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

How to Conduct a Final Walk-Through of Your New Home

You’re almost there. You’re just about ready to close on your new home. While this should be a cause for celebration, you’re not exactly out of the woods just yet because there’s still the matter of having to do the final walk-through to make sure everything is how you want it to be before you close. As you’re doing the walk-through, here are some things you should keep in mind as you’re making sure everything is in order. One very […]

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Dutchess County Affordability: The Monthly Payment You Need to Buy a Home is as Low as it’s Been for the Past 15 Years

Homes in Dutchess County are about as affordable as they have been in over 13 years. What do I mean by that? It’s simple. Basically, the monthly mortgage payment it takes to purchase the average-priced home in Dutchess is about as low as it’s been since 2002 – and probably well before that. If you look at the attached graph, you’ll see what I’m talking about. On that graph, we’ve plotted the monthly payment that a purchaser in the county […]

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Putnam County Affordability: The Monthly Payment You Need to Buy a Home is as Low as it’s Been for the Past 15 Years

Homes in Putnam County are about as affordable as they have been in over 13 years. What do I mean by that? It’s simple. Basically, the monthly mortgage payment it takes to purchase the average-priced home in Putnam is about as low as it’s been since 2002 – and probably well before that. If you look at the attached graph, you’ll see what I’m talking about. On that graph, we’ve plotted the monthly payment that a purchaser in the county […]

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Orange County Affordability: The Monthly Payment You Need to Buy a Home is as Low as it’s Been for the Past 15 Years

Homes in Orange County are about as affordable as they have been in over 20 years. What do I mean by that? It’s simple. Basically, the monthly mortgage payment it takes to purchase the average-priced home in Orange is about as low as it’s been since 1994 – and probably well before that. If you look at the attached graph, you’ll see what I’m talking about. On that graph, we’ve plotted the monthly payment that a purchaser in the county […]

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Rockland County Affordability: The Monthly Payment You Need to Buy a Home is as Low as it’s Been for the Past 15 Years

Homes in Rockland County are about as affordable as they have been in over 13 years. What do I mean by that? It’s simple. Basically, the monthly mortgage payment it takes to purchase the average-priced home in Rockland is about as low as it’s been since 2002 – and probably well before that. If you look at the attached graph, you’ll see what I’m talking about. On that graph, we’ve plotted the monthly payment that a purchaser in the county […]

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Westchester County Affordability: The Monthly Payment You Need to Buy a Home is as Low as it’s Been for the Past 35 Years

Homes in Westchester County are about as affordable as they have been in over 30 years. What do I mean by that? It’s simple. Basically, the monthly mortgage payment it takes to purchase the average-priced home in Westchester is about as low as it’s been since 1981. If you look at the attached graph, you’ll see what I’m talking about. On that graph, we’ve plotted the monthly payment that a purchaser in the county would have to make to purchase […]

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So What’s Going on in the Market?: The Rand Quarterly Market Report for Westchester and the Hudson Valley Region for 2015Q2

This week, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty is releasing its Quarterly Market Report for all the counties it services: Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, and Dutchess Counties in New York; and Bergen, Passaic, and Morris Counties in New Jersey. Below is an excerpt from the report, but you can get the full Report here. The real estate market in Westchester and the Hudson Valley surged in the second quarter of 2015, with sales spiking throughout the region. But even with […]

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So What’s Going on in the Westchester Real Estate Market?: The Rand Quarterly Market Report for 2015Q2

This week, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty is releasing its Quarterly Market Report for all the counties it services: Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, and Dutchess Counties in New York; and Bergen, Passaic, and Morris Counties in New Jersey. Below is an excerpt from the report, but you can get the full Report here. The Westchester real estate market continued to strengthen in the second quarter of 2015, with sales up sharply and inventories tightening. Although pricing was more mixed, […]

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So What’s Going on in the Rockland County Real Estate Market?: The Rand Quarterly Market Report for 2015Q2

This week, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty is releasing its Quarterly Market Report for all the counties it services: Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, and Dutchess Counties in New York; and Bergen, Passaic, and Morris Counties in New Jersey. Below is an excerpt from the report, but you can get the full Report here. The Rockland County housing market continued to strengthen in the second quarter, with sales up significantly and inventories tightening. Even with these sustained increases in buyer […]

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So What’s Going on in the Orange County Real Estate Market?: The Rand Quarterly Market Report for 2015Q2

This week, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty is releasing its Quarterly Market Report for all the counties it services: Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, and Dutchess Counties in New York; and Bergen, Passaic, and Morris Counties in New Jersey. Below is an excerpt from the report, but you can get the full Report here. Activity in the Orange County housing market continued to surge in the second quarter, with sales up and inventories tightening. But pricing is still a challenge, […]

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