New York RealEstateRama

Albany, NY - August 21, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today warned New Yorkers about apartment rental scams throughout the State. Real estate scammers are taking advantage of vulnerable consumers – particularly immigrants and other first-time residents – with false promises of securing rental apartments and illegally charging upfront fees, commissions and deposits. Illegal activity should be reported to the New York State Division of Consumer Protection at 1-800-697-1220

NEW YORK, NY - August 21, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the felony guilty plea of real estate attorney Eduard Fridman to securities fraud. Fridman admitted in State Supreme Court in Manhattan to forging six condominium plan acceptance letters from the Attorney General’s Real Estate Finance Bureau and filing certain of them with the New York City Department of Finance. The forged documents allowed Fridman’s blameless clients, the condominium developers, to sell apartments to the public while evading the Attorney General’s regulatory oversight

New York, NY - August 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) today released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) from developers for its Land Lease Initiative. The RFEI invites developers to submit proposals for the design, construction and operation of mixed-income rental housing – with retail, commercial or community facility space, where permitted, or required. In issuing an RFEI, NYCHA hopes to identify qualified development teams to demonstrate how the development of these parcels can benefit the Authority, public housing residents and the surrounding neighborhoods.

New York, NY - August 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- To make it easier to undertake energy-efficiency projects in multifamily buildings, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is holding a seminar on September 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The free seminar will connect multifamily building owners, property managers, developers and board members of condominium and co-op associations with NYSERDA experts and engineering resources to begin taking advantage of NYSERDA’s Multifamily Energy Performance Portfolio (MEPP). The seminar will be held at the Holiday Inn Downtown Buffalo, 620 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo

Albany, NY - August 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the Office of General Services (OGS) will renovate Building 5 on the Harriman Campus in Albany to accommodate up to 1,400 state employees and save taxpayers $17 million over the first ten years of occupancy. When completed, the upgraded space will house staff of the OGS Business Services Center (BCS), a statewide enterprise created by Governor Cuomo to streamline administrative functions for state agencies.

Albany, NY - August 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State’s Housing Finance Agency (HFA) had approved the issuance of bonds and low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) that will fund needed repairs, maintenance and capital improvements at nine different Mitchell-Lama buildings in the Bronx with a total of 1,276 units. As part of the refinancing, affordability at these developments will be extended for 40 years.

New York, NY - August 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Eliot Engel is working with the Coalition for the Homeless to help the city’s homeless children get ready for school by taking part in ‘Project: Back To School,” a drive to collect school supplies for the more than 21,000 school age children now living in homeless shelters

Oneonta, N.Y. - August 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Hampshire Companies, a full-service, private real estate investment firm with equity in assets valued at over $2.5 billion, has announced the sale of a 12,000-square-foot retail building located at 99 Chestnut Street in Oneonta, New York, to QB Associates, LP. The building is fully leased to Walgreens, the largest drug retailing chain in the United States.

New York, NY - August 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Over 100 people, including workers in buildings along the High Line—the elevated park with scenic views and pricey artisanal treats at a once down-and-out area of the city—and their supporters will march for fairness and higher standards at the park’s luxury apartments. While developers hike prices to take advantage of the now-desirable real estate, porters and concierges who work in the buildings that buttress the High Line say they are not sharing in the good times

EUGENE, OR - August 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Allen Caruso of First Integrity Real Estate Services has adopted the IDX, Inc. dynamic IDX Broker software, in an effort to supply Saratoga Springs, New York home seekers with a unique and comprehensive online search process. Capital Region MLS (CRMLS) listings are now synced directly with the website of Caruso, displaying thousands of up-to-the-minute property listings conveniently on his page. With the powerful search capabilities his IDX solution supplies to his clients, he has revolutionized the way Saratoga Springs area home seekers find homes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- “Introductory Number 1120 is sponsored at the request of the Mayor in conjunction with Speaker Quinn and Council Members Oddo, Recchia, Ignizio, Vallone, Chin, Comrie, Dickens, Eugene, Fidler, Gentile, Koo, Koslowitz, Richards, Williams, Wills, Halloran, Nelson and Dromm.

NEW YORK, NY - August 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the resolution of an investigation into Masonry Services, Inc. (“MSI”) and its owners, James S. Herrera and Jaime T. Herrera, for underpaying masonry workers on the St. Marks Project. Developed under the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the St. Marks Project was a publicly funded affordable housing facility for seniors in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn. The Attorney General’s agreement requires MSI to pay back wages totaling $575,000 as well as $25,000 in costs.

Albany, NY - August 6, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), at the request of the State of New York, has approved an extension in two phases to the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program.

New York, NY - August 5, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Two individuals, Donald Torriero and Julius DeSimone, were sentenced in federal court in Utica, N.Y., for illegally dumping thousands of tons of asbestos-contaminated construction debris on a 28-acre piece of property on the Mohawk River in upstate New York, the Justice Department announced.

Hauppauge, NY - August 2, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the Suffolk County Legislature has approved legislation presented by the County Executive to strengthen Suffolk County’s occupational licensing law to protect the residents of Suffolk County by increasing the liability insurance requirements of contractors who are undertaking an elevation project.

Washington, DC - July 31, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Charles E. Schumer announced that the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) agency revised its regulations to allow New York City to expedite reimbursement for home repairs and rehabilitation for hundreds of Sandy homeowners currently deemed ineligible. Previously, HUD regulations blocked the City from conducting environmental reviews for Sandy victims’ homes that were “substantially damaged,” which is defined as losses greater than half the value of their home.

New York, NY - July 31, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged Sandy-impacted homeowners on Staten Island to apply to New York City’s “Build it Back Program” now that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has modified its guidelines to include more flexibility for those who originally turned down Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. Originally, HUD’s guidelines included a “duplication of benefits” policy that negatively impacted victims who were offered but turned down SBA loans, often times because they were prudently avoiding additional debt. Previously, for these homeowners the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) assistance they would be eligible for

New York, NY - July 29, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The State University of New York (SUNY) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced that SUNY will save more than $1.2 million annually in energy costs throughout its 64 campuses by incorporating energy-efficient information technology and related facility improvements. The energy-saving projects, which are expected to be completed in 2014, support Governor Cuomo’s Build Smart NY initiative, which aims to increase energy efficiency in state buildings by 20 percent in seven years

BRONX, NY - July 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Alongside Bronx foreclosure victim Daisy Vargas—and the four generations of family members who call her Castle Hill residence home—top elected leaders highlighted recently passed legislation aimed at preserving important homeowner rights during the foreclosure process. Since the financial crisis, banks have exploited judicial loopholes to deny foreclosure victims their right to the type of court-mediated settlement conference that can help homeowners keep their homes. The legislation (S.4530A/A.5582), known as the “Certificate of Merit” bill, would close that loophole, and protect every homeowner’s right to an in-person, court supervised settlement conference within 90 days of entering foreclosure.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - July 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- City Comptroller John C. Liu today called on the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to open its operations to the public as well as reject a plan to raise $750 million in a new bond issue, amid grave concerns over a deepening crisis that threatens the Authority’s finances and operations

Albany, NY - July 22, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New York State housing market posted strong numbers through the first six months of 2013 with expansions in closed sales, median sales price and pending sales compared to a year ago, according to the housing market report released today by the New York State Association of REALTORS.

New York, NY - July 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the guilty plea of KEE LIN, 43, a former property manager for two Chinatown buildings, for writing unauthorized checks for more than $1.5 million, and creating false bank statements to mask the fraud. The defendant pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to the top count of the indictment against him, Grand Larceny in the First Degree. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 1, 2013.

Albany, NY - July 17, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the state is launching the $16 million Mohawk Valley and 2013 Upstate Flood Recovery Program to assist homeowners, small businesses and farms in areas of the State hardest hit by recent flooding. The NYS Flood Recovery Program is intended to provide immediate recovery assistance to victims of these floods and to address gaps in coverage for impacted homeowners, business owners and farmers in Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara and Oneida Counties

New York, NY - July 17, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs, Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David Burney and Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas A. Farley today announced a series of first-in-the-nation anti-obesity initiatives that will promote physical activity through the design of buildings and public spaces. These include the creation of the Center for Active Design, a non-profit organization that promotes changes to the built environment to fight obesity and related chronic diseases and an Executive Order requiring all City agencies to use active design strategies when performing all new construction and major renovation

New York, NY - July 17, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Concourse Village workers, tenants and hundreds of their supporters will rally outside the apartment complex this Wednesday afternoon to protest the co-op board’s proposed 4-year wage freeze for their staff. Sixty-seven porters and handypersons are about to lose their health insurance and pension if an agreement with the board is not reached soon. Workers and their union, 32BJ SEIU, have bargained in good faith with the co-op board since the contract expired in 2011 to no avail