According to a recently-released forward-looking housing index by Nationwide, the U.S. housing market is at its healthiest level since 2001. The index’s current leading indicator score for the fourth quarter of 2014 was 109.8, the highest level in the 15 years of data already examined by the study’s authors. A reading of more than 100 suggests the national housing market is healthy and shows few signs of a housing downturn over the next year. 

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April is Fair Housing Month and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) is signifying the event by launching a national media campaign that sets out to help the public recognize housing discrimination and teach them what to do if their housing rights are ever violated. The campaign coincides with the 47th anniversary of the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act.

The new campaign includes print and digital PSAs in various languages, training presentations, webinars, brochures, online videos, as well as social media outreach. This year it also addresses the hurdles families can sometimes encounter when purchasing a home in English and Spanish, as well as the types of discrimination veterans sometimes face. Click here for more information.

NYSAR recently released its latest infographic, titled "Setting the Stage for Sold," which utilizes data from the 2015 Profile of Home Staging produced by the National Association of REALTORS. NYSAR’s infographics are available to download in both jpeg and PDF formats on the Infographics page of NYSAR.com. They are also now available in a custom format for you to brand with your logo.

The Legislature successfully passed the 2015-16 state budget, marking the fifth consecutive on-time budget for the Cuomo administration. The New York State Senate passed the measure shortly before midnight on Tuesday, while the Assembly finished up their debate on the bills around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, April 1. Overall, the budget agreement totals $142 billion and contains increased school funding and an ethics reform package. Click here for budget highlights.

The New York City Council passed a series of bills last week to strengthen the city’s Human Rights Commission and require investigators to conduct a housing study into possible discrimination by landlords. The first bill, Intro. 421-A, sponsored by Councilwoman Darlene Mealy, will require the Human Rights Commission to include information about the number of investigations it conducts each year. The second bill, Intro. 689-A, sponsored by Councilman Brad Lander, will require the commission to conduct at least five investigations into possible housing discrimination over a period of one year. 

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New York State regulators may vote as early as next month on a measure that will require the installation of fire sprinklers in all new one- and two-family homes and townhomes built in New York. NYSAR supports fire sprinklers and consumer education about the benefits of a sprinkler system but is opposed to mandating their installation. NYSAR has launched an all-member Call for Action opposing the proposed mandate. Take action in opposition to this proposal by clicking here.

NYSAR also launched a media campaign including a radio commercial, newspaper ads and a website in opposition to this mandate on Monday, February 2. A link to the radio commercial and more information including fire sprinkler facts and poll results can be found at www.stopalbanymandates.com.

Today’s NYSAR Radio show will take a look at fair housing issues in honor of April being Fair Housing Month. 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.

Stay on top on the latest trends in real estate technology and marketing at the Xplode Conference, being held at the Sheraton Valley Forge Hotel in Philadelphia, PA on April 27. Xplode is a power-packed, full-day conference that gives you all the critical tech/marketing updates you need to drive your business forward in 2015. Click here for more information and to get your event pass today.

The Global Real Estate: Local Markets (CIPS) course will be offered April14 at the Ithaca Board of REALTORS in Ithaca, NY. This course covers: the advantages of international investment in the U.S. market; how to position your local real estate market in a global economy; serving foreign-born clients; and building a global presence.

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

The GRI-5 – Buyers course will be offered April 15 at the Greater Binghamton Association of REALTORS in Johnson City, 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 and your clients and customers safe. The course also satisfies the New York State fair housing training requirement.

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

The GRI-2 – Business course will be offered April 16 at the Elmira-Corning Regional Board of REALTORS in Corning, NY. Take your business to the next level and gain market share. This course provides the building blocks to: create an effective business plan; build support structures using assistants and teams; prospect successfully and tap into niche markets; develop policies to avoid risk. 

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

One of NYSAR’s newest Member Perks partners, 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 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.

Last week, the Region 2 states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania partnered to host the first-ever RPAC Region 2 Major Investor recruitment event in New York City. The event included keynote speaker Keven Sears, NAR RPAC fundraising chair, and brought in approximately 50 REALTORS from across the three states in the name of RPAC. More than $20,000 was raised. Thank you to those who attended and invested their time and resources into RPAC.

Local boards are busy hosting RPAC fundraising events. To view a calendar of local events, click here.