Home listings and median selling price rise in Central New York 

The Central New York median home selling price rose nearly 15% in January compared to January 2023 while the number of newly listed homes rose nearly 16%, according to the housing market report released today by the Greater Syracuse Association of REALTORS® (GSAR). The median selling price of homes throughout the region was $201,950 in January 2024, while closed sales were on par with January 2023. Read more.

NYSAR honors Don Radke for community service

NYSAR recently honored GSAR member Don Radke with its 2023 Community Service Award for his "dedication and commitment to various organizations and causes in Central New York." Among his activities contributing to his recognition by NYSAR were securing a grant to save the George and Rebecca Barnes Foundation mansion, his involvement with FOCUS Syracuse and service with the City of Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board.

Deadline to upload photos, update directory info is Thursday

GSAR has begun production of the 2024 Membership Directory. Hundreds of members missed out on the full benefit of the directory last year by not uploading their photos! Make sure you add your photo and update your contact information before the Thursday, Feb. 29, at noon deadline. All members are encouraged to check to ensure their information is correct. Follow these easy steps to get the full value from your directory entry:

• Log in to your member portal at www.cnyrealtor.com/myaccount to verify that we have the correct contact information for you
• Log into Matrix and go under "Add/Edit" to be sure the correct photo shows there for you, this is where we pull the photos from for the directory
• Click here for instructions on adding your photo into the MLS
• Click here for instructions on updating your contact information
• If you are a broker and need to update office information, please contact Denise Yerdon.

Raising the Bar#2 video covering buyer representation now available

If you missed GSAR's Raising the Bar #2 with Randy Templeman or want to watch it again, the video replay of Buyer Representation: Build Trust Not Disgust is now available. Templeman covered trust-building tactics, fresh resources, and the inside scoop on buyer agency education offerings that will be taught later this year. Thank you to our sponsor, Solvay Bank.

Save the Date: RPAC event will be on May 14

Save the date and watch Hot News for details on GSAR's May 14 RPAC fundraiser at the Red House from 5 to 7 p.m.

NAR Commercial Real Estate Forecast Summit set for March 7

Clear your calendar for the Real Estate Forecast Summit: Commerical Update, March 7 at noon. NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun and Dr. Igor Popov, Chief Economist and Head of Product Analytics at Apartment List, will dissect the latest data on today’s commercial real estate market. Register now for this free webinar.

Be a part of important industry conversations in Community

GSAR's private, members-only online Community is waiting for you to participate in industry conversations with your colleagues. Community is the place for members to discuss important industry and association topics, while sharing their knowledge directly with their peers. Discussions are monitored and subject to a Code of Conduct as well as the Code of Ethics and license law. Set up and personalize your profile today on Community and begin enjoying this GSAR member benefit. Click here to see our Community FAQs.

ShowingTime to update text messaging opt-in starting on Feb. 29

ShowingTime sends important updates about listing appointments in your MLS via text message. Recently, agents and clients may not have received these messages due to mobile carriers blocking text notifications from ShowingTime.  To enhance text deliverability for agents, ShowingTime is implementing a new opt-in process starting on Feb. 29.

We wanted to provide some more information around the new feature and steps for opting in, if you so choose:

• When a new mobile number is added to the ShowingTime system, or after 60 days of inactivity for an existing mobile number, Showing Time will send a message to opt-in to text messages again. It will state:

"You've been added to ShowingTime to receive texts for real estate appointments and messages."

• To permit ShowingTime to send you these messages at this number, reply START to confirm or STOP to opt-out.
• Additional messages will be paused until ShowingTime receives confirmation. The prompt will be sent up to three times to ensure proper acknowledgment.
• Once confirmation is received, any messages that were not sent while waiting for the opt-in will be delivered.
• If there is no response or if the recipient replies with STOP, the mobile number will be marked as "Do Not

Send" and no further text notifications will be sent to that number.

We recommend downloading the ShowingTime mobile app, a reliable method for receiving Showing Time notifications to supplement SMS messages. Your clients can also download the Home by ShowingTime app to stay informed throughout their buying or selling journey. The apps are available in your app store.

Pay CNYIS semi-annual bill by March 15 via your member portal

The CNYIS semi-annual invoice was posted to each subscriber's account in the member portal on Feb. 15. There was no increase in fees for 2024. The fees must be paid on or before March 15 via the member portal to avoid late charges and service shutoff. Please note: Automatic payments will be processed on March 8. If you have a credit card on file for auto payment, please make sure it is up to date before March 8.



Learn more about your CNYIS benefits.

A late fee of $30 will be added to delinquent accounts on March. 18. All fees must be paid on or before March 31 to avoid service interruption. MLS shutoff for agents will take place on April 1 and a $75 fee will be added. This must be paid to reinstate your membership. Office shutoff will occur on April 11. No fees will be waived.

MLS training opportunities

Click here for Supra training resources.

Instanet: The Fundamentals

3 hours CE • Zoom • Instructor: Shelley Hoffman • March 6 from 9-noon

This course is designed to help beginner users of Transaction Desk navigate through the system to create the required paperwork for a transaction. Participants will create professional documentation for both buyer and seller, thereby providing a clean, typed version of their forms for easier reading and understanding. You will learn how to print, e-mail and/or send the documents for an electronic signature using Authentisign.Register here.

Contract to Close

4 hours CE • Zoom • Instructor: Robert Carter • March 19 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

As licensees, our jobs do not end when the contract is signed. Part of our fiduciary responsibility to our clients and customers includes assisting them with navigating the transaction. That starts with discussing the contract, home inspections, types of financing and finally the title work process. Communicating key terms is crucial to the success of the transaction and ensures the consumer makes the right decision for them.Register here.

Thank you to our March education sponsor, Community Bank.

If you register for a CE Course or a GSAR Event, it will appear under “My Schedule” in your member portal. It is your responsibility to track your schedule. GSAR Sends out e-mails with Zoom information and course reminders the night before the class. To ensure you receive e-mails, make sure you are opted into e-mail and text communications. GSAR is not responsible for individual e-mail programs spam/quarantine protections. If you do not receive a link to the course, and you are opted into e-mails, please call the association to send you the link for that day, then check with your broker or e-mail provider to see why you are not receiving emails from GSAR/CNYIS. Learn more about your member portal.

The Greater Syracuse Association of REALTORS^® welcomes its newest members, thanks them for joining, and wishes them great success.