RISMEDIA, June 10, 2009-Members of the New York State Association of REALTORS® gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday to impress upon their representatives in Albany the need for property tax relief, home buying incentives and number of other pro-homeownership initiatives.
“Our lawmakers have a historic opportunity before this session ends to assist New Yorkers in achieving the American Dream of homeownership, and we will encourage them to do so,” said NYSAR President Daniel J. Hartnett. “We will continue our efforts to educate our legislators about the need for property tax relief through reforms such as shared services, government consolidation and a school property tax cap. In addition, New York’s home buyers need relief from our highest-in-the-nation closing costs.”
Hartnett noted that Realtors will also urge their legislators to pass a home buyer tax credit of up to $7,000 for New Yorkers. This would be similar to the federal first-time home buyer credit that is bringing new consumers to the market. “A New York program would ensure that housing leads the way to economic recovery here by allowing even more of our residents to surmount the barriers to homeownership and make an investment in their community by having a home to call their own.”
Realtors also discussed the potential negative effect of several anti-homeownership proposals including increased real estate-related taxes and proposed limitations on licensee scope of practice.
The New York State Association of Realtors is a not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 56,000 of New York state’s real estate professionals. The term REALTOR® is a registered trademark, which identifies real estate professionals who subscribe to a strict code of ethics as members of the National Association of Realtors. These Realtors are also members of the New York State Association of Realtors as well as their local board or association of Realtors.
