If you’ve been around the Hudson Valley some, you’ve probably seen the Halter Associates Realty signs that pop up, often in front of some absolutely drool-inducing houses. Ulster County’s top independent brokerage, with the highest average sales price at $660,000, Halter Associates is a woman-owned company that’s risen like cream to the top of the region’s hot and spicy real estate scramble.
Real estate is actually a second career for Principal, Owner and Founder Lisa Halter. After growing up in Rochester, NY (“the one up by Canada,” she says) and graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology with her BFA in communications and design, she headed to London to work in graphic design for three years. “London had such an impact on me,” Halter says. “The Brits surprised me; they’re stereotyped as really uptight, but they have such a sense of humor. They approach things looking for humor, for the light side of situations, and that was my takeaway. I still really appreciate that.”
A sense of humor is essential life equipment on any path; it undoubtedly helped her adjust to Manhattan, where she would spend the next two decades working as a designer and creative director, eventually forming her own company with husband Paul.
Halter Associates Realty is independent, woman-owned, and fiercely devoted to treating people right, from her team of associates to each and every client.
It was on a more-or-less random wander that they found Woodstock. “We had a friend we’d visit who had a rental up here, but we’d never really explored the area to the north. One day we were driving the country roads and happened to pop out on the Ashokan Reservoir—that glorious water ringed by mountains. We drove across the spillway just marveling at the beauty of the area. Then, for dinner, we found the Bear Cafe and had just the best meal. Before we even paid the check, we were telling each other that this was where we wanted to be.”
They soon found an 1870s fixer-upper farmhouse on 36 acres. It was a weekend place for a while; post-9/11, the pair decided to move up to Ulster County full time.
That meant a career change for Halter. “There just weren’t a lot of companies up here hiring graphic designers back then,” she says. “I had real estate in my genes to some extent—my dad was a real estate investor. I got my license and worked for one of the big-box brokerages for a few years before I realized I was really more interested in being an entrepreneur and owning my own business.”
In 2014, she founded Halter Associates Realty, independent, woman-owned, and fiercely devoted to treating people right, from her team of associates to each and every client. “Working for the big franchises, you see the things that you don’t want to do and you see better ways of treating agents as people rather than as numbers to generate sales. You have to rely on internal motivation in this business, and that can be super hard to do when you just feel unappreciated and rundown. I try to create an environment where the agents are supported and motivated and treated like important, special people.”
It’s been an effective business model— Halter now employs upwards of 50 associates who closed hundreds of transactions over the past year, and the lack of bureaucratic top-down rigidity is a marketing advantage. “Instead of budgetary constraints that, say, mean you can only advertise a home twice in a listing period or whatever, we can be more creative, more flexible. We can customize the marketing outreach and apply the right method to each property, from social media to print to special broker events, to reach the right clientele.
Halter now employs upwards of 50 associates who closed hundreds of transactions over the past year.
Our agents are all local; they really know the area and the inventory, and stay on top of the market trends.” The brokerage belongs to six multiple listing services and to Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE), a listing network that covers 70 countries. The initial phase of COVID, when word came down that realtors could no longer meet clients faceto- face, was a scary moment.
“Initially, we all thought this was it, that we were going to have to close. We didn’t see a way forward. Of course, the reality turned out to be the precise opposite of that.” The crisis and the real estate boom that accompanied it became another opportunity for the creative real estate firm to shine. “The rules made sense at the time—for a little while we couldn’t show houses at all, then they changed it so that you could let a client in but not go in with them. But people just started flooding up here from the city, buying houses by remote showings, basically doing anything they could to get a house here.” Along with keeping her sense of humor and treating people right, Halter has come to realize that you just never know what a buyer might be thinking. “Early on, I’d occasionally catch myself questioning a home’s style, but I quickly learned to stop imposing my ideas and to let it work the other way around.
I’ll point out any construction or mechanical issues, of course, but people have their own ideas about what they’re looking for, and I’ve learned to let them see what it is they see, let them be themselves. I’ve sold some really unusual homes and been surprised to find a buyer who liked them, but there’s a lid for every pot.” That said, she’s seen some buyers revise their priorities.
“Many people coming up here want an old farmhouse, or a Victorian with loads of character. But after you’ve lived a couple of winters up here, you develop a whole new appreciation for a well-insulated, sturdy place with a good new heating system. It’s your call, but we try to make sure that everyone knows what they’re getting into.”
It’s a philosophy that has led to a lot of happy homeowners; Halter says the upriver migrants who’ve purchased through Halter tend to stick around. “I find that people do tend to buy the right home,” she says. “You look at enough properties, and when you see the right one for you, you know. You recognize it. We have really satisfied buyers. We’ve done really well, and I’m proud of everything my agents have accomplished.”
halter as sociates realty
3257 Route 212, Bearsville • 845-679-2010
89 N Front St, Kingston • 845-331-3110
halterassociatesrealty.com
