The NYSCAR board of governors will be meeting on February 4, at the Desmond Hotel & Conference Center in Albany. We are looking forward to a productive meeting to kick off this year’s agenda.

The annual NYS Commercial Real Estate Conference, our premier event of the year, will be held June 4-6, at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona. The conference will be chaired by James Walker, CCIM. The planning committee has held their initial meeting for the conference and have plans well underway for this great event. The conference will include commercial continuing education classes, a world-class marketing session, industry updates and the best in networking. So mark your calendar and plan to attend!

Tax Reform

Many thanks to those who responded to the Call for Action regarding tax reform. Please see the excerpt below from the National Association of Realtors News Release (December 20, 2017)

NAR President Mendenhall added that while the work on tax reform is complete for 2017, next year will likely hold opportunities to further improve the tax landscape for middle-class homeowners, and issued the following statement:

“The final tax reform bill is far from perfect, but it’s been greatly improved for homeowners over previous versions. Realtors should be proud of the good work they did to help get us here. We generated over 300,000 emails to members of Congress through two calls for action and held countless in-person meetings with legislators, all of which helped shape the final product.

“The results are mixed. We saved the exclusion for capital gains on the sale of a home and preserved the like-kind exchange for real property. Many agents and brokers who earn income as independent contractors or from pass-through businesses will also see a significant deduction on that business income.

“Despite these successes, we still have some hard work ahead of us. Significant legislative initiatives often require fixes to address unintended consequences, and this bill is no exception.

“The new tax regime will fundamentally alter the benefits of homeownership by nullifying incentives for individuals and families while keeping those incentives in place for large institutional investors. That should concern any middle-class family looking to claim their piece of the American Dream.

“Realtors’ work to help them get there will continue, and we look forward to joining members of Congress from both sides of the rotunda on that endeavor.”

Code of Ethics and Professional Standards Training

This course sponsored by the NYS Association of Realtors is a must for local board/association presidents, directors, executive officers, professional standards administrators and legal counsels, in addition to grievance and professional standards committee members. Any other members interested in learning more about the professional standards process are welcome. The course satisfies NAR’s mandatory ethics training requirement. 

 In this course, you will:

• Gain a full understanding of the conduct of ethics and arbitration hearings, enforcement procedures and disciplinary guidelines.

• Learn about the mediation process and its benefits.

• Explore the mandatory Ombudsman program and citation options. 

Upcoming classes include:

• February 15 – in Batavia

• February 16 – in Syracuse

• March 6 – in Binghamton

• March 8 – in Saratoga

• March 9 – in Lake Placid 

6 hours of CE credit is included.

Cost: $125 members/$150 non-members

Register online today or call NYSCAR at 800-239-4432x219. To register via mail or fax, please visit http://www.nyscar.com for a registration form in PDF format.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Guy Blake, CCIM, is the president of NYSCAR and is an associate real estate broker with Pyramid Brokerage Company, Newburgh, N.Y.

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