George “Pete” Holt

Each year, the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Board of Realtors honors one of its members with the distinction of Realtor of the Year.

This year George “Pete” Holt, of Howard Hanna Holt, was recognized as the 2019 Realtor of the year during the Board of Realtors Annual Installation of Officers, which was held at Jamestown Brewing Company Nov 21. Selection criteria for the award includes: realtor spirit, civic activity, business accomplishments and participation in association and board activities.

Holt has been an integral member of the real estate community in Chautauqua County since 1983. His career in real estate began in sales and association management for local condominiums. From there, he obtained his sales, associate broker’s, and broker’s license — ultimately opening his own company in 1986. Over time, the company expanded from its original focus in development work to include residential and commercial sales.

In addition to success in the sale of real property, Holt is also a licensed state certified general appraiser and founded an appraisal company.

Holt has served the local real estate community in many important capacities. He is a past-president of the Northern Chautauqua Board of Realtors, of which he was instrumental in the merger with the Jamestown Board of Realtors. This created the Chautauqua County Board of Realtors, which he has also proudly served in numerous ways over the years — on the board of directors, as vice president and president.

One of the most famous quotes about integrity comes from Author C.S. Lewis — “Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.” It is Holt’s reputation of high integrity which has made him the ideal chairperson of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Board of Realtors Professional Standards Committee, his current role. The committee is charged with holding hearings for matters concerning potential violations of the realtor code of ethics, an important committee as all realtors do pledge to abide by the code and act ethically and professionally in all of their dealings.

Outside of real estate, Holt has made significant contributions in the community where he lives and works, as he has a history of volunteerism in his local community. He has served on the board of directors for the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, is a Patterson Library trustee and has been heavily involved in CHRIC.