Data shows that from 1996-2021, the Hudson Valley region lost a net total of 146,763 people to out migration, which calculates out to 5% of the Hudson Valley’s population.
Elected officials, seeking to appease vocal constituents, frequently uphold restrictive zoning laws that favor single-family residences over more diverse housing options.
In 2023, the Rockland County Office of Consumer Protection investigated 617 complaints and returned $66,000 to homeowners.
NEW YORK—Consumers now have access to a listing search portal that boasts approximately 40,000 listings from some 500 communities throughout the New York metropolitan area.
Officials with OneKey MLS staged a virtual press conference on Monday, June 22 to announce that the consumer-facing MLS platform, which provides real estate professionals and their clients unprecedented access to properties on the MLS—from Montauk to Manhattan, to the Lower Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains—had gone live that day.
The timing of the announcement came as New York City entered phase two of the state’s reopening process and one day before the Mid-Hudson entered phase three. The real estate industry reopens once a region enters phase two, which allows open houses to be held as long as safety protocols are adhered to.
Jim Speer, CEO of OneKey MLS
OneKey MLS was formed in 2018, following the merger of the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service and the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The MLS features properties from Manhattan, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan and Dutchess counties, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Nassau and Suffolk counties. At press time, there were more than 1,200 Manhattan listings available on OneKeyMLS.com.
“OneKey MLS was created to not only provide Realtors access to innovative tools that will help them do better business, but to also make the property buying or leasing process easier for consumers,” said Jim Speer, CEO of OneKey MLS. “We are thrilled to reach this next milestone in our rollout and look forward to consumers making OneKeyMLS.com the one site they use to find their new home.”
Richard Haggerty, President and Chief Strategic Growth Officer of OneKey MLS
OneKey MLS’s approximately 42,000-plus subscribers serve Manhattan, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Orange, Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.
Along with Speer, other OneKey MLS officials who participated in the on-line press conference were Richard Haggerty, president and chief strategic growth officer, and Leah Caro, chairman of the Board of Managers. Tracy Weir, founder and managing partner of August Partners, the designer of the consumer search website, provided a comprehensive presentation on the many features available for consumers on the site. The robust property search tools are offered in 21 languages. Consumers are able to save searches and listings, and can share their favorites with friends and family. Every user can sign up to receive alerts on new listings, open houses and saved searches and can review extensive profiles on communities, school districts, etc.
Leah Caro,Chairman of the Board of Manager of OneKey MLS
Speer and Haggerty, who is also chief executive officer of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, shared that the origin of the regional MLS for the New York metro region began during a meeting in Albany about three years ago and centered on the market area both LIBOR and HGAR serve.
“We looked at the geography of New York City and the greater suburban area and we recognized this is some of the most powerful geography in the world and shouldn’t we leverage the power of this geography for the benefit of our members so they can better serve their consumer clients?” Haggerty said.
One of the keys to launching OneKey MLS was a commitment to providing the latest and most accurate data available.
Tracy Weir, Founder and Managing Partner of August Partners
Haggerty, added, “We have worked tirelessly to create a platform that will become the most trusted real estate resource in New York and we look forward to consumers being able to experience it.”
Caro, who is also president of Park Sterling Realty in Bronxville, noted that the OneKey MLS website is updated every five minutes. Another key feature of the consumer-facing website is that only the listing agent and broker of a listing are shown.
She added that OneKey MLS provides “clean data, deep data and timely data.”
The easy-to-use platform features an intuitive, map-based search, beautiful images and in-depth property remarks so consumers can learn all there is to know about each listing. Listings are accompanied by information about nearby properties and recent sales in the area as well as extensive demographic, school and lifestyle data from more than 100 sources.
Data shows that from 1996-2021, the Hudson Valley region lost a net total of 146,763 people to out migration, which calculates out to 5% of the Hudson Valley’s population.
“2023 was a difficult year for Realtors due to high mortgage rates and low housing inventory, which significantly impacted home sales volume,”
The program offered the latest home sales data and trends for Rockland County, updates on the NAR Commission settlement, and perspectives on topical business and political issues.
Only Westchester saw a slight increase in closed sales for single-family homes, with a 4.6% gain.
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