News, Page 1

Realtor.com® identified this set of the 10 best markets for first-time homebuyers to help guide young Americans seeking a place to put their roots down. Affordability, availability, and amenities are the guiding principles of this analysis, with attention paid also to the economic health of the surrounding area and the strength of the local housing market.

GRAR President Don Simonetti, Jr. and broker/owner member Mark Siwiec weigh in on Rochester housing market predictions for 2026.

As housing costs rise, inventory supply lags demand, and the path to homeownership becomes more precarious, all candidates in next month’s Democratic primary for Rochester mayor agree that housing is one of the most important issues in this election.

Congratulations to Lou Alaimo, Cathy Bianchi, Mark Siwiec and Jim Yockel! All part of the 2025 RBJ POWERLIST - Real Estate & Construction.

The Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS® (GRAR) has announced the launch of SavvyCard® for Real Estate, a digital marketing platform now available at no cost to all GRAR members. The SavvyCard platform will be integrated with Ardi, GRAR’s uniquely trained AI designed to put important market information and knowledge at their agents’ fingertips. This new benefit underscores GRAR’s commitment to providing its agents with best-in-class technology to support business growth and client engagement.

Lanie Bittner, former president of the Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS® (GRAR) and an associate broker at RE/MAX Plus, was named REALTOR® of the Year by the GRAR. THe Association also honored Damaris Rivera, Eric Nestler, Maria Casale, Danielle Clement and Bob Maves.

The Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS® is excited to share a case study developed by T360 that explores how they are ‘Transforming Organized Real Estate Through Value-Driven Services’. To address these challenges, GRAR partnered with Voiceflip to deploy ARDI, an AI-powered member service assistant capable of handling member inquiries via phone, text, and Facebook Messenger. Ardi allows members to interreact with GRAR 24/7 and in 25 languages, greatly expanding the association’s ability to serve members when they need, where they are, and in their native language.