Tentative assessments for 2015 were released this week. The total Market Value of Class 2, apartments, rose $14.8 billion, or 7.3 percent, to $217.3 billion citywide. Three quarters of this increase is due to a rising market and the rest comes from other changes such as new construction and physical improvements. Assessed values for Class 2 rose 7.9 percent due to changes in transitional assessments. Assessed values for Class 4, commercial, are set to rise 8 percent. Individual property assessments can be looked up here.
You can also look up your building addresses on the City’s new Crime Map, zeroing in on the number of murders, rapes, robberies, larcenies, etc., near you.
You could also Google your building, but pretty soon Google itself may be looking you up. The Internet Search giant this week paid $3.2 billion for Nest, a manufacturer of thermostats and smoke detectors. No, you are not paranoid, they are watching you.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito are expected this afternoon to announce legislation to expand paid sick leave requirements for companies with as few as five employees. This makes it even more important to join us January 28, 2014 at 2 p.m., in the McGraw Hill Conference Center, 1221 Avenues of the Americas, Room 208, for an important seminar on complying with the Affordable Care Act Employer Mandate. ABO and the New York State Builders Association will be launching a private benefits portal for members to help them meet reporting and insurance requirements. Unlike the State and Federal Exchanges, the ABO exchange will offer both builder and associate members the ability to manage a full array of employee benefits, including health insurance, and handle all the reporting requirements of the law. The program can adapt as City law changes as well. You can join the program and still maintain your current insurance and broker relationships. Please let us know how many to expect from your office by email to associatedbuilders@abogny.com or call 212 385-4949.
Another way to save money is to take advantage of manufacturer’s rebates on stuff you are buying anyway. NYSBA members have collected more than $250,000 in rebates under the association’s program, but ABO members have yet to even ask for dime.
Finally, it is time to register for the ABO BuildingsNY Show. Just click to get ready for the biggest and best annual trade show and seminar program in the industry.