SPOTLIGHT ON: Matthew McAllister

Running for Real Estate

Matthew McAllister is always running. As an agent with Keller Williams NY Realty in White Plains, he runs around showing and listing properties, and as title officer with Statewide Abstract Corp. in White Plains, he runs through title searches to protect homebuyers. And in his free time, McAllister also runs.

With a 70-mile Half Ironman Triathlon, 50 and 30-mile marathons and a recent 204-mile bike trek under his belt, the only thing McAllister is not running out of is energy!

New to real estate sales, McAllister earned his license in 2018 and continues to work with Statewide in the title industry.

Practically a born athlete, McAllister grew up in Long Island, playing football and lacrosse. While attending Westhampton Beach High School, he was recruited to play lacrosse for Bryant University in Rhode Island. Following college graduation, he landed a position as a portfolio accountant with a large bank in Boston.

After spending a year there, he came back to New York, working with a small medical billing firm in Queens. Four years later, he joined Statewide Abstract.

“This really offered me a good way to learn the ins and outs of real estate transactions,” said Mc Allister. “I learned the back half first, which I think has really helped my real estate business.” Starting in the operations side, he branched out into the sales role. “I really liked this because it got me out of the office and meeting people. Getting my real estate license just made sense. It’s great synergy.”

As a new Realtor, McAllister joined Keller Williams NY Realty just two years ago and is building that business everywhere he goes. He makes contacts just about anywhere, even while running.

Five years ago, he competed in a Half Ironman triathlon in Maryland, involving a 1.2- mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run.

Then in 2017, he ran his first 50K (30-miles) marathon through Harriman State Park in Orange and Rockland counties. “I had actually never run a marathon before so I trained quite a bit but it was still a challenge,” McAllister remembered. “It was a rainy day too and there was a lot of mud.” That event raised more than $4,000 for Hope House in Long Island, a halfway house that offers treatment for people recovering from addictions. “I knew some people who have gone there and I wanted to do what I could to help out.”

Two years later, McAllister was in for a 50-mile marathon in New Paltz. His charity for the “Rock the Ridge” event was the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Community Counseling Center and he raised more than $2,000. “I actually came in at number 34, out of 600 people!” he added.

Earlier this year, he completed his own course consisting of a 204-mile bike trek through the Hudson Valley, across the George Washington Bridge, through Manhattan and Queens, while finishing at his parent’s home in Long Island. The Hillside Food Outreach, a regional food pantry serving Westchester, Putnam and Fairfield counties was the beneficiary—with more than $2,200 in donations. His total riding time was 12 hours and 15 minutes, averaging 16.7 MPH, 9,000-foot elevation gain and 13,000 calories burned.

It was McAllister’s fundraising background that led him to get involved with the Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation’s Program Committee, which schedules volunteer events with the charities and non-profits that it supports. “I got an e-mail about it and decided to jump right in,” he recalled.

McAllister took the lead to schedule an outdoor event with Green Chimneys, a farm and wildlife center in Brewster providing animal assisted therapy to children with special needs. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the early spring event had to be postponed, but he is now working on a smaller event for the fall.

He also recently spearheaded a volunteer event with the Westchester County Parks Foundation, cleaning up Twin Lakes Park in Eastchester. “It was a really hot day, but we got through it and it was satisfying to be able to help clean up the local environment,” he said.

The Mount Kisco resident doesn’t limit his real estate business geographically, but most of his deals are in mid- to upper Westchester County. “I like biking through neighborhoods so I really get to know the area, and I also like working with first time homebuyers,” he said. “I like being able to guide them—especially since I’m somewhat of a recent homebuyer myself.”

Being in the title business, he can also better explain what title insurance is all about. “It provides a history of a property, including any judgements or liens on it,” he explained. “Basically, we want to make sure that it’s a clean piece of property and that the person who is selling it is actually the owner. That way buyers will know that their new home is 100% theirs.”

It’s no surprise that in his spare time, he likes to run, bike ride and hike. “My wife and my parents are always a great support group for all of my running and biking events,” he said. As for fundraising, McAllister admits it’s become part of his life. “It’s one thing to do all that training and participate in the events, but what’s the point of doing it all for yourself? Finding a cause to support makes it all seem worthwhile. To me, it’s all about helping other people.”