White Plains, NY (January 2014) The Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS® is proud to welcome Diane Cummins, Branch Manager of Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Katonah, as its 2014 President ,and J. Philip Faranda, owner and principal broker of J. Philip Real Estate LLC in Briarcliff Manor, as the President of its subsidiary, the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service. (HGMLS).
Cummins and Faranda, along with the executive officers and directors of HGAR and HGMLS were officially installed in their new positions at the Association’s Gala 2014, held recently at The View in Piermont. More than 250 Realtors from Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties attended the event.
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“We are so excited to have Diane and Phil as our new leaders for 2014,” said Richard Haggerty, HGAR CEO. “Both of them are award-winning real estate professionals who have been in the business for many years, and we’re looking forward to seeing great things from both of them this year.”
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Cummins has been a broker in the Westchester area for almost 30 years. Prior to her real estate career, she spent 15 years as a theatrical agent in New York City representing clients such as Tom Cruise in film, TV and Broadway ventures.
Cummins was recognized as the Putnam County Realtor of the Year in 2000, 2002 and 2005. She is the past president of the former Putnam Association of Realtors (serving for 4 years); 2006 Chairwoman of the New York State International Committee; and the NAR President’s Liaison to the Bulgarian Real Estate Association, from 2006 to 2011.
She is also a Graduate of the Real Estate Institute (GRI), Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS), Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), holds a Transnational Referral Certification (TRC) and is a Certified NYS Real Estate instructor. Her most recent accomplishments include receiving her certification as a NAR mediator and her acceptance into The Mayflower Descendant's Society.
Faranda founded his own firm in 2005, which today is one of the leading independent brokerages in Westchester. Faranda has appeared on ABC World News and been a source for the New York Times, Businessweek, the Associated Press, MSNBC, The New York Post, Gannett, AOL, The Real Deal, TheStreet.com, 1010Wins.com, Smart Money, MSN Money, Time.com, and various other media outlets.
An industry veteran since 1996, he is one of the top-selling broker agents for transaction totals in Westchester County since 2007. He is also a director for the New York Association of Realtors (NYSAR) and 2014 chair of the NYSAR Technology Forum. In 2012 he was among 20 agents selected nationwide to be on Zillow.com's Agent Advisory Board and he is a 2013 finalist for the Inman News Innovator Award. He is also the author of the Westchester Real Estate Blog and the New York Short Sale Blog.
Cummins succeeds Katheryn DeClerck of BHG Rand in Warwick, the 2013 HGAR President, and Faranda takes over the reins from Russ Woolley of Wright Bros Real Estate Inc in Nyack, the 2013 HGMLS President. DeClerck and Woolley will remain on the Executive Committees of HGAR and HGMLS respectively.
In addition to the presidents, the 2014 HGAR Executive Officers installed include: Drew Kessler of Country Sun Realty Ltd in Garnerville as HGAR President-Elect for 2015; John Lease III of John Lease Realtors in Newburgh as Regional VP, Orange County; Jerry Lott of Century 21 Full Service Realty in New City as Regional VP, Rockland County; Barry Kramer of Westchester Choice Realty in Scarsdale as Regional VP, Westchester and Putnam; Jennifer Maher of J. Philip Real Estate in Briarcliff Manor as Regional VP, Westchester and Putnam; and Pamela Jones of Coldwell Banker in White Plains, as Secretary/Treasurer.
The new HGMLS Officers include: Leah Caro of Bronxville-Ley Real Estate in Bronxville as Vice President; Renee Zurlo of BHG Rand in Central Valley as Treasurer; and Eileen Barrett of Houlihan Lawrence in Brewster as Secretary.
The Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS® (HGAR) is a not-for-profit trade association covering over 9,000 real estate professionals doing business in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, and Orange counties. HGAR is comprised of the former Westchester Putnam Association of REALTORS® (WPAR), Rockland County Board of REALTORS® (RCBR) and Orange County Association of REALTORS® (OCAR).
The Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service (HGMLS), owned by HGAR, offers some 24,000 properties in the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties. It is among the top 50 largest MLSs in the country.
