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

First Quarter 2017 Real Estate Market Report – Westchester County, New York

The Westchester housing market started off 2017 with a flourish, with sales up and prices showing meaningful signs of appreciation after a slow 2016. Sales. Home sales were strong through the first quarter. Single-family home sales were up over 6%, the tenth straight quarter of year-on-year sales increases. And the 6,266 transactions over the rolling year was the highest 12-month total since the second quarter of 2005, and marks an 87% increase off the bottom of the market at the […]

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

The regional housing market in Westchester and the Hudson Valley started to show the first signs of meaningful price appreciation in the first quarter of 2017, with prices up in most of the counties. Moreover, with inventory rates dropping, we expect this trend to continue through a robust Spring market and for the rest of 2017. Inventory throughout the region continues to drop. Regional inventory fell almost 26%, and is now down to 6.3 months–right at the level that the […]

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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 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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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 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 might be […]

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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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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 the highest yearly transactional total in over 10 years, since the height of the last seller’s market. Indeed, Sussex sales are now up 113% from […]

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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 calendar year up almost 5%. Buyer demand has been inconsistent throughout the year, certainly not as strong as we are seeing in neighboring Northern New […]

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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 now gone up for nine straight quarters, over two years of sustained buyer demand. Transactions were also up 12% for the year, and are now […]

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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 demand for over five years, with quarterly sales up in 20 out of the last 22 quarters. As a result, Passaic closed almost 3,300 homes […]

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