While the rest of us are trying to enjoy whatever summer we have left, the political machines are humming. And HGAR happens to cover a pretty important piece of the political battlefield this year.

Despite high public interest in the hearing, representatives from Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration announced that city officials would not present in person...

For years, REALTORS® have watched buyers lose homes despite making strong offers because they were competing against large investment firms with access to substantial capital.

HGAR representatives met with congressional offices serving the Association's market area, including Representatives George Latimer, Mike Lawler, Adriano Espaillat and Ritchie Torres.

The “Rent Emergency Stabilization for Tenants (REST) Act” would significantly expand the ability of municipalities outside of New York City to adopt rent stabilization policies.

Despite ongoing rent stabilization policies and discussions around potential rent freezes, market pressures continue to drive rent increases.

Until appeals are resolved or additional guidance emerges, housing providers should continue to approach source-of-income issues cautiously…

Approximately 123,000 households rely on Section 8 vouchers to help pay rent, and the program remains a central tool for addressing housing affordability and homelessness.

One of the clearest themes that emerged from our testimony was that the biggest hurdle facing first-time buyers is not necessarily the monthly payment, but the upfront costs required to enter the market.

For real estate professionals, understanding the human and economic drivers behind eviction filings is critical.

As an industry, we must remain engaged in these discussions to ensure policies balance fiscal responsibility with a healthy and competitive real estate market.

The governor emphasized the continued strain rising costs place on households and positioned housing production, regulatory reform and tenant protections as central tools to address those pressures.

This year’s accomplishments reflect HGAR’s continued commitment to advocacy, education and engagement.

One of the key pieces of legislation discussed was Intro 1120, sponsored by Councilmember Julie Farías, that would establish clear timelines for cooperative boards to process, review, and issue decisions on co-op purchase applications.

HGAR’s Orange County Day featured a Legislative Power Hour with County Executive Steve Neuhaus, who addressed a packed room with his trademark energy.

New York’s housing ecosystem is at an inflection point. Affordability pressures, development bottlenecks, small-property owner challenges, regulatory changes, and aging housing stock are all converging at the same time.

The program could convert thousands of currently unpermitted basement units into legal Ancillary Dwelling Units (ADUs).

The rally underscored our industry’s leadership in advancing housing policy and demonstrated the collective strength of Realtors when we unite around a common cause.

For Realtors, this moment is about more than voting it’s about advocacy, leadership and accountability.