october/november 2015 newsletter
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A Message fromPeter F. Huntpage 2
FY2015Branch GoalExceededpage 5
Our BestYear Everpage 6
The official newsletter of HUNT Real Estate Corporation October/November 2015 | Issue 76
HUNT Agents are theNeighborhood Expertsby Dan Mirsky, Director of Marketing
Nobody knows our neighborhoods better than we do. In
September, we rolled out our new HUNT Communities
section on our website featuring HUNT-branded Commu-
nity Information Guides for each of our regions. We are
pleased to announce our latest enhancement that further
demonstrates your local knowledge and expertise...
The HUNT Neighborhoods Explorer gives visitors to
HUNTrealestate.com instant access to in-depth informa-
tion about all of our communities. By simply entering a
County, City, Zip Code or Neighborhood into the HUNT
Neighborhoods Explorer search box, consumers will receive
instant information about that locale, including:
• Area Description
• Demographics
• Sales Activity & Market Trends
• School Information
• All Active HUNT Listings in that area
By offering hyper-local housing data and market statistics,
we are further establishing your status as the real estate ex-
pert in your community and making HUNTrealestate.com
a destination for anyone looking for real estate information
and community data in Western, Central & Upstate New
York, as well as Phoenix, Arizona.
We encourage you to explore all of the information on our
new HUNT Communities page and let us know your
thoughts.
You can get to this new section via the “Communities”
link on the top of our HUNT Real Estate homepage or
by going directly to
HUNTrealestate.com/HUNT_Communities.
The Most Professional Real Estate Organization in the US
Can we claim this? I believe we can. Here’s why:
1) We are the only truly fully-integrated real
estate and homeownership services organi-
zation in the markets we serve. No competitor
has the extent of services provided through our Core
Businesses (residential and commercial real estate bro-
kerage, mortgage banking, insurance, title, auction,
and homeownership services). Their presence in your
business portfolio as you compete for listings and
buyer agency relationships adds real value to the cus-
tomer experience and measurable value vis a vis any
competitor. Claim your Company’s infrastructure as
your own, as well as the team of professionals that
work every day to support you in the market.
2) We are the only Company that provides a
“matrix” of departmental services to all of
our Core Businesses. These include Marketing,
Relocation, Career Development, Information Tech-
nology and Finance and Accounting.
3) For anyone to call him or herself a “professional”,
they must have mastered a body of knowledge. No
competitor has the commitment to career de-
velopment or begins to match our educa-
tional and training offerings through HUNT
University. Our challenge remains to ensure con-
sistent delivery of these offerings in all regions, and
while we know we have a way to go, we work on this
every day. No competitor has anything resembling
our Leadership Development Program which we
have offered for 30 years. Only HUNT Agents can
rest assured that their Leadership is educated and
trained in state-of-the-art curricula and skills.
4) Our public-facing customer interfaces pro-
vide the easiest, most complete customer experience
in any market we serve. These include: the Customer
Service Center, The Realty Club, the HUNT Hotline,
HUNTrealestate.com, our print and direct mail mar-
keting services, our radio show, our presence on the
most widely-viewed aggregator websites (Trulia, Zil-
low and Realtor.com, to mention a few), even our
highly visible yard signs.
5) Our Agent-facing interfaces provide un-
matched opportunities for Agents to be focus on ex-
actly what will most enhance their professional
experience. These include: ProShow, Agent Personal
Marketing Services, coaching and business planning
services, Agent and Senior Advisors, our Town Hall
Meetings and Business Leader meetings.
6) Our commitment to being the Model for
the industry is unparalleled. No other real es-
tate company we are aware of—and we’ve looked—
has created anything like our Model Branch concept,
our Model Agent concept, or our Team Concept.
And no company we are aware of has constructed a
viable succession plan for Agents to allow them to take
advantage of their hard work and development of a
real “book” of business.
I have often said that our real reason for being as an
organization is to continuously improve our Agents’
productivity. The proof of our claim to be the most
professional real estate organization lies in this meas-
ure. In the last fiscal year, which just ended October
31st, 34% of our Agents (those that have 2 or more
years experience and completed at least 8 “sides”)
produced 79% of our total sides, averaging over 22
sides per Agent—far better than the industry stan-
dard 80/20 rule!
Please join me in taking great pride in what you indi-
vidually and your organization as a whole have pro-
duced—our best year ever in our 104-year history!
And imagine with me what we can do to build on this
marvelous foundation…
A message from Peter F. Hunt Chairman & CEO
2
Education the Key to Obtaining
Listings
Obtaining listings has always been an integral part
of the professional real estate agent’s life. Finding
people who have a need or desire to sell their prop-
erty is at the top of an agent’s prospecting list.
The real estate professional understands their role
in marketing the seller’s property. They are con-
stantly analyzing the marketplace and adjusting
their marketing strategy to accommodate the sub-
tle, and not so subtle, shifts effecting real estate.
The agent must also be prepared to educate the
home seller as to these changes and shifts. Staying
up on trends is the real estate professional’s job,
not the seller’s obligation. Advising the seller be-
comes an important aspect of the listing presenta-
tion.
Sellers expect the real estate agent who is going to
represent their interests and properly market their
home to be the expert in all things real estate. The
professional is then obligated to educate the seller
on the most efficient ways to increase demand for
their property and decrease the supply of compet-
ing homes.
It is important for the real estate professional to
not only understand the changes affecting the
marketing but also to be able to effectively explain
this to the seller. It is critical that the listing agent
be skilled in sharing the effects of changes in the
market in order to advise the seller as to how to
best obtain the appropriate, qualified and moti-
vated buyers.
This begins with a professional listing presentation.
A presentation that does not simply talk about
marketing features, or worse, about the past suc-
cesses of the particular agent is important today!
The presentation and analysis must include dis-
cussions about marketing trends including the sta-
tistics that will back up the ideas being explained.
A prime example of this can be found in the
change in the importance of print advertising. We
know that the effectiveness of print advertising has
been declining year after year and that the effec-
tiveness of online marketing has increased in those
same years. Sellers should not be expected to grasp
this right off the bat!
To be a model agent, one must learn to assist the
seller in understanding how to expose and increase
the demand for their listing has changed. In addi-
tion, the seller should realize that online exposure
is not enough! The ability of the agent or com-
pany to “capture” the interested buyers is essential.
You have the state of the art tools that position you
as an elite agent in the industry, an agent who un-
derstands the nuances of marketing homes in
today’s real estate world.
What can you do? Learn your tools and systems,
understand and explain the changes that are oc-
curring, know your statistics and enhance your
skills at communicating these important ideas to
your sellers.
HUNT ERA is the training company. We provide
training that focuses on content and skills. Take
advantage of training at HUNT University, your
branches and online. For more information check
with your Branch Director or Career Develop-
ment.
3
Career Developmentby Bob Scholz, Director of Training
4
Agents of the Month
Buffalo September OctoberAkron Adam Burg Kelly SpurlockAmherst MariaLisa Giglia-Remington Mike McDonoughBuffalo Metropolitan Ellen Daly Ellen DalyEast Aurora Todd Aichinger Jason MearsHamburg Melissa Weidner Lou Ann SpauldingKenTon Karen Loffredo Mark BrylinskiLancaster Jeanine Kacala Jeanine KacalaLewiston Cynthia Van Dusen Cynthia Van DusenLockport Dianne Shaw Chari HimmelsbachOrchard Park Geralyn Bonilla Geralyn BonillaWest Seneca Pete Scarcello Janice MrozWheatfield Mark Lemke William YapleWilliamsville-Clarence Sharon & Steve Frisicaro Sharon FrisicaroWilliamsville Village Amy Benjamin Beth Klipfel
RochesterBrighton-Pittsford Richard Testa Larry MagguilliCanandaigua Sandi Van Camp Sandi Van CampGreece Richard Orczyk Rich OrczykPerinton Patricia Neubauer John DennistonWebster Vince LoCastro Doug DeMar
Central & Northern NY/Carthage WatertownCamillus The Crocker Team Beth LostyCazenovia Theresa Billy Tom TaitChittenango Sandy Leibl Bob FreunschtClinton Barb Owens Barb OwensDeWitt Gaetano Belmonte Chip HodgkinsLiverpool The Starr-Nicholas Team The Starr-Nicholas TeamManlius Dan, Liz and Ben Gaulin Nancy WattOneida Shari Kimball Shari KimballWatertown Jill Rosette Suzanne KrouseCicero The Bees Team The Bees Team
Capital DistrictSaratoga Springs Judy Viger Dede OldsLoudonville Shawn Clark Dan LesageGlens Falls Jen Ball Jen BallSlingerlands Sandy Evans Sandy Evans
ArizonaTempe Ken Mayer Mary MontagueScottsdale Julian DiLeano Julian DiLeano
5
FY2015 Branch Goal Exceededby Charlie Hunt, General Manager of Rochester Region &
Director of Corporate Relations
Branches that beath Written Volume and/or Closed Volume
Kelly SpurlockBranch DirectorAkron(Written & Closed Volume)
Jonathan OrlowBranch DirectorBuffalo Metropolitan & KenTon(Written & Closed Volume)
Jim SauerBranch DirectorBrighton/Pittsford (Closed Volume)
Canandaigua (Written & Closed Volume)
Mary Rouse Branch DirectorCazenovia & Clinton(Closed Volume)
Neil GerrityBranch DirectorEast Aurora (Closed Volume)
Joe WouterszBranch DirectorGlens Falls(Written & Closed Volume)
Jamie Mendel-KolbBranch DirectorLewiston & Lockport(Written & Closed Volume)
Peter AhrensBranch ConsultantOrchard Park(Written & Closed Volume)
Ellen DeMarBranch DirectorPerinton (Closed Volume)
Amber WesserBranch DirectorWest Seneca (Written & Closed Volume)
John MitchellBranch DirectorWilliamsville Village(Written & Closed Volume)
6
Our Best Year Everby Peter F. Hunt, Chairman & CEO
After 104 years of continuous operation, any business has a tough time bettering a previous year’s
production. Yet in spite of the fact that FY 2014 had been our best year ever, FY 2015 was even
better. Here are the some of the year-over-year facts:
• 10, 385 “sides” (up 12%)
• $1.64 Billion in residential sales “volume” (up 9.51%)
• 9.4 “sides” per person average, including all agents new to the Company (up 10.5%)
• Mortgage “units” up 22%
• Title Searches and Policies written up over 50%
Contributing greatly to these advances were the many Branches that exceeded their plan by signifi-
cant margins. The top five were:
• Lewiston: 75% over plan
• Lockport: 63% over plan
• Glens Falls: 60% over plan
• Canandaigua: 53% over plan
• Akron: 47% over plan
This is just a sample of the data we will share with you and does not begin to touch on the many in-
dividual performances that combined to smash our previous records. Please plan on being at our
Annual Awards Celebration to be recognized for your contribution to what has been nothing short
of a remarkable.
7
Safety was September’s BNAR topic. To empha-
size this with our agents, we invited Bill Long from
Spar Self Defense to come in and speak with us
about the awareness of taking our safety seriously.
He spoke for 45 minutes on topics like open
houses, safety when showing a home, what an ag-
gressor is thinking and how some simple steps be-
forehand that can keep us out of harm's way or
even alive. He also spoke about safety items to have
on hand, just in case.
We had a full house and you could tell how valu-
able these tips were to everyone. At the end of the
presentation, Bill showed a us a few moves with the
help from Gary Kenline, that could help give us a
few moments to get away or even stop an attack.
This was a very important topic that many of us
should think about more often. You never know
until you are in that situation how important it re-
ally is. Thank you Bill!
Safety Is Keyby Amber Wesser, West Seneca Branch Director
8
Congratulations!by Dan Mirsky, Director of Marketing
PETER & MARY JO HUNT NAMED PHILANTHROPISTS OFTHE YEAR BY THE UNITED WAY TOCQUEVILLE SOCIETY
The United Way Tocqueville Society has named
Peter & Mary Jo Hunt 2014 Philanthropists of the
Year. The annual award is presented to recognize
outstanding volunteer service and community com-
mitment. Each year, the award winners are selected
by past recipients.
The Hunt’s have been longtime contributors to the
United Way. Between them they have served more
than 15 years on the Board of Directors, and helped
inspire tens of thousands of people to change lives in our community through philanthropy as chairs
of the 2004 Campaign and of the Tocqueville Society in 2014.
“Peter and Mary Jo are a prime example of a family that is dedicated to making the community they
live in a better place,” said Michael Weiner president and CEO of United Way of Buffalo and Erie
County. “We are proud to honor them as the United Way Tocqueville Society Philanthropists of the
Year.”
“Supporting the United Way and their continuing commitment to improve our community is near
and dear to our entire family,” said Peter Hunt, Chairman and CEO of HUNT Real Estate Corpo-
ration. “This tribute is a great honor and we are extremely appreciative of their recognition.”
9
News Around the Regions
Congratulations to new parents, Kelli and Charlie Hunt! On Saturday,
October 3rd, they welcome the newest tiny addition to their family. A
healthy baby girl. Alice Catherine Hunt, 7lbs., 4oz., 19.25 inches long!
HUNT Real Estate presented the
United Way with the money raised in
2015 on Friday, November 13, 2015.
HUNT raised $30,000! Great job
HUNT!
The annual Leadership Conference was held on Oc-
tober 14 -16. The leadership team took a few spins
around the go kart track.
Corporate
Beatrice Dunwoodie and some of
our agents have been out and
about at corporate benefit fairs to
promote HUNT Real Estate and
our On the House benefit pro-
gram. They worked hard and had
some fun while meeting many
new prospects. They visited Excel-
lus, Lifetime Health, New Era and
Techniplex.
Buffalo/Niagara
10
CALL THE PAPARAZZI! We have a couple of local celebrities! HUNT Rochesterwould like to congratulate our own Ellen DeMar, Perinton BD, on her appoint-ment to the Greater Rochester Association of Realtor’s Board of Directors.Ellen will hold the position for 3 years. The induction celebration was held at the DoubleTree in Henrietta. This is a wonderful accomplishment. We are pleased to have a mem-ber of HUNT on the board!
HUNT Rochester would also like to congratulate to Roberta DiLella from ourWebster Branch. She was featured on the front cover of the D&C’s RealEstate Section. She is highlighted in an article about affordable housing options.Roberta represents a seller in a prefabricated home community and educates us on theaffordability of this type of home. These homes aren’t just for snowbirds and emptynesters, but for 1st time buyers as well. Nicely done Roberta!
Rochester
Our HUNT Glens Falls agents held a benefit on for Joe Woutersz who is fightingStage 4 Esophageal Cancer. The benefit was held in Queensbury, NY at Bay Mead-ows Golf Course and had well over 150 people in attendance. In picture perfectweather, the benefit started with 18 rounds of golf and ended with dinner andmusic. The highlight of the evening was the huge silent auction and the not-so-silent live auction. Many of the auction items came from HUNT Real Estate officesand agents in the Capital Region, as well as some from HUNT offices outside theregion. Joe and Elaine were completely overwhelmed by the amount of supportand attendance at the event from his HUNT family and the community as a whole.
The event was a huge success raising $18,271. Shortly after Joe was diagnosed, An-drew Genovese started an online fundraiser for him that had also raised $16,635,bringing the total amount raised for Joe $34,906. 100% of this money goes towardsJoe's medical expenses, and we all pray every day for his recovery.
Capital
Our Erie County Fair Table
proved to be a huge SUC-
CESS! Many of the agents
who worked the table walked
away with 4127 leads. Some of
these leads were actually ready
to get into the market right
away! They were sellers looking
to sell and buyers looking to
buy. We also wanted to share
the great news about the winners of our pink guitar and 4 Buffalo Bisons Tickets! Con-
gratulations to Jessica Feuerstein, winner of our Bisons Tickets (photo on left). Vince
Edgerton and Patricia Luss (photo on right).
Buffalo/Niagara cont.
News Around the Regions cont.
11
News Around the Regions cont.
The Capital Region has been busy with events and training! Glens Falls hosted
Technology Training, Saratoga Springs had a Pot Luck and Peter Hunt hosted
a Town Hall Meeting in the Capital Region! (photos from left to right).
Capitalcont.
The Watertown agents are hosted their first annual coat drive for the less fortunate
women and children in the community. The office collected over 40 coats which
included donations from many of the CNY/NNY HUNT offices. All donations went
to the the Victims Assistance Center and Children's Advocacy Center in Watertown.
To help provide the women and children a warm coat during the harsh winter months,
the office plans to continue the coat drive every year to benefit the Victims Assistance
Center.
The Liverpool HUNT office held a "Painting
with a Twist" event on Wednesday, October
28th. Painting with a Twist is a painting instruc-
tion business located down the street from the
Liverpool Branch. Branch Director Lynn Mal-
laro thought it would be a great way to bring the
team together for some fun and to partner with
another local business. The participants selected
a painting in advance and had a private room with an instructor. They had refresh-
ments provided by HUNT Mortgage and Cherie McCauley brought baked goods.
A great time was had by all as they showcased their artistic sides!
Central & Northern NY
Welcome to HUNT!
We would like to welcome the following newly licensed agents from across the company:
Denise Steiger - Scottsdale
Melissa Sanford - Scottsdale
Ashley Selevchuk - Wheatfield
Paul Slater - Williamsville
Shaun Richards - Hamburg
Peter Ahrens - Hamburg & Orchard Park
Nicole Freidenberg - Hamburg
Peter Nuessle - Orchard Park
Domenic Surianelle - Williamsville/Clarence
Salvatore Aurilio - Williamsville Village
Omar Arellano - Loudonville
Erin Miller - Saratoga Springs
Lauren White - Perinton
Shane Shaffer - Brighton/Pittsford
Deanna Emblidge - Canandaigua
Ashley Howard - Oneida
Julie Kielbasa - Chittenango
Tamara D’Agata Malecki - Camillus
Brittany Moen - Manlius
Jennifer Guiles - Camillus
Daniel Doney - Dewitt
Eamon Weber - Buffalo Metropolitan
Andrew Tied - Hamburg
Jennifer Schupbach - Williamsville/Clarence
Holli Draves - Williamsville/Clarence
James Benniger - Tempe
Bridget Baum - Rennselaer
Peter Cornell - Rennselaer
Paula Anselmo - Brighton/Pittsford
Lori Siegel - Brighton/Pittsford
Richard Turner - Birghton/Pittsford
Tracy Doria - Liverpool
Christine Lansing - Manlius
We would also like to welcome the following experienced agents fromacross the company:
Andrea Abel - Scottsdale
Jacqueline Smith - Scottsdale
Ruby Graf - Scottsdale
Teri Shardy - Scottsdale
Jennifer Blake - Lockport
Mary Beth Dentinger - Wheatfield
Richard Dentinger - Wheatfield
James Post - Saratoga Springs
Cindy McMahon - Slingerlands
April Seney - Slingerlands
Lorenzo Murray - Slingerlands
Sarah Dauphinais - Slingerlands
Crystal Collins - Slingerlands
Peter Cornell - Slingerlands
Mary Stapelton - Slingerlands
Daniel Buccieri - Brighton/Pittsford
Sandra Snyder - Brighton/Pittsford
Anne Astafan - Watertown
Guadalupe Vierya - Tempe
Vickie Seymour - KenTon
Justin Zurbrick - Buffalo Metropolitan
Mary Wagner - Orchard Park
Brenda Buchanan - Hornell
Judy Clark - Hornell
John Falzarano - Hornell
Shaune Henry - Hornell
Cynthia Herbert - Hornell
Barbara Hess - Hornell
Douglas Hess - Hornell
Linda Lathan - Hornell
Tricia Acton - Hornell
Denise Grandusky - Hornell
Steven Desanto - Hornell
Dana Williams - Horenll
Nancy Countryman - Horenll
Laurie Godown - Hornell
Debora Quinlan - Hornell
Stacy Galarneau - Hornell
Diane Sovereign is October Employee of the
Month. Diane received a frantic phone call on a Thursday
afternoon. One of our HUNT agents had a sale on a listing
that was falling apart due to the buyer being declined. Diane
quicly sprang into action, meeting the client that evening to
take his application. Time is of the essence. Diane spent
hours pouring over his complex tax returns with our team
of underwriters. As if the file wasn’t complicated enough,
this was Diane and HUNT’s first TRID loan that was also
on a new software. However, neither the self employed borrowers, government
regulation nor new software could stop our Super Star of over 25 years from her
job. The transaction closed, three other “domino” deals were saved with it and
happy agents and clients all around. Great job Diane!
Jamie (Mendel) Kolb is the November Employee
of the Month. Jamie is the Branch Director leading our
Lockport, Wheatfield and Lewiston branches. She has
been the catalyst to remarkable company growth in Ni-
agara County and continues to build the region through
her recruiting efforts and the training of new hires. Jamie
involves the agents in her efforts to grow the HUNT brand
by holding monthly recruiting initiatives that help create
the motivational environment that we strive for in our
branches. Jamie is a true leader and a wonderful example of someone driven to
make sure her branches achieve Model Branch status.
Employee of the Monthby Charlie Hunt, General Manager of Rochester Region & Director of Corporate Relations