Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors to merge with Manhattan Association of Realtors

White Plains, NY According to the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, (HGAR) they will merge with the Manhattan Association of Realtors (MANAR). The merger was approved at HGAR’s annual meeting held on October 17 and by MANAR at its meeting on October 31. Beginning January 1, 2017, there will be a Manhattan Chapter of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, Inc.

“We are so pleased and excited to have a presence in New York City, the largest city in the nation,” said Richard Haggerty, HGAR CEO. “This will represent an extraordinary referral opportunity for both Manhattan and Hudson Valley Realtors and will make our organization even stronger when it comes to legislative advocacy for both Realtors and home owners.”

Both HGAR and MANAR have subsidiary Multiple Listing Services (MLS’s) and the plan of merger also calls for an eventual merger of the two MLS’s.

Haggerty said the merger deal began earlier this year when chief officials of MANAR approached the organization about a possible merger. After discussions with MANAR and with HGAR’s Board of Directors, negotiations were initiated, leading to the merger.  “We hope in time, to grow the membership of our new Manhattan Chapter, providing a mutually beneficial relationship for both our urban and suburban Realtors.”

Currently, HGAR has more than 10,300 Realtors and the membership has been growing at about 100 new members each month.  Earlier this year, HGAR held its official Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting at its new headquarters at One Maple Avenue, The Source at White Plains, at the corner of Bloomingdale Road and Maple Avenue.  The 250,000 square-foot complex is also home to The Cheesecake Factory, Whole Foods Market, Morton’s Steakhouse, Destination Maternity, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Raymour & Flanigan.

The Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS (HGAR) is a not-for-profit trade association covering some 10,300 real estate professionals doing business in the lower Hudson Valley It is the second largest REALTOR Association in New York, and one of the largest in the country. The Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service (HGMLS), owned and operated by HGAR, offers some 24,000 properties in the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties.  It is among the top 50 largest MLSs in the country.