The official newsletter of HUNT Real Estate Corporation
A Message from Peter F. Hunt
May 2015 | Issue 72
A message from Peter F. Hunt Chairman & CEO
continued on page 2
What Your Agent Photo... page 6
Be Cautious page 8
The Concept of Team The word “team” is used very frequently, perhaps overused, in our industry today. In a business filled with fiercely independent individuals, many are realizing the power of working together in various configurations to accomplish a greater good. All through the business world we are hearing about “collaborations”—people working in groups to not only accomplish more, but enjoy the comradery and even have a little fun while working. At HUNT, we actually have three concepts of “team” or ongoing collaborations. Allow me to briefly elaborate. 1) Agent Teams. Years ago, sensing this trend and, frankly, in response to groups of agents, we established a Team Policy that has served to encourage agents to hire assistants, align with other agents in specialized areas of the business (buyer agents, for example), and otherwise fill in where the Lead Agent needs support. We have many fine, well-functioning examples throughout the company. These are groups where each team member knows his/her specialty and expertly performs their role on the team. 2) Branches functioning effectively as Teams. As you know, your company has pioneered the concept continued on next page
A message from Peter F. Hunt cont. Chairman & CEO
of the Model Branch. That concept depends on the branch functioning as a team to attain market share goals for the branch’s primary market area (PMA). Your company is the only company we are aware of in the industry that has developed such a concept and put it into action. Your Broker Consultant is hopefully inspiring all of the branch agents to work together to build valueadded relationships with all homeowners in the PMA through our Agent Mailings system and ePropertyWatch. No systems are more powerful than these—and they are uniquely at your disposal. 3) “One Company—Your Team”. These words are not just a thematic slogan. They are a very real representation of the support team available to all HUNT agents, and only HUNT agents. Years ago, one of our very fine longtenured agents, Jenny Gerhart showed me a brochure she had developed to compete against teams. She asked me over lunch, as we were discussing the emergence of teams across the industry, “why would I build my own team when you have already done that for me?” Her brochure simply and directly illustrated how she could deliver expertise in each key element of marketing a home and seeing it through to closing through the use of systems unique to HUNT. We “borrowed” Jenny’s concept, which is now available to all HUNT agents, showing clearly the people and systems that uniquely act together as a team.
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Perhaps you have seen the Verizon commercial that shows a single person in a red shirt. Behind her is a large grouping of red-shirted co-workers in “V” formation—a very powerful message. It is my hope that you always represent yourself as a leader of a team of individuals in just the way depicted in that commercial. You can accurately represent that each of you has these people or groups on your own team: 1) Your Mortgage Consultant 2) Your Title Agent 3) Your Insurance Agent 4) Your Relocation Team 5) Your Realty Club 6) Your Real Estate Company, and our commitment to our Vision, Mission and Core Values, the only integrated real estate and homeownership services firm of our kind serving each of our regions 7) Your Customer Service Team, including your Marketing Department and your Information Technology Team 8) Your ProShow Team 9) Your Home Warranty Team 10) Your assurance, through the ERA support team, that “We will sell your home or ERA will buy it!”
Take one of the “One Company…Your Team” brochures with you on your next listing appointment. That, along with the Seller Select Brochure and a Collateral Analytics report on the subject property, will instantaneously put you in a class with no peers. I assure you of this: no competitor begins to offer what you can to each and every client.
branch and company-wide. Take your rightful position on the team and go into this very active market with confidence and enthusiasm!
The team concept is not going away. We will continue to do all we can to enhance it—in each of the three forms. Embrace your team individually, if you so choose, but certainly at your
Relocation by Mary Croglio, Director of Relocation Growing Together We are a team at HUNT ERA with an array of talents: agents, administrators, Broker Consultants and employees. All of us are committed to reaching a couple of common goals. We are here to provide excellent service to our existing customers and to infuse new business into HUNT Real Estate. As we are out enjoying summer events with friends and family, we often learn of nuances that are happening within our city and neighborhoods. Perhaps someone mentions their company is expanding or downsizing, either scenario may be a cue that they need our services. Often times the volume may be small, but it is still important for us to offer to assist and let people know who we are and all we can do. Speak with your Broker Consultant, core business leader, or the Relocation team. Together, we can investigate and determine if it can be cultivated. We need to have the pulse of our local business environments and be a partner with them. Every HUNT team member can benefit when we collaborate, communicate and ultimately work as a team. The ripple effect could be tremendous for all divisions including real estate, mortgage, title and insurance.
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Agent of the Month Buffalo
April
Akron Amherst Buffalo Metropolitan East Aurora Hamburg KenTon Lancaster Lewiston Lockport Orchard Park West Seneca Wheatfield Williamsville-Clarence Williamsville Village
Marge Tuerk Paul Marsh Ellen Daly Rosa McCabe Millie Blasz Achytl Kim Nemeth Maureen Prinzbach Anne Smith Lou Faery Colleen Brunelle Pete Scarcello Jennifer Schreckengost Barbara Baker Bonnie Clement
Rochester Brighton-Pittsford Canandaigua Greece Perinton Webster
Pete Palermo Sandi Van Camp Gary Thompson John Denniston Vince LoCastro
Central & Northern NY/Carthage Watertown Camillus Cazenovia Chittenango Clinton DeWitt Liverpool Manlius Oneida Carthage-Watertown Cicero
Crocker Team Thomas Tait Cheryl Cary Barb Owens Chip Hodgkins Starr-Nicholas Team Judy Winslow Jeanette Denney Deborah Manning & Shirley Litz Shane Tibbitts
Capital District Saratoga Springs Loudonville Glens Falls Slingerlands
Tracy Egan Shawn Clark Jen Ball Sandy Evans
Arizona Tempe Scottsdale
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Mary Montague Cathy Ragusano-Nielson
Career Development by Bob Scholz, Director of Training HUNT ERA – A Learning Culture As the Director of Training, it is my responsibility to continuously grow the company through a learning culture. HUNT ERA, long known as the “Training Company,” is more than simply a real estate company with training - it is a company with a Learning Culture. A Learning Culture is a set of organizational values, conventions, processes and practices that encourage individuals and the organization as a whole to increase knowledge, competence and performance. Individuals that work in an atmosphere of learning will do better. There is, however, one challenge in our industry. That challenge can be summarized in a lack of desire of many to master our real estate careers. In the last newsletter, I spoke to the issue in real estate of doing things “good enough.” In a company with a Learning Culture, “good enough” should not be acceptable. In order to master your career and to best serve the consumers, clients and your peers in the business, it requires a desire to grow through learning. There is no other company that has such a strong dedication to learning than your company, HUNT ERA. If you wish to master your craft, you must have a core value of learning. A portion of your career must be dedicated to learning. Learning is not simply an important thing. It may just be the only thing that can truly set you apart from your competitors. The consumers of today are seeking out the experts in the field. They are looking beyond the production numbers and to the competences, values and practices that will help consumers and clients alike attain their goals. So what’s next? We suggest you take stock of your role in our learning culture and take advantage of what is provided for you. Learn your craft, use your tools, attend training and meetings. Be a part of our unique Learning Culture and become a true Master of your Profession!
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What Your Agent Photo Says About You by Dan Mirsky, Director of Marketing Have you ever met with a client for the first time and they did a did a double-take...or, worse yet, didn’t even recognize you? That’s probably a sign that it’s time to update your agent photo. In last month’s newsletter, I wrote about taking better property photos because they’re not only a representation of the home you’re listing, but also of you as a business professional. Well, the same goes for your profile photo. Think of all the places your agent photo appears - newspaper ads, the HUNT website, your agent website, your email signature, your flyers and postcards, a multitude of other online listing sites...and now with the rollout of ePropertyWatch, your photo is showing up in your clients’ email every month. Hopefully, your photo does not look like one of these...
(For the sake of not embarrassing anyone, these are not HUNT agents. I found these on Tumblr sites dedicated to bad real estate agent photos.)
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Here at HUNT, we consider all of our real estate professionals to be just that, professionals. So along with the title, we expect that professionalism portrayed in the photo that you use in all of your marketing. We’ve recently updated our Agent Photography Guidelines and included them in our Brand Standards Guide, which you’ll find in the Marketing section of AgentAchieve. The Agent Photography Guidelines state that you must use a professionally-taken photo on all of your HUNT promotional items. This not only includes your own marketing materials, but also the HUNT website and any affiliate you and/or HUNT partner with. To help give you some guidance as to how your professional photo should look, we’ve put together a few helpful tips that you can share with your photographer when you go to get your picture taken: • Photos should be formatted portrait (taller than wide) as opposed to landscape (wider than tall) • Background should be a neutral color, such as brown or grey. If taking your photo outdoors, be sure the background is neither too dark nor too light • Do not use props (in your portrait) • Professional attire is required • For printing purposes, be sure to get a high resolution JPEG of your photo • Minimum agent photo size is: 720 pixels wide x 900 pixels high, which is equivalent to 2.4" wide x 3" high at 300 resolution. • Teams: Take portrait photo together and separate, individual photos To ensure your photo meets the HUNT guidelines outlined above, we have pre-approved photographers that you may contact. These photographers have been vetted for quality and are familiar with our brand standards. For a list of these approved photographers, please email marketing@huntrealestate.com.
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HUNT Mortgage by Linda Mallia, President of HUNT Mortgage Be Cautious! Unfortunately, there have been several home buyers throughout the United States that have been victims of a scam involving their real estate closing. The scam generally involves the potential buyer receiving an email near the date of their closing instructing them to wire their closing funds to what appears to be a trusted account - such as that of their attorney or title company. The email also appears to come from a trusted source, such as their Realtor or mortgage lender. In fact, these emails are from scam artists who receive the wired funds and vanish into thin air, taking the victim's funds with them. At HUNT Mortgage, we take protecting our clients very seriously and we utilize many different layers and levels of security. We encourage our agents to advise their clients that we would never send such an email and we are always more than happy to confirm via a phone call the validity of any email. The best defense against such a scam is utilizing our secure web site to apply or a face-to-face meeting with your HUNT Mortgage Consultant. If using the web site, we encourage our clients to follow up with a call to us that they generate - exercising every ounce of caution. Agents can add to the level of security by changing their email password often and making it something other than simple. Most lenders, out of concern for such scams, would never communicate such information over email. Realtors would very rarely, if ever, even need to generate such an email or advise on funds to close. In New York State, these instructions would typically come from an attorney and the same line of caution would follow - know them and speak to them about something as important as wiring funds. In Arizona, it is a title closing state and these are the states that have been harder hit with this scam – so extra diligence in a "live time" conversation regarding funds to close is encouraged. At HUNT Mortgage, we have very solid procedures in place in all regions to ensure our clients do not fall victim to not just identify theft, but any theft.
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News Around the Regions Buffalo/ Niagara
On May 6, The Hamburg Office celebrated the end of their 2 month listing contest which was called Team LP (Lori Pyanowski) vs. Team MBA (Millie Blasz Achtyl). From March 1 - April 30, points were awarded for listings taken, relists & bonus points if the new ML was a FSBO or XP. Incredibly both teams took a total of 145 NEW Listings during the contest, 27 of which were FSBO or XP's. In the end, team MBA prevailed but the office grew its overall listing inventory from 97 to 150, so its going to be a GREAT Spring/Summer in Hamburg!
Central & Northern NY
The CNY Region is taking part in the 10th Annual Ride & Run for the Rescue to benefit the Rescue Mission on June 27th at Long Branch Park in Liverpool! Ride and Run for the Rescue is a fun event for everyone! You can run, ride or walk…or do it all, choose from a 2 mile family fun ride, 10 mile, 20 mile, 40 mile and 62 mile bike ride, or a 5K run. All proceeds from Ride and Run for the Rescue go to ending hunger in our community! You can join our team or make a monetary donation online at RideandRun.org. Please make sure you join our HUNT Team with the team password HUNTCNY - all caps. The Rescue Mission, located in the Mission District of Syracuse, is just outside of the downtown area. Their campus has an emergency shelter, day center and serves three meals a day at the food services center. Each day, they serve over 725 meals to men, women and children who are hungry. In 2014, they gave away over 70,000 pieces of clothing to those in need. Contact Mary Rouse at mary.rouse@huntrealestate.com if you would like more information about joining our mission. On Thursday, May 7th, 2015 the Liverpool Office held an Open House Luncheon to share their newly remolded work space and celebrate all the great things going on at their branch. Approximately 40 people attended, including our agents and staff. All enjoyed a delicious catered barbecue lunch & dessert.
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News Around the Regions cont. Capital
Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region has been working to better the lives of children and families around our region since 1982. The charity organization promotes the health and well being of children and their families by providing a home away from home for families with seriously ill children while receiving treatment. More than 10 million families worldwide have benefited from the comforts provided by RMHC. Since the now 16 bedroom house opened its doors in the Capital Region, there have been 14,000 visits with families from 37 New York counties, 38 states and 29 countries. It truly is amazing what they do for these families by providing a place to escape the stress and tension of the hospital setting. Here at HUNT Capital Region, we are continuously trying to give back to the communities that support our business everyday. May 1st, we began a drive to collect much needed items on the RMHC wish list. I am pleased to say the collection boxes in our branches are over flowing thanks to the support of our fantastic groups of agents. We hope to continue our efforts in supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities going forward. On May 14th, our very own Joe Woutersz lended a hand at The Double H Ranch; Commonly referred to as Hole in the Woods, it is a 320 acre Adirondack Property, founded in the early 1990's by Paul Newman and local legend Charles R. Wood originator of Story Town which later became The Great Escape. It’s purpose is to provide a camp experience for kids with serious illnesses that would otherwise be unable to experience camp. Since 1993, Hole In The Woods has served over 20,000 kids with terminal and life threatening illnesses. Best of all, their programs are entirely FREE. For the past 7 years, Realtors of our region have volunteered their time and effort to assist the camp in cleaning, housekeeping and anything else we can do. Something you can do: The next time you are in the supermarket, buy a box of Paul Newman's popcorn or maybe his own personal salad dressing, as the profits go to support Double H Ranch and other similar charities.
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Rochester
A laugh heard around the world! The Perinton Branch celebrated RED NOSE DAY on May 21st! Red Nose Day is a campaign dedicated to raising money and awareness for children living in poverty all around the globe. The Perinton agents gathered together to support the fundraising efforts for this wonderful cause and it looks like a lot they had a ton of fun in the process! Thank you for your continued community outreach. The Rochester Region has been determined to grow the HUNT brand with fine agent candidates. We have been receiving RAP Forms left and right. We would welcome the following agents to our roster: Daniel Behan Brighton-Pittsford Office Margarita Cultrara- Brighton-Pittsford Office Sharon Calvin-Brighton-Pittsford Office Another successful HUNT Happy Hour was enjoyed by the agents at Perlos Restaurant. The food was amazing, but the company and conversation were even better! A great time was had by all. We would like to thank the Agent Advisors for continuing to spearhead these events and thank Lori Kane (Network Title) and Alicia Townsend (Accounting) for being our special guests!
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Employee of the Month by Charlie Hunt, General Manager of Rochester Region & Director of Corporate Relations
Each month HUNT Real Estate Corp recognizes an administrative (430/432 Dick Rd) or branch (AA or BC) employee for their outstanding work. This employee is someone who demonstrates a commitment to their role in the company by going above and beyond their regular responsibilities. Any member of the HUNT organization can nominate an employee of the month. If you feel that someone deserves this award, please send an email identifying that person and a brief explanation of how they went above and beyond. Nominations can be sent to Charlie Hunt at charlie.hunt@huntrealestate.com. Leah Curione Wrate-Hunt Commercial, is the May employee of the month! Leah has been a devoted member of the HUNT Commercial family for over nine years. She was recently promoted to the Marketing and Operations Manager for HUNT Commercial. Leah will be responsible for all marketing and office operations for HUNT Commercial in her new, expanded role. Leah earned her designation as Employee of the Month for
her diligence in working to redesign and fill the Commercial AA position for the recently retired Cathy Perone. Please join us in congratulating Leah for her hard work and promotion.
Congratulations Cathy Perone! Please join us in congratulating Cathy Perone on her retirement. May 15th, 2015 marked her 30 years anniversary with HUNT and she has chosen to retire to spend more time with her children and grandchildren. Cathy has been a devoted and loyal member of our organization, having worked directly with Stuart Hunt for most of those years. She has most recently been the Administrative Assistant for the HUNT Commercial office, assisting all commercial salespeople with their transactions. Cathy will be missed!
Welcome to HUNT! We would like to welcome the following newly licensed agents from across the company: Katherine Shannon - Scottsdale Lori Caprio - Williamsville/Clarence Kaycee Wallen - Williamsville/Clarence David Rosa - Lancaster Wende Paas - Hamburg Jillian Reed - KenTon Brittany Diffendarfer - Amherst Lindsey Wood - Buffalo Metropolitan Derrick Warburton - Amherst Kaitlyn Schindler - Lancaster Kelsey Leon - Lancaster Matthew Lord - Lewiston Kyle Leon - Buffalo Metropolitan Alexandra Bommer - KenTon Melanie Robinson - KenTon
LeAnne Gerth - Lancaster James Agostino - Saratoga Springs Kristine Fitch - Glens Falls Adam Ferguson - Watertown Daniel Behan - Brighton/Pittsford Tyler Mitchell - Cazenovia Brittany Evans - Watertown Cynthia Nunley - Oneida
We would also like to welcome the following experienced agents from across the company: Carol Czerwiec - Orchard Park Richard Petruzella - KenTon Jeremy Petrie - Clinton Joanne Purcell - Liverpool