental plan with optional vision rider for your insurance needs. After Thursday, July 31, you will have to wait until next summer to enroll. Key benefits of United Concordia dental plan include: options to offer you a range in coverage and cost; lower rates with a two-year guarantee; orthodontia coverage; and more. New in 2014, the optional vision rider, administered by Davis Vision, includes: an annual vision exam; annual allowance for glasses or contacts; discounts on disposable contact lenses and laser vision correction; and more.

For more information about the plans and rates, please call 888-834-3713 or visit www.myrealtorinsurance.com/nysar.

Congratulations to Linda J. Page on winning July's RPAC auction item, the Fitbit Flex, with her high bid of $330! Thank you Linda for your long-standing commitment to RPAC via your service as an RPAC Trustee and investments at the Major Investor level for many years!

The Dutchess County Association of REALTORS and the Women's Council of REALTORS recently teamed up to host a "Sunset on the Hudson" boat cruise, which raised more than $7,000 for RPAC! The weather couldn't have been better as the cruise set sail on the beautiful Hudson River. Attendees enjoyed an evening of fun, networking and great food while supporting RPAC. Thank you to all who attended to make this evening successful. Thank you also to DCAR Executive Officer John Greenan, and Kelly Campbell and her team, for doing such a wonderful job catering!

The summer fundraising season is in full swing! Find out which boards across the state are busy holding RPAC fundraising events in the coming weeks and months by clicking here.