Audrey Edelman Ithaca Real Estate

There is an Audrey Edelman.

She grew up in New York City, in the borough of Queens. Pursuit of a degree in education at SUNY Cortland brought her to upstate New York. After graduating from college, she taught English, social studies, and art for 15 years in New York City and Tompkins County Schools.

Audrey left teaching in 1980 at the urging of her husband, Bill, who mistakenly thought selling real estate would give her more free time than planning lessons and grading papers. Audrey discovered she possessed a talent for selling houses and became the number one salesperson in Ithaca.

On March 1, 1989, she founded Audrey Edelman & Associates Real Estate at its current home on North Triphammer Road in Ithaca, New York. Audrey started her company with three other top performers, and it has since grown to almost 50 Realtors who sell nearly one out of every two homes in Tompkins County. In 1995, Audrey added PACE Funding, a mortgage company, to her real estate operation.

Audrey's goal was to be the undisputed leader in Ithaca real estate. Without a national franchise affiliation, Audrey committed an extraordinary marketing spirit and dedication to her brand imaging campaigns…and it paid off. Today, there is not one person in this community that does not associate Audrey Edelman & Associates with real estate.

Her business plan includes a strong focus on customer satisfaction for both buyers and sellers, providing training and motivation for her Realtors' success, maximizing the use of technology, and minimizing her Realtors' administrative responsibilities so they can concentrate on assisting their clients.

Audrey has earned the prestigious CRB (Certified Residential Broker) designation, a real estate management designation earned by only four percent of broker/owners nationally. She is a member of the Ithaca Board of Realtors, New York State Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, and the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce.

In June 2004 Audrey was honored with a coveted Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Audrey and her company were profiled in the cover story and feature article of the February/March 2003 issue of the Real Estate Business Magazine, and in February 2004 she received the "Most Inspiring Story" Award from the Central New York Business Journal, a publication in which AE&A was a business of the week in 2003. Audrey received the BizEvents' Women in Business Award in 2003 and the David Strong Memorial Award for the Best Small Business in 2000. Audrey Edelman & Associates also received The Ithaca Journal's Reader's Choice Award for "Best Real Estate Company" for eight consecutive years.

Audrey does much to thank the community for her company's success. Audrey Edelman & Associates is a corporate sponsor for the Hangar Theatre, Kitchen Theatre, and Sciencenter. AE&A has consistently supported United Way of Tompkins County, Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, Tompkins County Area Development, and the Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance, among other organizations and events.

Audrey and Bill have two children. Renée earned her master's degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and now lives in Boston with her husband, Dr. Gary Laevsky, and their son, Jaden. Audrey and Bill's son, Seth, is a massage therapist in Denver, Colorado.

Audrey loves art, the theater, interior design, collecting African art, walking, traveling, and safaris.