COMPANY HISTORY

Harold L. Kahn Inc. Real Estate was founded in 1967, as a four-person team located above a drugstore at 388 Broadway, Newburgh, NY.  From these unassuming beginnings, a total compendium of real estate services was born.  Today Stony Brook Office Park, a series of award-winning Williamsburg style buildings developed by Kahn Properties, houses Kahn Inc., Realtors corporate operations, accounting, marketing, Financial Access Corporation, and Kahn Properties, Inc., the Commercial Investment Division.

From the beginning, Harold Kahn was determined to create a different approach to the traditional real estate brokerage that was then being offered.  Too many times he had seen real estate transactions that were short on customer service.  Having grown up in the area, Mr. Kahn wanted to bring his vision of real estate brokerage to his community.  He wanted to provide a more service-oriented approach to real estate, designed to obtain and retain satisfied customers and clients.

As Mr. Kahn’s original ideas were instituted, the company sought continuing knowledge and education in order to improve their service to the community.  The company grew rapidly and their volume of residential sales increased to being one of the top three companies in Orange County.  In 1972, the company expanded into a new office complex at 838 Broadway; and in 1974, a management team was formalized.  The company also branched into fields of non-residential real estate: commercial, industrial, investment, property management, and license training.  In 1975, the Appraisal Services Company was formally established; and in 1976, the Kahn Institute of Real Estate was initiated.  The licensing courses offered individuals outside the company a chance to expand their real estate expertise through formal instruction.  The real estate school was sold in 1979 to The Real Estate Training Center, Inc. (RETC).

The Seventies proved to be eventful years for the company with much growth and diversification.   In the early part of 1978, the company became a charter member of the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Service. 

Harold L. Kahn Inc., Realtors now became known as Kahn Inc., Realtors/Better Homes and Gardens, matching the company name with one of the most respected names in publishing.  By incorporating Better Homes and Garden’s marketing support and graphic capabilities, Kahn Inc., Realtors/Better Homes and Gardens was now prepared to expand into additional market areas.

In 1978, a branch office of Kahn Realtors/Better Homes and Gardens was opened in Fishkill, NY, Dutchess County.  The early Eighties brought more growth - opening of a Monroe office in 1982, and the development of Vantage Funding mortgage company which preceded Financial Access Corporation.  In 1983, an insurance division, Kahn Agents, was added to round out our services.  In 1984, a fourth residential office was opened Middletown.  Later in 1984, a new home sales and development company, Kahn-Miron, Inc., was founded.

Clearly, at this point in time, Kahn Inc., Realtors/Better Homes and Gardens had grown into a powerful presence in the Orange and Dutchess County real estate community.  In order to accommodate the company’s expansion and reflect the company’s dedication to quality, a new main office was necessary.  In 1985,  Mr. Kahn’s vision of Stony Brook Office Park , eight Williamsburg style office buildings on 10 acres along Route 17K in the Town of Newburgh began. The architecture and stature of these buildings would instantly change the quality of the 17K-Stewart Airport corridor.

The latter part of the Eighties brought continued expansion as a separate relocation company, Kahn Relocation Services, was opened; and the first Home Information Center was established in a New Windsor mall.  This information center represented the opportunity to meet the public in a non-selling environment.  In 1988, nine out of the ten office sites were completed at Stony Brook Office Park, representing the largest and most ambitious project of the company to date.  It received the award for the second time as best new commercial property in Orange County.

Stony Brook Condominiums, a 22 million dollar development consisting of 159 condominium homes built on 27 acres of land adjacent to Stony Brook Office Park, was a continuation of the company’s expansion in the Eighties.  Mr. Kahn hired a team of experts to initiate the beginnings of the Colonial Williamsburg inspired condominium community.  Sales opened in December 1987 and the official ribbon cutting was in April of 1988.  Stony Brook Condominiums was recognized by the Orange County Board of Realtors and awarded the 1990 Architectural Award for Condominium Design.  The Commercial Division expanded in 1990 adding a Property Management/REO Division to work with the RTC on foreclosures and to seek management opportunities for malls, shopping centers, apartment, and condominium communities, managing over 2,000 apartments in 1998.

In early 1992, Kahn Inc., Realtors/Better Homes & Gardens was appointed as PHH Homequity Relocation Center for Orange County.  PHH Network Services dominated the corporate and the third party relocation business with over 40% market share.  Homequity identified Kahn Realtors/Better Homes & Gardens as the finest quality, service oriented real estate firm in the Mid-Hudson Valley thus creating a strategic alliance with the shared goal of providing excellent service to our customers.

During the latter part of 1992, Kahn Realtors and Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Service embarked on a new concept called the Better Homes & Gardens Area Development Alliance.  It positioned Kahn Realtors/Better Homes & Gardens to offer competitive advantage through the expansion of network affiliation and identity combining the Better Homes & Gardens national image and benefits, with the recognition and quality services of Kahn Realtors/Better Homes & Gardens.  Specifically, it provided training and continuing education, institutional advertising opportunities, business consultation, enhanced product/service/mix, unmatched marketing systems, relocation services, and increased market coverage.  Successfully spearheading this network alliance with 18 new Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate offices in the Alliance, Kahn Inc., Realtors/Better Homes & Gardens committed its resources during the difficult early 1990's to focus and position itself toward continued profitable growth through the millennium.  The timing was perfect.  It allowed the company to minimize the number of owned offices and use the talents necessary to help each owned entity of the alliance to increase the value of their operations.

In 2000, GMAC purchased the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Services.  This was astonishing to all the franchisees especially Kahn Realtors, a charter member of Better Homes and Gardens since 1978.  Kahn Realtors then turned its marketing efforts to greater brand name awareness.  To provide continued superior service to its customer base the company added Home-Link Services.  The Home-Link program offers customers assistance before, during and after their move.  Services were broadened to include Visual Tours.  Tours are produced in-house and marketed on the Web at various different sites including kahnrealtors.com, realtor.com and yahoo.com which give the greatest exposure to the buying public.  Kahn Realtors maintained a strong foothold in the real estate market, focusing on the strengths and expertise that have made them one of the most respected names in real estate.

In 2001, GMAC decided to change the name of the Better Homes and Gardens franchise to GMAC.  They allowed Better Homes and Gardens members who elected to continue to use the Better Homes and Gardens name that option until their contract expired.  That contract terminated in June 2002.

July 1, 2002 Kahn Realtors supplanted their franchise cost with a Brand Name Awareness program to create even more identity than had been already achieved in its 36 year history.  Kahn Realtors is using this opportunity to continue a dynamic tradition of being a market responsive organization providing the highest quality agents and real estate services.