Two years ago, Colleen Aldstadt joined Ebby Halliday Realtors after a long career in land development. She quickly learned that while many concepts are the same, it’s a whole different world in a lot of ways. In development, she could count on a captive audience of builders and real estate agents. Being an agent requires another level of lead generation and networking.
“There’s a lot of competition to try and stay in front of everyone, and that’s not easy to do when you don’t have a captive audience,” she said. “You’ve got to be strategic and put yourself in the right place at the right time.”
She credits sales manager Kay Wright for helping her grow a now-thriving business. Aldstadt is based in Ebby’s Plano office and she has a strong presence in the Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen hub, as well as Flower Mound, Argyle, Northlake, and surrounding areas.
During her time in land development, she worked on some of the most acclaimed communities in North Texas, including Stonebridge Ranch, Highland Shores, and Craig Ranch among others. Her clients were some of the region’s top agents and brokerages. A lesson she learned working with top-producing professionals was that they offered value to everyone they came in contact with. They influenced people’s lives simply by staying positive. Among those who stood out to her was the late Ebby Halliday.
“For those of us lucky enough to have been influenced by Ebby, we knew that she believed that you much improve your life by improving the lives of those around you,” Aldstadt said.
Those principles were also dear to Altstadt, who says serving clients, the industry and the community has brought her joy and countless blessings. When the time came for her to transition to real estate agent, it almost felt like she simply “walked over.”
Her spring transition coincided with a number of changes at Ebby Halliday. She said that was actually an advantage because she could start with an open mind without any preconceived notions. CEO Chris Kelly started only a few months after her, a move she believes has really benefitted the company.
“Chris continues to build on the legacy that Ebby and Mary Frances Burleson built,” Aldstadt said. “He truly understands the challenges and has worked diligently to provide meaningful tools.”
Though originally from California, and still a regular visitor there, Aldstadt now considers herself a proud Texan. Baked on the growth she’s seen in the North Texas housing market, Altstadt anticipates here business to continue doing very well. She is also excited about the opportunity to draw upon her vast experience to help millennials and younger buyers coming into the market.
“I see it being a wonderful wonderful journey for me,” she said. “To me, it’s a continuation and passing my knowledge on to them. There’s no better feeling than to educate and know that education is going to move forward.”
