N e w s l e t t e r
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ISSUE 90
Introducing the HUNT Homeowners Club & Moving Concierge When your clients buy or sell their home, they are granted lifetime membership to the new HUNT Homeowners Club, our complete resource for all of their moving and home services needs. The HUNT Homeowners Club merges The Realty Club with our new HUNT Moving Concierge to form a valuable, benefits-driven program to help keep you in constant contact with your clients before, during and after the sale - making you their primary resource for obtaining everything they need to move into and enjoy their new home. Approximately 48-72 hours after your sale goes pending, your client will receive an email (branded to you) with their HUNT Moving Concierge account information, giving them complete and free access to our platform. continued on page 7 ≼
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A Year in Review Check out some of the photos from events that happened this past year
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ANNUAL AWARDS Rochester, Central NY & Capital - Turning Stone Casino: 1/24/19 Buffalo / Niagara - Seneca Niagara Casino: 1/31/19
“Why You are a ‘Professional’”
There is much talk today centered around just about everything achieving some level of “sustainability”. We want our food supply to be sustainable. We want our energy supply to be We want our environmental sustainable. conditions to be sustainable. We even want our income and way of life to be sustainable. So, we seek protections against the deterioration of everything. Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability to meet the needs of the future. When a level of success or achievement is reached, the last thing anyone wants is for that to deteriorate. Think of your health. Now think of your business. And consider the pressures on advancing or even maintaining your production in the coming year. I do. New competitors come out of nowhere—well-funded ones. Agents encroach on each other’s “turf”— socially, demographically, even geographically. Add to those pressures the competition for quality, salable listings, not to mention qualified leads, and you have a push for lower gross commissions, deteriorating your income potential and the Company’s. What’s an Agent and/or Company to do? Together, let’s take our whole enterprise to a new level. Beginning at the end of last winter, I began meeting with our General Managers, Business Development Managers and Regional Trainers to tear apart and rebuild our entire Career Development effort. We set out to do a few things: 1) To provide the most sophisticated, professional approach to career-building in the industry; 2
A Message from the CEO
2) To inspire our Real Estate Professionals to become the Model for the industry; 3) To create, design and ever-evolving curriculum;
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4) To create the highest set of standards for a. Attendance and Completion b. Assignment of a Mentor for every person new to the Company c. Per Person Productivity I am pleased to report that we are up and running with a comprehensive program (product knowledge, selling skills, technology and personal marketing and social media) for all of our new and developing Professionals; we will continue our relationship with Jared James; and we will continue implementation of the ERA Achieve productivity and accountability training. The Team Concept education and training, which began a couple years ago, has been updated and will be offered again beginning on January 28th. The entire program is now being called “Building a Sustainable Career” because we want you to be able to help “meet your present needs and build your ability to meet your anticipated needs and wants in the future. Please take a look (see image on next page) . To continue to take the enterprise to a new level, we are changing our dialogue. No longer are we You are referring to you as “agents”. Professionals and that is how we will refer to you from now on. With the downward pressure on our commissions and the explosion in sheer
numbers of agents, you deserve to be distinguished because of your degree of preparation, high level of education and special training. You bring your talents, your desire to master our profession, your sense of purpose and your appreciation for the autonomy uniquely aorded to you in the real estate business. Your Company will ensure that you are prepared, educated and trained—the qualities of a Professional. Combining all this will make us unstoppable!
Peter F. Hunt
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - HUNT Real Estate Corporation
A Message from the CEO
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Captial Region
Buffalo/Niagara
A Year in Review
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A Year in Review
A Year in Review
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Rochester
Central & Northern NY
News Around the Regions Buffalo Region
Central & Northern NY Region
Our West Seneca office adopted two families that fell on hard times this year and provided them with Christmas dinner. These families are local and are usually the ones helping others in need - we are so grateful to be able to return the favor to them this holiday season!
The CNY Leadership Team was joined by their Administration Staff December 12th for their Annual Holiday Luncheon. The afternoon was spent enjoying great food and wonderful company. This time of the year, with all the hustle and bustle, it is great to enjoy a moment with some of the people you appreciate most!
Amber Wesser, West Seneca Branch Director
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Capital Region
Jared James joined CNY at the Embassy Suites at Destiny for an excellent presentation on Business Planning, Time Management and Lead Generation. With over 80 in attendance, he spent the day sharing knowledge and tips to help our agents plan for an excellent and productive upcoming year.
For the second year in a row, the agents of the Clifton Park office held a Toys for Tots campaign to kickoff the holiday season.
Dave Evans, General Manager & Nikki Henry, Administrative Sales Manager
Toys for Tots began in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR, and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children. Today, the foundation annually distributes an average of 18 million toys to 7 million children. The Clifton Park agents began preparing for this year’s campaign back in August by selecting neighborhoods where flyers could be mailed or hand-delivered. We had a party to start off the campaign, which included decorating Christmas trees in the reception area of the Clifton Park office, and beginning the weekend of Thanksgiving, agents began collecting toys. Some enlisted ‘elves’ (children and/or spouses) to assist in the toy collection effort as well. This campaign not only endears our agents and company to the neighborhoods in which we collect toys, but also allows us to engage with members of our community and provides us with the opportunity to give back as we enter a new year. Thank you to everyone in the Clifton Park office who contributed their time and effort to such a wonderful holiday initiative. Mark Phoenix, Clifton Park Branch Director
Rochester Region ‘Tis the Season! The Rochester region has had so many wonderful things going on this past month. We have celebrated our Sales Masters award winners, hosted holiday office parties, attended the real estate board’s holiday gala, and have given back to our communities through food & toy donations, as well as Salvation Army bell ringing! We would like to thank Brittany Tierson from HUNT Insurance for coordinating our area wide Salvation Army bell ringing again this year. We had more volunteers than the past year and expanded our coverage! We had 26 agents, managers, representatives from HUNT Insurance and Mortgage volunteer their time at 4 locations (Eastview Mall In Victor, Hegedorns Market in Webster and Greece Ridge Mall in Greece) for two hours of bell ringing and door holding. Weather was in our favor and it was noted by many that the general public was very generous this year. Everyone was full of holiday cheer! The season of giving and celebrating didn’t deter our agents from working on their businesses. Rochester kicked off the new fiscal year with a bang! Sales are up and in an effort to continue our momentum, many agents attended the Buffalo and Syracuse Jared James’ seminars. Agents learned how to approach their business from a position of strength and set themselves up for a successful 2019! Thank you, HUNT Real Estate, for continuing to offer agents training that supports growth and success! Catherine Peters, Business Development Manager
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News Around the Regions
Introducing the HUNT Homeowners Club & Moving Concierge cont. HUNT Moving Concierge Benefits:
HUNT Homeowners Club Attorneys
● Get quotes for auto shipping
The HUNT Moving Concierge also features our Homeowners Club Attorneys, who provide a wide array of legal services: Real Estate Purchase‚ Real Estate Sales‚ Power of Attorney‚ Simple Wills‚ Name Change and more.
● Compare moving and storage companies
● Find utility providers and view cost estimates ● Set up mail forwarding
● Schedule cable, internet and phone service
● Apply for new drivers license and update vehicle registration
● Personalized week-by-week moving checklist branded to you HUNT Homeowners Club Vendors
Dan Mirsky, Marketing Director 716-880-1514 dan@huntrealestate.com
The HUNT Moving Concierge also includes direct access to our HUNT Homeowners Club Vendors (formerly called The Realty Club). From contractors and remodelers to roofers and electricians, we can recommend the right vendors for any home related services your clients need.
Finally, we are excited to announce that in early 2019, the HUNT Homeowners Club will feature vendors in every service category - making it an even more valuable resource for you and your clients! If you have a preferred vendor or attorney that you would like to see become an approved HUNT Homeowners Club service provider, please send their contact info to homeownersclub@huntrealestate.com or call 888-573-1983.
HUNT CASH BACK PROGRAM This program was developed to offer a cash back benefit to local employees in each of our regions. We continually work to find ways to provide a higher level of service to our customers and to build revenue streams for our sales professionals, and this program delivers both.
We believe corporations large and small can benefit by offering our program to their dedicated employees. There is no cost to the corporation to provide this benefit. Any and all HUNT ERA sales professionals are welcome to work directly with a company to promote the program and to build a client base for their business. In order to receive customized marketing materials and financial support to host events, our sales professionals must register a company with Mary Croglio (mary.croglio@huntrealestate.com), Relocation Director. We want to be sure the company is not already part of the program or affiliated with another member of the HUNT Sales Team.
The program is simple: employees of participating companies earn 10% cash back on the transaction side of the gross commission. They are also eligible to receive a $350 discount on their HUNT Mortgage application fees when they are part of the program and secure a mortgage through a HUNT Mortgage Consultant. We have support from HUNT Insurance and Network Title Agency so we can provide a comprehensive service package to our valued clients through our extended team of experts. We are excited to share that we have already supplied flyers to a few sales professionals and a couple have already hosted events. We are looking forward to supporting our hard working communities and helping them attain the American dream. For more details, contact Mary Croglio.
Mary Croglio, Director of Relocation 716-880-1303 mary.croglio@huntrealestate.com
Core Businesses & Departments
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announce higher loan limits for 2019 The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has issued the maximum loans limits that will apply to conventional loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2019. The new loan limits are approximately 7% higher than the 2018 limits in almost all areas. For a single family loan, the loan limit is increased to $484,350 in the contiguous States, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In Alaska, Guam, Hawaii and the Virgin Islands, a single family loan is now $726,250. The loan limits also increase for two, three and four unit homes. Loan limits are also set for high-cost areas.
Linda Mallia, President HUNT Mortgage 1-888-433-8373 linda.mallia@huntmortgage.com
HUNT Welcomes New Agents Nikki Wolfe - Metropolitan Jeannette Evans - Manlius Madeleine Laird - Scottsdale Brad Goertzen - Glens Falls Jennifer Irby - Slingerlands Whitney Lagaly - Hamburg Gavin Mapel - Williamsville/Clarence Brett Dlugosz - Grand Island Christina Snyder - Scottsdale Tiany Gunther - Scottsdale Sabina Clark - Manlius Kais Khatib - Orchard Park Derek Olk - Cicero Nicolette Sitterly - Clifton Park Dale Bowerman - Gilbert Nicholas Sinay - Camillus Indra Balasundaram - Williamsville/Clarence Tyler McNitt - Camillus Dominick Marcantonio - Amherst Kristin Johnson - Amherst Sarah Wildenstein - Liverpool Marcia-Iana Thorne - Brighton/Pittsford 8
It is a good idea to check with your HUNT Mortgage Consultant to get exact loan limits specific to the numbers of units on the property you are selling, and to the county where the property is located. Each county has a loan limit. In fact, there were 47 counties in the United States that did not receive this loan
limit increase. Loan limits did not decrease anywhere in the United States or its territories. There are also high-cost areas where the loan limits are higher. These types of loans are referred to as high-balance loans. Areas such as California, Colorado and Connecticut have certain counties that are designed as high cost and are eligible for the higher loan limits. These loan limits go into eect January 1, 2019. HUNT Mortgage began accepting applications for the new loan limits on December 8, 2018. We want to take this opportunity to wish all of the employees and agents of HUNT our wishes for a prosperous and healthy new year.
Salvatore Totaro - Hamburg Aaron Mattison - Amherst Dante Belmonte - Dewitt Daniel Dietrich - Akron Allison Miller - Canandaigua Julee Brentwood - Glendale Jennifer Prible - Amherst Nicholas Mueller - Dewitt
Experienced Agents Carly Brown - Williamsville Village Louise Forman - Perinton Melissa Richardson - Liverpool James Richardson - Liverpool Mitchel Galusha - Glens Falls Jennifer McCann - Williamsville Village Alice Foy - East Aurora Jacqueline Geraci - Slingerlands Sheryle Sanders - Wheatfield Darel Pajan - Williamsville Village Patrick Mullins - Glendale
Core Businesses & Departments & Welcome New & Experienced Agents