The Rand NewsReal

Joe Rand, our Editor-in-Chief and lead contributor is the Chief Creative Officer at Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty.

He is the founder of the “Client-Oriented Real Estate” (“CORE”) school of real estate education, based on the idea that real estate agents should build their business by learning how to be great at the job of helping clients buy and sell homes.

He has been a featured speaker and moderator at Real Estate Connect, the RIS Media CEO Conference, the Women’s Council of REALTORS Annual Conference, and many other industry events.

He is a regular contributor to Inman Media, writing about industry issues mostly relating to agent education and client service.

He is a graduate of Georgetown University, Georgetown Law Center, Stanford Law School, and a former law professor at Brooklyn Law School and Fordham Law School.

He lives in Nyack, New York with his wife and two children.

Homes in Westchester and the Hudson Valley are STILL Cheaper Than They Have Been in a Generation

Right now is a really great time to be buying a home in Westchester or the Hudson Valley. Man, do I hate saying that. As I’ve explained before, I hate the phrase “great time to buy” for a couple of reasons. First, people have different needs, and a market that’s great for one person might […]
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Homes in Northern New Jersey Are Cheaper Than They've Been in a Generation!

Right now is a really great time to be buying a home in Northern New Jersey Man, do I hate saying that.  As I’ve explained before,  I hate the phrase “great time to buy,” for a couple of reasons. First, people have different needs, and a market that’s great for one person might be terrible for another […]
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Homes in Westchester and the Hudson Valley are STILL Cheaper Than They Have Been in a Generation

Right now is a really great time to be buying a home in Westchester or the Hudson Valley. Man, do I hate saying that.  As I’ve explained before, I hate the phrase “great time to buy” for a couple of reasons. First, people have different needs, and a market that’s great for one person might […]
Read More

Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty Quarterly Market Report For 2016Q4 – Sussex County, New Jersey

The Sussex County housing market surged yet again in the fourth quarter of 2016, with sales up sharply and an eyeopening spike in prices. Sales. Sussex sales were up again in the fourth quarter, rising over 18% from the fourth quarter of last year. And for the year, sales increased almost 19%, finishing 2016 with […]
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Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty Quarterly Market Report For 2016Q4 – Essex County, New Jersey

The Essex County housing market finished the year with a surge in sales, but these sustained increases in buyer demand have not had their expected impact in driving price appreciation. Sales. Essex sales activity recovered from a disappointing third quarter, with sales rising almost 11% from the fourth quarter of last year and finishing the […]
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Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Rand Realty Quarterly Market Report For 2016Q4 – Morris County, New Jersey

The Morris County housing market finished the year with a sharp increase in sales, but sustained buyer demand throughout 2016 still has not had a significant impact on pricing. Sales. Morris County sales were up significantly, rising almost 12% from the fourth quarter of last year. This continued a streak in which year-on-year sales have […]
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Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Rand Realty Quarterly Market Report For 2016Q4 – Passaic County, New Jersey

Sales in the Passaic County housing market rose again in the fourth quarter of 2016, but they are still not having their expected impact on pricing Sales. Passaic sales finished the year strong, rising almost 14% from last year’s fourth quarter and finishing the year up over 12%. We’ve now seen sustained increases in buyer […]
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Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty Quarterly Market Report For 2016Q4 – Bergen County, New Jersey

The Bergen County housing market finished strong in the fourth quarter of 2016, with sales up sharply and prices showing signs of meaningful appreciation. Sales. Bergen single-family home sales were up almost 11% for the quarter, the ninth straight quarter where we’ve seen year-on-year sales growth. And for the year, sales were also up 11%, […]
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Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty Quarterly Market Report For 2016Q4 Overall – Northern New Jersey

The Northern New Jersey housing market finished strong in the final quarter of 2016, with sales up sharply even while pricing continued to struggle. But with inventory levels falling throughout the region, we expect that sustained buyer demand will drive meaningful if modest price appreciation in 2017. Sales were strong throughout the region. After a […]
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Older Posts

How Much Are My Home Improvements Worth? The 2020 Cost v. Value Report is Out.

One of the biggest mistakes sellers make in pricing their home is assuming that they will get at least 100 cents on every dollar they put into that home since they bought it: “Well, I bought it for $450,000 ten years ago, and I put in a new kitchen for $50,000, so it’s worth at least $500,000.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. You almost never get 100 cents, or even 75 cents, on every dollar you spend. Why? Well, […]

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Rands Featured in 2020 Swanepoel Power 200

NANUET, NY – Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate | Rand Realty is pleased to announce that their leadership team – Matthew, Joseph, and Daniel Rand have been named to the Swanepoel Power 200, an independent ranking of the most powerful residential real estate leaders in the United States. The SP200 (Swanepoel Power 200) is the definitive ranking of residential real estate’s top leaders produced by industry visionary Stefan Swanepoel’s T3 Consulting Group and published by the Real Estate Almanac […]

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Fourth Quarter 2019: Real Estate Market Report – New York Overview

  The housing market in Westchester and the Hudson Valley closed the year with a flourish, with regional sales and prices up modestly but meaningfully. The market overall continued to show signs of recovery from the suppressive effects of the 2018 Tax Reform’s Cap on State and Local Taxes (i.e., the “SALT Cap”). Although we are still seeing more demand in the lower-priced than upper-priced markets, the overall trend suggests continued growth in 2020. Single-family sales were up regionally and […]

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Fourth Quarter 2019: Real Estate Market Report – Westchester County, New York

  In the fourth quarter of 2019, the Westchester housing market continued to recover from the impact of the 2018 Tax Reform cap on state and local taxes (i.e., the “SALT Cap”). Single-family home sales were up almost 4%, the second quarterly increase in a row following seven straight declines after the SALT Cap went into effect. And prices were up as well, rising almost 3% on average and over 2% at the median. For the calendar year, Westchester’s single-family […]

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Fourth Quarter 2019: Real Estate Market Report – Rockland County, New York

  Activity in the Rockland housing market surged in the fourth quarter of 2019, even while the 2018 Tax Reform cap on state and local taxes (i.e., the “SALT Cap”) continued to suppress pricing growth. Single-family transactions rose over 7% for the quarter, and almost 6% for the full calendar year, reflecting high levels of demand spurred by strong economic fundamentals. But the SALT Cap has suppressed demand in the higher-ends of the market, which has held back pricing for […]

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Fourth Quarter 2019: Real Estate Market Report – Orange County, New York

  Pricing in the Orange County housing market surged in the fourth quarter of 2019, even while low levels of inventory continued to stifle sales growth. Pricing was up across the board, with single-family home prices rising over 8% on average and almost 9% at the median compared to last year’s fourth quarter. And for the full 2019 year, single-family prices were up 3% on average and almost 5% in the median. Condo prices were also generally up, rising 5% […]

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Fourth Quarter 2019: Real Estate Market Report – Dutchess County, New York

  The Dutchess county housing market surged again in the fourth quarter of 2019, closing a robust 2019 with a flourish. Sales activity was way up, with single-family home sales up almost 20% from last year’s fourth quarter, which made up for a lackluster start to 2019 – as you can see, even with the fourth-quarter surge, sales for the full year were basically flat. Quarterly sales were also up almost 13% for condos, finishing the year up almost 7%. […]

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Fourth Quarter 2019: Real Estate Market Report – Putnam County, New York

  The Putnam housing market corrected a bit in a slow fourth quarter, after surges through much of the year. Single-family home sales were down about 3% for the quarter, with prices falling over 4% on average and almost 7% at the median. For the 2019 calendar year, though, Putnam’s market generally grew, with sales up over 2% from 2018. Full-year prices were more mixed, with the average falling almost 2% and the median rising almost 3%. We believe that […]

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Fourth Quarter 2019: Real Estate Market Report – Bronx County, New York

  The Bronx housing market slowed down just a bit in the fourth quarter of 2019,  with sales falling slightly and prices topping out after a robust run-up for most of the year. We believe that, like other high-priced markets throughout the region, the Bronx might be feeling the impact of the 2018 Tax Reform’s Cap on State and Local Taxes (i.e., the “SALT Cap”), particularly in the higher end of the market. Even with the suppressive effects of the […]

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Fourth Quarter 2019: Real Estate Market Report – Northern New Jersey

  The Northern New Jersey housing market finished 2019 with a bit of a flourish, with sales and price increases in most of the county markets. We are still seeing some negative impact from the 2018 Tax Reform cap on state and local tax deductions (i.e., the “SALT Cap”), but outside of Hudson County, most of the suburban markets seem to be pricing in the partial loss of property tax deductibility. Going forward, we believe that strong housing fundamentals will […]

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