AUGUST, TWENTY EIGHTEEN
ISSUE NO. 1
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Everything You Need to Know: from Industry Updates, Community Endeavors, to Company News
W H AT ’S I N S I D E TI PS 02 COMPLIANCE 03 STAGING A SMALL HOME 08 INSTAGRAM
WELCOME TO THE MONTHLY HSNE NEWSLETTER We are happy to reveal these 8 pages packed full of sweet information - now all at the tip of your fingers!
C
ommunication! It is an allimportant thing, and one we at HomeServices of Nebraska are committed to doing better (and well!). So, WELCOME to the inaugural edition of THE SCOOP. On a monthly basis we’ll assemble this publication to keep you in the loop. Suggestions? Send ‘em over to hsne-marketing@homeservicesne.com. Want to contribute an article? Let us know. We’ll highlight our community and charitable endeavors, and let you know how you can get involved. We will also spotlight a person or two, maybe throw out some useful marketing or business tips, and update you on important information you need to know. Lastly, we will highlight a particular aspect of our WHY, our core values and our culture (aka what makes us, us). If you’ve never seen Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle TED talk, take a few minutes and enjoy it on TED.com or YouTube (maybe you’ll get hooked on
TED talks, there are worse things). What gets YOU up in the morning, ready to embrace the day? Find it out – it’s your individual WHY and it connects you to your community and your clients. As a company, what connects us to one another and our communities is the idea that what we do every day matters. Our WHY?
I N TH E KNOW 02 CORE VALUES 05 GIVING GOODS 06 NEW CONSTRUCTION 08 UPCOMING EVENTS F OOD 04 MONTHLY BITES: MR.HUIS 2 05 MUST TRY RECIPE
Bettering lives, building dreams and positively impacting our communities. Collectively, we live our WHY every day. Thank you for your good work; you make us who we are and I am proud to be associated with you. So, ENJOY the newsletter, contribute, and constructively critique away. See you around the block. Regards,
“ THE FU TURE DEPEND S ON WHAT YOU D O TODAY.” -- MAHATMA GADHI
Shannon R. Harner One family, one team, one goal.
HomeServices of Nebraska CORE VALUES Leadership. Gratitude. Excellence. Integrity. Innovation.
INT RODU C ING OU R WH Y What’s a WHY? A “Why” is that particular idea that gives meaning to your work, your life and your endeavors. As a company we work to make lives better every day. Sometimes a client is moving into a dream home, sometimes they are simply downsizing or making the best of a situation such as a divorce. It is our goal, whatever their circumstance, to help them be in a better situation as a result of our assistance. 2 / SUMMER 2018 / HSNE NEWSLET TER
We also have always understood the connection of our personal work and efforts to making a positive impact on our communities. As we live our WHY of “Bettering
lives, building dreams and positively impacting our communities,” we
strive to exemplify our core values. Core values help us measure our actions against our intentions, they also help us to make decisions and those values become, simply, “the way we do things around here”. Each month we will highlight one of our core values and provide descriptions of how we are exemplifying that value in our work and our interactions with one another and our community.
NEXT MONTH we will be highlighting our core value of EXCELLENCE. If you have an example of how you, a peer or a co-worker have exemplified this value, please send it to: hsnemarketing@homeservicesne.com. Thank you for being excellent! By: Shannon Harner
expect more.
from our family of companies
Staging Tips
FOR A SMALL HOME For small homes, staging is an essential. We all know the golden rule of making a home look bigger for potential buyers, but for a small home – this rule is even more crucial. There is a ton of great advice out there. From decluttering to maximizing mirrors in the home, there is a lot of advice agents can provide their sellers to prepare for listing day. Check out a few of our favorite tips we’ve gathered.
G
et your clients to go down to the bare minimum. Encourage them to box up anything they don’t utilize on a daily basis and anything that’s smaller than a lunch box, that goes for their tchotchke collection(s) too. Shelves and display cabinets should be carefully addressed and arranged to help open up the home. Don’t be afraid of blank space! Take down art and family photos to help depersonalize and declutter your rooms. Reduce contrasting colors wherever possible. That goes for your furniture AND walls. Painting every room the same color (preferably in a lighter hue or shade of white), isn’t an artistic cop-out, particularly in a smaller home, it serves the important purpose of giving the home a continuous, less choppy, look and feel. Don’t cut corners, or fill them. Leave the corners open in a room to help extend the view of the space. The more open space potential buyers can see, the larger the rooms will feel. Take it higher. Wherever you are able, you want to raise the bar – of your window treatments and shower curtains that is. This will help give the illusion of higher ceilings and a greater space.
Have advice you’d like to share? Email us at hsne-marketing@homeservicesne.com | With help from: Realtor.com
COMPLIANCE
3
S I M P LE R U LE S TO F O LLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
1
Any time you are promoting yourself as a real estate agent (whether promoting a closing, happy clients, an open, etc) – the advertising rules apply.
2
Make sure the broker’s name is prominently displayed and not a click away (ex. view more or after clicking a link).
3
Whenever in doubt, reach out to your manager or marketing coordinator. We are here to help!
HSNE NEWSLET TER / SUMMER 2018 / 3
M O N T H LY B I T E S Let’s talk food
“It (crab rangoon)
Mr.Huis Food Review This month’s pick by Jen Gruber: a mission to find the best mongolian beef in town. Mongolian Beef. It’s one of my top two go-tos at any quick turn Chinese restaurant. Unlike sweet & sour chicken, I’ve found this dish’s sauce and composition can vary widely at restaurants. I’m always on the hunt for “the best version in Lincoln and guys – I may well have found it at Mr. Huis 2. If you need to take a pause and show
concern that I’ve somehow developed a hobby of critiquing this, feel free :)
Before I get to the food, I have to let you in on the fact that lunch on/ near Pioneers is usually pretty busy. This hasn’t been the case at Mr. Huis. Service for sit down or to-go has always been swift and the food remarkably fresh. So if you need to make a quick stop – it’s a great option to consider. It’s pretty spacious with several private dining nooks which offers a great place to meet clients or get work done while you munch.
4 / SUMMER 2018 / HSNE NEWSLET TER
Now onto the food. I decided to be selfless for the sake of this review and forced myself to order a small Crab Rangoon to try along with my main dish. It was amazing. It had a generous amount of crab and had a thinner crisp wanton. So although it was fried – it wasn’t as greasy as some from other local joints. Onto the main course, Mongolian beef was superb. The sauce leaned more sweet than spicy, and the flavors and food were extremely fresh. The beef practically melts in your mouth and it comes with a good amount of veggies so you can pretend you are eating somewhat healthy. Serving sizes are large, so it’s a great option to share or to pack for a meal the next day. All in all my experience and the food was great. I will definitely have a hard time topping the taste of the Mongolian beef dish anywhere else in Lincoln.
was amazing. It had a generous amount of crab and had a thinner crisp wanton.”
wHeN oNe dOoR cLoSeS, aNoThEr oPeNs.
lUcKy nUmBeRs
11, 7, 25, 38, 5, 17
GIVING GOODS P R O G R A M HomeServices of Nebraska is excited to announce a successful pilot of the New Giving Goods Program. Launched in March of 2018, the Giving Goods program provides our customers the opportunity to donate items they can’t take with them on their move to local organizations serving people in need. Typical items include things like beds, dressers, couches, end tables, book shelves, refrigerator, I think this is a great rugs, artwork, and other home goods. When customers request the service, the service – one that we can Giving Goods Program schedules a free at home up pick up and then delivers the promote to clients as a service items to our partners organizations such as; Habitat ReStore Lincoln and the People’s no one else provides. City Mission. Woods Bros Realty – Lincolnshire agent, Russ Quick
As of August 1st, 2018, the Giving Goods Program has generated 50 requests with an estimated donation value of $20,000. This service is currently available to HOME Real Estate and Woods Bros Realty customers in the Lincoln area. However, plans are already in place to expand this program offering to include our wider service area of Beatrice, Seward, York and Grand Island. Giving Goods Program Director, Jason Schmit, says, “This is a program we can include in all our listing presentations and offer all our customers. Not only is it a great service to be able to offer, the benefits to our community are significant. This is a true win/win situation for all involved.” Marketing materials such as the program flyer and program business cards can be picked up from the Marketing Coordinators at each office. The link to the request form can also be found under “Services” on the HOME and Woods Bros website, on the main page of Digidesk, or direct at www.givinggoodsforgood.com. BY: JASON SCHMIDT
Jason heads the Giving Goods Program. You can reach him at 531-500-3355 or jason.schmit@homeservicesne.com
Primavera w/Prosciutto, Asparagus & Carrots Ingredients
Directions
1 pound penne or farfalle
Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it generously and cook the pasta for 8 minutes; add the asparagus, carrot and snap peas and cook for 3 minutes. Check the pasta and vegetables to make sure they’re cooked through but still have texture, then drain.
1 pound asparagus spears, stems trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks 1 cup snap peas 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 8 ounces sliced prosciutto, jamon iberico or other high-quality ham, diced Photo courtesty of: Kat Teutsch
Recipe by: Food Network Magazine Total Time: 35 minutes Serves: 6 Gabby Gaulke loves to cook, she would even go as far to say she is a bit of a foodie. This was her favorite recipe she tried this past month. She hopes you enjoy it as much as she did!
1 large shallot, sliced 1/8 inch thick 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade or low-sodium storebought 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan, add the ham and shallot and cook until lightly browned, 3 minutes or so. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the cream, stock and mustard and simmer for a minute or two, scraping up any brown bits. Add the pasta and vegetables to the pan. Toss and cook for another 2 minutes, until cooked through and the pasta is coated. Taste for seasoning, add salt if necessary and serve immediately in warm bowls.
HSNE NEWSLET TER / SUMMER 2018 / 5
NEW CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Twin Pines
Parcel
Price
$80,000
11
$100,000
2
$80,000
12
$100,000
3
$90,000
13
$100,000
4
$95,000
14
$90,000
5
$95,000
15
$100,000
6
$95,000
16
$100,000
7
$110,000
17
$100,000
. All Parcels 3+ Acres
8
$115,000
18
$105,000
. Builder of Your Choice
9
$95,000
19
$105,000
. No Impact Fees
10
$100,000
WALKOUT
DAYLIGHT
2 SW 32nd Cir
3
Price
1
West Pleasant Hill Rd
1
Parcel
FLAT
. LPS Schools—Scott, Adams, Southwest 4 Jacs Ln
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Jacs Ln
Marla Kraft
SW 29th
15
19
St
SW 32nd
7
8
St
SW 33rd Street
5
16
18
17
Twin Pines Rd SW 31st St
6
SW
th
Ci
r
12 11
13
10
14
West Denton Road
Deer Creek Townhomes
402.570.5707
Marla.Kraft@HomeRealEstate.com
9 29
GRI, REALTOR® HOME Real Estate
(Information deemed to be reliable but not guaranteed)
on Frederick Plc, built by Schmieding HomeBuilders Privately nestled just south of Superior Street, this gorgeous area boasts a designated 12-acre green space, soon with walking paths & landscaping alongside Salt Creek & no worries, no flood insurance need!
*$18 6 , 5 0 0
Each set of townhomes has a uniquely designed exterior & boasts sod & sprinklers on each oversized lot. Inside each 3-bed, 2-bath home, you’ll find vaulted ceilings & a beautiful kitchen with granite counters, all matching appliances included, & great pantry space. Other highlights lend to a life of efficiency & minimal home maintenance for years to come. The HOE covers the hard stuff, so you’re free to simply enjoy the gorgeous outdoors. Deer Creek Townhomes are a fantastic value with included upgrades galore!
*Price varies, dependent upon lot backing to commons area or in the cul-de-sac.
* Only 9 lots left! * 6 / SUMMER 2018 / HSNE NEWSLET TER
Miranda Watson
402.617.1748 Miranda.Watson@lincolnrealestate.com
Construction is well underway at Garden View. Framing is complete on the first four models. www.MikeThomalla.WoodsBros.com/10145430 Mike Thomalla 402.430.8122 Anne Kerkman 402.304.3165
ROKEBY ROAD BLOCK 2 BLOCK 1
RESERVED
4
RESERVED
RESERVED
5
5
RESERVED
BLOCK 2
RESERVED
16
6
17
15
RESERVED
RESERVED
9
8
10
RESERVED
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13
12
11
RESERVED
ABBOTSFORD LANE 6
5
4
3
2
1
19
BLOCK 3
RESERVED
10
18
14
RESERVED
S. 32 ND CT
S. 30TH STREET S. 30TH STREET
7
7
8
9
10 11
11 22
23
21
S. 30TH STREET
12 13
14
17
18
19
20
16
15
14
GRETNA DRIVE
13 12
2
1
15
23
20
21
22
RESERVED
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7
6
5
4
3
19
RESERVED
8
9 10
BLOCK 4 18
11
17
RESERVED
16
12
16
RESERVED
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AC E TER R
17
WA LTE R
N. 33RD & SUPERIOR STREET
MORRITT STRE ET
BLOCK 1
1
2
3
4
5
6
14
7
13
8
BLOCK 5 9
RESERVED
10
RESERVED
11
N. 33RD STREET
SUPERIOR STREET
RESERVED
12
RESERVED
• NOW RESERVING LOTS! • LOT PRICES RANGE $70-99K • LOT SIZES ARE ROUGHLY 7500-16000SF. • LOT SELECTION EVENT EARLY SEPTEMBER • BUILDERS WITH A VALID END-USER PURCHASE AGREEMENT MAY SELECT LOT PRIOR TO SELECTION EVENT • OTHER OPPORTUNITY TO SELECT LOTS PRIOR TO SELECTION EVENT DEPENDENT ON QUANTITY REQUESTED
N LAND PRICING $10/SF $8/SF $6/SF $4/SF $1/SF
• LOTS EXPECTED TO BE READY OCTOBER 2018, AND HOMES COMPLETED FOR 2019 SPRING PARADE • BUILDERS MUST UTILIZE A WOODS OR HOME AGENT TO MARKET & SELL THEIR IRON RIDGE HOMES • DUE TO EARLY DEMAND, THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 34 LOTS STILL AVAILABLE IN PHASE 1, ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE LOTS SPOKEN FOR ARE YET TO BE SELECTED ALONGSIDE OTHERS DURING SELECTION EVENT, SO YOU CAN STILL GET YOUR IDEAL LOTS • FUTURE PHASES ARE READY TO MOVE ONCE PHASE 1 IS FULL • PRIORITY WILL BE GIVEN TO PHASE 1 BUILDERS FOR ALL FUTURE PHASES
TODD LORENZ PRISM
402-730-3877
TODD.LORENZ@PRISMNE.COM
AMY MOSSER 402-730-6818
MARCY TEPLY 402-781-2992
HSNE NEWSLET TER / SUMMER 2018 / 7
PRINTER UPDATES
UPCOMING EVENTS October 7-14
August 11
th
th
TEDx Youth 12:30 pm @ Ted Sorensen Theatre at Lincoln High School
Fall Parade of Homes Weekdays 6 pm – 8 pm Weekends 1 pm – 6 pm
August 14th
October 27-30th
Nacho Night 4 pm @ Brewsky’s
Boo at the Zoo 5:30 pm - 8 pm
August 15th
January 15th
Best of Lincoln voting starts! www.kfornow.com
Company Kickoff (Details to come)
August 29th
February 8-10th
Saltdogs vs. Cleburne 6:45 pm @ Haymarket Park
HBAL Home & Garden Show Lancaster Event Center
September 21st Parking Lot Party (Details to come)
MARKETING TIPS by: Joe Starkey
Why Instagram? Instagram is the second largest platform by number of users. Instagram user’s engagement rate is 58 times that of Facebook and 120 times that of Twitter! Boosting your posts is made easy too since you can use the Facebook Ad Platform. While it is only second to Facebook in users, only 14% of agents use Instagram compared to 80% of agents using Facebook. What to Post: Being a visually driven platform, your images should be well lit and staged. Wow your followers with jaw dropping worthy content. Doing a rehab project? Show the before and after! Focus on the key features of your listings. Also, share content that connects with and rewards your followers. Tell them stories, give them a reward for following you whether a giveaway or just information like teasing an upcoming listing. It’s never a bad idea leaving a way to contact you in the post even if it’s just telling them to DM you. #Hashtags: Hashtags let Instagram users search for content based off of the hashtags included in the post. These can be useful for reaching broad searches (ex. #realestate, #forsale) or more specific (ex. #LNK, #Firethorn) but blending the two will help your posts show up in searches. Don’t be afraid to tag or
LOOK OUT FOR A FEW CHANGES STARTING THIS AUGUST 2018
• New 12x18 thick matte
paper (Think business cards, 5x7 postcards, etc.)! More suitable for our printer. 25 cents/sheet
• Starting this month,
we will be charging for double-sided print jobs.
• Did you know...
on top of business cards, postcards and flyers, we can print brochures, A2 notecards, and table tents at HomeServices.
hashtag features, neighborhoods, the brokerage, your brand, nearby locations (ex. Restaurants, coffee shops, parks, etc.). Instagram Stories: Instagram stories are an underrated tool to use! 60% of people viewing your story have their volume on and a third of Instagram stories viewed are from brands. Stories are available at the top of the mobile platform making it easier to see and access your story rather than having to get your post organically fed with Instagram’s algorithm. Stories also give you more engagement tools such as mentions, locations, polls, questions, scales, stickers, gifs and more! Other Notes: Videos rule. Whether posting a video or a story, videos are the most consumed content. Just make sure your video is concise and has a message. Use emojis! There is a 17% higher interaction rate when there are emojis in the text. Leverage your existing networks and followers on other platforms to help grow your Instagram following. Don’t be afraid to follow someone in hopes of them following back in return. When you start following someone, 25 to 50% will start following you back. Takeaways: Be a storyteller. Always be building your brand. Work on being an expert in something useful to potential clients (i.e. a neighborhood, fixer-uppers, etc.). Be yourself and express your personality while remaining professional so your followers get to know you. Engage with others whether that is replying back from a comment on your post, commenting on someone else’s post, or doing polls, questions, and scales on your Instagram story.
