SPOTLIGHT ON: Meet HGAR’s Realtor of the Year

Maryann Tercasio had no idea that she was about to be honored as the 2015 Realtor of the Year at the Association’s Annual Meeting in October. In fact, as HGAR President Drew Kessler read the description of the winner, Tercasio was trying to figure out if she knew who it was!

“I was sitting there thinking that I must know this person since we were both on all the same committees,” she admitted. “When he called my name, I was in total shock. I just never expected it!”

An Associate Broker with Better Homes & Gardens Rand Realty in Central Valley, Tercasio has been in the real estate business for more than 30 years and was honored as Realtor of the Year almost 20 years ago by the former Orange County Association of Realtors (OCAR). “I was just so surprised and humbled to be honored like this again,” she said. “It’s definitely one of the highlights of my career.”

Tercasio’s love of meeting and working with new people is what drives her success in real estate. Even before she landed in real estate, she always described herself as a “people person.” One of her former careers involved working with a perfume company, selling fragrances throughout the Northeast to major retailers like Macy’s and Nordstrom’s, as well as local boutiques

Later, while working part-time for the Monroe Woodbury School District, she got her real estate license and began working part-time there as well. “I loved showing homes and matching people with the right properties,” she said. “Home ownership is still the American dream and it’s so appealing to me to help people find their homes.”

However, Tercasio soon discovered that real estate was not a part-time job, so she decided to jump into it full time. “Nothing in real estate is part-time,” she added.

She spent 14 years at the former Gallery of Homes in Monroe, which was the area’s original franchise for real estate. During that time, she began to specialize in relocation, and had made that her niche ever since. Later, she worked with RE/MAX Realty in Monroe before arriving at her current position with BHG Rand.

Always actively involved in both the local and state Realtor associations, Tercasio admits that she does have a favorite committee—the Make-A-Wish Committee, which she and fellow Realtor Shirley Van Dam launched about 16 years ago. This committee plans events to benefit Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley, a non-profit organization providing “wishes” for children with life-threatening illnesses throughout the region.

“I remember when we were first talking about this, we agreed that we wanted to do something as a board to give back to the local community,” she said. “Once we decided we wanted to help children, the Make-A-Wish Committee was born.”

For the next 10 years, Tercasio and Van Dam steered the committee, planning elaborate events that sometimes drew up to 500 people at Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor. Every year there was a different theme—international, jazz, Latin and in 2000, a “Millennium” fashion show that featured costumes from 1900 to 2000. “It was almost like a Broadway production with costumes and rehearsals—it was really a lot of work,” she said. “But it paid off because one year we raised over $32,000 for Make-A-Wish. It’s always such a rewarding experience.”

Tercasio still serves on that committee under HGAR, as well as the Professional Standards Committee. In addition, she is a director for the Hudson Gateway MLS. At NYSAR, she’ll be serving on the Professional Standards Steering Committee.

Originally from Long Island, Tercasio and her family moved to Orange County in the early 70s. A resident of Chester, she has two grown children and four grandchildren. In her spare time, she loves to travel throughout the U.S. and Europe.

For anyone considering a real estate career, Tercasio has some great words of wisdom: “Go into it with your heart and soul, but make time for family,” she said. “Get involved in your Associations and give your time. You’ll see that you get back much more than you give.”

Mary Prenon
HGAR, Director of Communications