State realtor rep: Greene County home sales, prices rose; municipalities can opt into new tenant protections

Connor Gillis, a field representative with the New York State Association of Realtors, told members of the Greene County committee on June 16 that Greene County’s housing market showed year‑over‑year gains from April 2024 to April 2025: new listings were up about 13 percent, closed sales rose roughly 19 percent and the county’s median sales price was about $350,000.

Gillis said months of supply in Greene County stood at about seven months, noting that five to six months is generally considered a “healthy” market. He added that higher mortgage rates remain a statewide constraint; he cited a current mortgage rate of about 6.73 percent.

Why it matters: Gillis framed the county figures in the context of recent state budget actions that aim to expand housing and limit certain investor purchases. He summarized several provisions in the 2025 budget and related legislation that could affect municipal policy and local housing supply.

Among the statewide items Gillis described, the budget establishes a four‑year housing access voucher pilot to help households at or below 50 percent of area median income who are homeless or face imminent loss of housing. The budget also creates a 90‑day waiting period, effective July 1, 2025, during which large institutional real‑estate investors (described by Gillis as holding $30 million or more and owning 10 or more single‑ or two‑family homes) cannot purchase a single‑ or two‑family home.

Gillis outlined state funding streams intended to support housing and infrastructure: a $100 million pro‑housing supply fund, $40 million for a homeowner protection program, $20 million for a lead abatement program outside New York City, $40 million to repair and rehab small vacant apartments outside New York City, and additional funds targeted at electrification and modular starter homes. He said pro‑housing community designation makes municipalities eligible for certain grants and infrastructure support.

Good cause eviction and municipal choices: Gillis described the 2024 “good cause eviction” law that allows municipalities to opt in. Under the statewide law, small landlords (as defined by the state as owners of 10 or fewer units) are exempt, but municipalities that opt in may change that threshold — some localities have set the threshold to one unit, expanding the law’s reach to small, single‑unit landlords. Gillis said municipalities can also change the rent increase cap calculation and the fair‑market‑rent threshold used to determine which units are covered; the state law sets an allowable annual increase at 5 percent plus the Consumer Price Index (CPI), capped at 10 percent.

Short‑term rentals (STRs) and occupancy tax: Gillis summarized a new state law establishing a registry system for short‑term rentals and noted counties must decide whether to opt out of certain taxation authorities. He cited third‑party data showing nearly 1,300 Airbnb listings in Greene County (source shown as ravelu.com in his slides) and discussed the example of Ulster County, which raised its occupancy tax and saw multimillion‑dollar revenue increases.

Other policy items: Gillis noted a change shifting income verification for the senior citizen tax exemption from local municipal assessors to the state Department of Taxation and Finance (he cited Senate Bill 4805). He also said a law now prohibits discriminatory practices in real‑estate appraisals under the state human rights law. He described the National Association of Realtors and the state association’s grant and polling programs that can support local studies, training and public outreach, and offered the associations’ assistance to Greene County officials.

Local questions and follow‑up: Committee members asked about local business feedback on occupancy tax collection, accessory dwelling unit (ADU) programs, and whether the county participates in certain state programs. Gillis said municipalities — not the county — must adopt ADU allowances and that he would follow up with businesses about occupancy tax feedback. He also offered to email the committee the handouts and data he distributed.

Ending: Gillis said the state association and local realtor board remain opposed to the statewide good cause eviction policy and said the association will evaluate short‑term rental proposals case‑by‑case. He encouraged local officials to pursue pro‑housing community certification to access available state grant funds.