Meet Norah Burden: Preserving Legacy and Marketing Iconic Hudson Valley Homes

This week we spotlight Norah Burden, a seasoned Hudson Valley and NYC real estate expert with Brown Harris Stevens. With a lifelong passion for historic homes and a deep knowledge of the region’s luxury market, Norah brings a unique blend of creativity, family heritage, and strategic insight to her real estate practice. In the interview, she opens up about working alongside industry legend Hall Willkie, the story behind Lake Delaware Farm, her family’s multi-generational history, and the lessons that have shaped her approach to guiding buyers and sellers through some of the region’s most iconic properties.

Over 1 billion recently saw your listing throughout various press channels, why do you think Lake Delaware is so special?

The story of Lake Delaware Farm is extraordinary. The original home was built by the Livingstons of Clermont- arguably one of America’s most aristocratic families, and as close to Hudson Valley “royalty” as one can get. Even more remarkable is that the same family has been in residence since it was built in 1787 and is offering it for sale for the first time ever! While doing the research in order to write about the home, the volume of important historic figures and their accomplishments woven throughout the family was overwhelming, so I had to pick out one clear thread to help it make sense, but their stories really could be a novel all centered around the crystal clear lake, glorious home, vast acreage and breathtaking natural landscape.

How is it working so closely with BHS and industry legend Hall Willkie on the sales and marketing strategy of Lake Delaware?

It’s an absolute pleasure working closely with Hall on this project. We knew each other before I joined the industry, through mutual friends and our love for a shared summer destination in Maine. In fact, I’m pretty sure when we first met we were wearing plastic lobster bibs and making a mess of a shore dinner! Hall is the reason I joined BHS, and the ethos of both is the reason I stay. We both intrinsically understand the rarified qualities of Lake Delaware Farm and the family that has occupied it for centuries, through our shared lived experience. That, coupled with the might and attention to detail of BHS marketing and PR, has been the foundation for the success of the marketing strategy.

Where is the best value right now in the Hudson Valley for someone looking for a second home?

The counties that my team mostly works in- Dutchess, Columbia, Ulster and Greene- for the most part have been on the map for some time, with the price points growing exponentially in all four. The value is found less in one area and more from property to property, which is why it is key to work with someone who knows those markets intimately. I’ve lived in Rhinebeck nearly 30 years and have seen the first wave of weekenders restore and build value into glorious rundown properties. This new wave of buyers wants everything turnkey, which demands a premium. As always, if you have the wherewithal to do a little work, and purchase land, a location and structure of inherent quality, you can create great value.

Favorite dining spot Downtown? What are you ordering?

Honestly, with all of the racing back and forth between the Hudson Valley and Flatiron I’ve been doing lately, there’s been no time for luxuriating in downtown hotspots! You’re more likely to catch me grabbing a piece of fruit at the Union Square market after coming up from the subway, or flying out of Breads Bakery on my way to the office. If the latter- chances are good I’ve got their yummy tzatziki and a crusty brown bread in my bag.

Share your unique story of your family lineage that dates back for multiple generations in NY.

Although I married into an old New York family, my own family is actually centered just outside of Boston where they still run a privately held knitting mill that has been in operation for hundreds of years. The Burdens made their fortune during the industrial revolution with The Burden Iron Works in Troy, New York, across the Hudson from Albany. They are noted for supplying all of the horseshoes for the Union Army during the Civil War and prospered with the railroad boom, manufacturing iron spikes for holding the rails in place. If you think of it in terms of The Gilded Age characters, the Burdens were definitely dancing in Mrs. Astor’s ballroom! Eventually steel eclipsed iron and two male Burden first cousins married two female Vanderbilt first cousins in the late 19th century, trading social entrée for the Vanderbilts for an infusion of massive wealth for the Burdens. I watch that show through that lens and am particularly interested in the homes and settings they utilize in Troy. While sorting through old photos at Lake Delaware Farm with a member of the sellers’ family, we came upon several images of groupings of young Burdens, Vanderbilts and their own family members gathered together for photos on that fabulous portico. They were wonderful images of the casual, country version of their Gilded Age selves- far from their Fifth Avenue mansions and it was fun to see the connections!

Share something few know about you.

Growing up, both of my parents were working artists, as was I before turning to real estate. Most people think of home when they smell a chicken roasting in the oven. When I walk into a studio and smell oil paint and turpentine- that’s what triggers those homey memories for me. All of my four siblings are creatives in one way or another and when I was younger I took those artistic gifts and sensibilities for granted. Now I realize that they are the core of what I am and inform everything that I do, including differentiating me in this industry.

Share a photo on your camera roll that means a lot to you and share why.

This is a photo of me hiking on a mountain and admiring the islands dotting the water in my happy summer place in Maine. Ahead of me on the trail is my youngest child who was born there on Mount Desert Island. The pink granite rock of these mountains has some kind of voodoo magic for me- I find it incredibly grounding, and look forward to touching it each summer. It’s a place that’s all about family, dear friends and wonderful memories for me.

Where do you see the real estate market going in NYC and Hudson Valley for the remainder of the year?

I don’t see it changing much, honestly. We could get a bit of a bump in activity from an upcoming rate cut due to pent up demand in the city, but the Hudson Valley has been relatively unchanged from last year. There’s just so little quality inventory upstate and a steady stream of buyers who want it. The days of aspirational pricing in both markets are gone, but prices haven’t dropped noticeably in my experience, although days on market may have increased a bit.

Connect with Norah at [email protected].