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.

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services Named Most Innovative Brokerage by LeadingRE for Pioneering the Buy & Borrow Bundle

The Howard Hanna Family of Companies, spanning 13 states in the East and Midwest,  received 20 awards across multiple categories at the 2025 LeadingRE Awards  PITTSBURGH (March 4, 2025) – Howard Hanna Real Estate Services has been recognized as the Most Innovative Brokerage by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE) for its groundbreaking Buy & Borrow […]
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Howard Hanna Rand Realty Leads 2024 Middletown Community’s Choice Awards

Howard Hanna Rand Realty has once again emerged victorious in the 2024 Middletown Community’s Choice Awards, claiming the coveted title of Best Real Estate Company for the 10th consecutive year. This achievement highlights the firm’s unwavering commitment to service excellence and community leadership. The company’s success extended to individual recognition, with June Cosgrove Hays earning […]
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Howard Hanna Rand Realty Announces Key Leadership Appointments in Westchester, Bronx, Putnam, and Connecticut Regions

White Plains, NY, [October 8, 2024] — Howard Hanna Rand Realty is excited to announce two significant leadership appointments to strengthen its team and support its growth strategy. These changes aim to enhance recruitment efforts and ensure continued success across the Westchester, Bronx, Putnam, and Connecticut regions. Joe Maymi has been named Regional Growth Manager […]
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Howard Hanna | Rand Realty Introduces the Buy & Borrow Bundle

NANUET, NY (July 22, 2024) – Howard Hanna | Rand Realty is proud to announce the launch of its Buy & Borrow Bundle, a program designed to offer significant savings and convenience for homebuyers. This innovative program combines mortgage and real estate services, providing a seamless and cost-effective home buying experience aimed at promoting homeownership […]
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Howard Hanna Rand Realty Welcomes the MIGO Team to Monroe-Woodbury Office

Howard Hanna Rand Realty is thrilled to announce that Frank Golio and Nick Miessmer, formerly of the Hudson Valley Realty Center, are joining our Monroe-Woodbury office as the MIGO Team. This strategic move brings together two dynamic forces in the Hudson Valley real estate market, further strengthening our position in the region.   “We are […]
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Celebrating Excellence: Howard Hanna Rand Realty Agents Shine in RealTrends Verified Rankings

At Howard Hanna Rand Realty, we are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our agents who have been recognized in the prestigious RealTrends “RealTrends Verified” rankings this year. This recognition is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to serving our clients with excellence. The RealTrends Verified rankings are an esteemed […]
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Plawker Real Estate Merges With Local Real Estate Leader Howard Hanna Rand Realty

Plawker Real Estate, one of Bergen County’s leading brokers, is excited to announce that it has joined forces with real estate leader Howard Hanna Rand Realty. The Plawker Real Estate office will now operate as Howard Hanna Rand Realty – Plawker Group. Additionally, the Plawker Commercial office will now operate as Rand Commercial – Plawker […]
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Howard Hanna | Rand Realty the newest members of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® and Luxury Portfolio International®

Howard Hanna | Rand Realty was recently awarded affiliate status in Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® and its luxury marketing division, Luxury Portfolio International®, CEO Matt Rand announced today.  Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE) is a global real estate community comprised of 550 real estate companies awarded membership based on […]
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Howard Hanna | Rand Realty forms technology partnership with RealScout to bring new services to clients.

On the heels of their recent announcement that they’ve formed a strategic partnership with Howard Hanna Real Estate, the newly created Howard Hanna | Rand Realty is announcing a new technology partner in RealScout.   RealScout provides a computer vision-enhanced technology that helps home shoppers zero-in on the properties that they would be most interested […]
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Older Posts

Fourth Quarter 2017 Real Estate Market Report: Northern New Jersey Overview

The Northern New Jersey housing market finished 2017 strong, with prices up even while declining inventory throughout the region stifled sales growth. With demand high, and available homes low, we believe that homeowners will continue to enjoy price increases throughout 2018. Regional sales were up, but not in every county. Regional sales were up slightly for the quarter, rising almost 2% from the fourth quarter of last year, even while some counties like Bergen and Morris were down slightly. We […]

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Fourth Quarter 2017 Real Estate Market Report: Dutchess County Overview

The Dutchess County housing market finished the year strong, with the first clear signs of meaningful price appreciation in years. Sales. Dutchess sales rose slightly in the fourth quarter, up just about 1%. For the year, sales were down over 4%, which reflects low levels of inventory more than a lack of demand. Dutchess definitely needs more listings, some “fuel for the fire” to accommodate strong buyer demand. Prices. Home prices continued to show the effects of declining inventory coupled […]

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Fourth Quarter 2017 Real Estate Market Report: Putnam County Overview

The Putnam County housing market finished 2017 with a flourish, as low levels of inventory drove prices up dramatically. Sales. Putnam single‑family home sales were up a tick for the quarter, following three straight quarters of decline. For the calendar year, sales were down over 7%, marking the first time in over five years where the yearly sales have gone down. This is not, though, due to a lack of demand, but rather a sign of the impact of severely […]

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Fourth Quarter 2017 Real Estate Market Report: Westchester County Overview

The Westchester housing market finished strong in 2017, with a surge in prices even while a lack of inventory held back sales growth. Sales. Home sales were up just a tick, rebounding a bit from their sudden decline in the third quarter. You can see the continued impact of a lack of inventory, though, with sales down almost 2% for the full year. Still, with over 6,100 sales for the year, transactions in Westchester are now at their highest level […]

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Fourth Quarter 2017 Real Estate Market Report: Orange County Overview

The Orange County housing market surged again in the fourth quarter of 2017, finishing a robust year with a flourish. Sales. Orange sales spiked in the fourth quarter, rising almost 15%. Quarterly transactions have now gone up in 13 straight quarters and 22 out of the last 23. Similarly, sales were up almost 8% for the calendar year, marking the sixth straight year of increasing transactions. Indeed, the 3,837 calendar year sales was the highest yearly total since 2004, at […]

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Fourth Quarter 2017 Real Estate Market Report: Rockland County Overview

The Rockland County housing market capped off a strong 2017 with a robust finish, with both prices and sales up significantly in the fourth quarter. Sales. After a decline in the third quarter, sales roared back in the fourth, rising almost 11%. This drove the yearly transaction total up almost 5% for the year, marking the sixth straight calendar year of increasing sales. Indeed, the 2,140 single‑family sales in 2017 was the highest calendar year total since 2003, at the […]

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Fourth Quarter 2017 Real Estate Market Report: Westchester & Hudson Valley Market Overview

The housing market in Westchester and the Hudson Valley finished the year strong in the fourth quarter of 2017, with meaningful price appreciation throughout the region driven by low inventory and high demand. Although sales have slumped a bit due to the lack of available homes for sale, rising prices might tempt new sellers to come into this growing seller’s market. Inventory throughout the region continues to fall. Regional inventory was down to 4.6 months. Historically, when inventory drops below […]

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Homes in Northern New Jersey Are STILL 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 person. Second, while markets tend to move together, we do see micro-markets (i.e., towns and villages) that defy larger trends. So while it […]

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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 be terrible for another person. Second, while markets tend to move together, we do see micro-markets (i.e., towns and villages) that defy larger trends. So […]

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Third-Quarter 2017 Real Estate Market Report: Sussex County Market Overview

Activity in the Sussex County housing market surged yet again in the third quarter of 2017, with sales up sharply even while prices continued to struggle. Sales. Sussex sales were up yet again in the third quarter, rising over 17% from last year and now up over 22% for the year. The 2749 closings represented the highest 12‑month total in over 10 years. Indeed, Sussex sales have now more than doubled from the bottom of the market in 2011. Prices. […]

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