Urstadt returns to real estate

After a brief stint covering crime and local politics for Florida newspapers, Charles Urstadt is back in the real estate business.

In his newly created position as executive director of sales for Halstead Property’s East Side office, Urstadt, 47, is responsible for managing and growing the office, which has approximately 125 agents at 1356 Third Avenue. “It’s a very successful office on the East Side,” he said. “It’s one of the best-performing offices in the real estate business.”

Before his foray into journalism, Urstadt was an executive vice president at Brown Harris Stevens, where he created the West Side office, recruiting 45 agents from other brokerages.

Urstadt experienced a Rip Van Winkle moment upon returning to the industry. “Prices are a whole lot higher than when I left,” said Urstadt. “There are also smarter buyers and sellers now. You want to deal with people who know the market and not spend your time doing the legwork that they’ve already done .”

Urstadt took the position with Halstead after working as a freelance writer for the Miami Herald and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He earned his master’s degree in journalism at the University of Miami.

“I had spent my professional career in real estate, and I wanted to try something else,” Urstadt said. “It was good experience, and, as much as I liked it, I loved Manhattan and missed real estate.”

Urstadt began his real estate career as a senior vice president of Pearce, Urstadt, Mayer & Greer Inc., a residential and commercial real estate company based in New York.