Find out how your money adds up in a year and what it helps to pay! Page 14/15 Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake Easter Trifle YUM!
Fed signals possible June increase in interest rates Page 12/13
April 1, 2015
CONTENTS Page Riolympics Raffle…………………...…..3 Riolympics Flyer………..…………….….3 Management Team………………….....5 Welcome Aboard...........................6 RET Committee Report……………..…7 Classes, Company Events, Birthdays & Anniversaries………...8 Strawberry Easter Trifle……………….9 Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs…………..…9 Care Committee Report……….......10 Be Storm Ready…………………………10 What’s New……………………………....11 Real Estate Humor…..………...........11 Fed Signals Increase ……..……..12/13 RE/MAX CM……………..N……….14/15 Agents…………………………………….…16 Office Staff……………………….……....17
Come on over to our team. You’ll be glad you did. We have the top agents, friendly atmosphere, wonderful education & technology classes. Don’t be left outside call 722-0001. You’ll be glad you did!.
If you’re enough lucky to be Irish……. You’re lucky enough!!
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Hi everyone, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Easter! Time flies when you’re having fun. Again this month we have some great classes coming, so take a peak and mark your calendar. We are having Cinco de Mayo luncheon here at the West office for everyone. The date & time is in the letter so make sure you don’t miss it. And we have some great functions coming up in May. It appears that business seems to be picking up. Hope the spring brings lots of contracts for all of you. Let us know if you feel the market is turning up. Remember, this is our stormy time of year so keep your eyes on the weather. That way you know you’ll be safe. Enjoy the Spring! If you have anything that you would like in the paper, let me know. Till next month, Donna Schulze Editor Email: dsknews@cox.net Office Phone: 554-2828 Cell Phone:734-0734 Extension: #104
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RIOLYMPICS DRAWING!!! We are very excited to tell you about the Riolympics raffle we are having that will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network, Via Christi Hospital here in Wichita. The ticket donations are $75.00 each and ten Golden Ticket will be available for $5,000 a piece. We are wanting to raise between $50,000 to $80,000 for CMN. The Grand Prize is a trip to the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. There will only be 1500 tickets available. We will have over $50,000 worth of prizes given away. You have a 1 in 149 chance to win a prize per ticket. The Golden Tickets are a guaranteed prize winner with a 1 in 20 chance to win the Grand Prize. We will be selling the raffle tickets at the RE/MAX Convention this March. The Travel Junkie is helping us with the raffle. The next page has the flyer that gives all the information you need about the Grand Prize and what you get if you win. We hope you will help us promote this endeavor so we can raise lots of money for CMN right here at home.
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Hi Agents, We have a lot of good classes coming up this month. So I hope you all look at the calendar on page 8. I’m sure you will find something to your liking. I’m very excited about a financial course that will be taught by Dave Ramsey. Dave is an American financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker. His show and writings strongly focus on encouraging people to get out of debt. The course is on Financial Freedom. We will be meeting on Tuesday’s starting on April 21st from 5:30 PM to about 7:00 PM. It is a nine week course!
I NEED a count on the exact orders for the Dave Ramsey class materials. The cost is $109.00 which will get you the whole package. This is a GREAT investment & group activity! We hope you can all take a part in this course. You will learn a lot. Contact me at 554-2818 ASAP so I can make sure you have all the necessary materials. Happy Selling, Cheryl Huebert
The Management Team
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WELCOME ABOARD!!! We want to let everyone know we have a lot of new people roaming our office. So please take the time to stop, introduce yourself and make them feel at home in our RE/MAX Office. First off, The Travel Junkie now has Brian Brubaker on board. He is their technology support and will also be working marketing. They also have Beth Marguter, Chelsea Coop and Kim Taylor. Welcome, we’re glad you are here. Kevin Peterson with Proper Technology has added a new employee, Dallas Townsend. So be sure to say Hi! We also want to welcome Jennifer Kimberly. She is the new Agent with BNC. We welcome her and want to thank her for the great St. Patty’s Day lunch that she had for everyone. She knows the way to our hearts….just give us food. Jennifer is here to help you with your clients. Let her know how she can help you. You can reach her at: Direct: (316) 854-3629 Cell: (575) 799-9421 Fax: (316) 854-3669
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We also want to welcome Brandon Casey as a New Agent to our RE/MAX family. Brandon is a brother to Michelle Briggs. Please let him know that we are glad he is here and we are here to help him in any way possible. Nick Holzrichter and Cliff Schoonover have hired an assistant. Her name is Bambi Renfro. As you can see we have a lot of new people to meet and tell them we’re glad they are here.
Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what!
Lance Ferguson Kerry Dunn
Dixie Ball
Gloria Light
The RE/MAX Enrichment Team RET Minutes
Cliff Schoonover
Amanda Levin
MISSION Statement: The RE/MAX Enrichment Team is dedicated to providing a conduit of communication between the Agents and Management of RE/MAX Realty Professionals, with the goals of improving the overall environment, productivity and the success of the company’s Agents, and, to collectively brand RE/MAX Realty Professionals as the most desirable Real Estate Firm in the industry. The RE/MAX Enrichment Tem will explore and advise Management in enhancing and/or expanding the following areas: continuous education, current technologies, paramount service, superior amenities, Agent interaction, and recruitment of desirable professionals.
The RET Committee wants to remind the agents about the Suggestion Boxes that are located at both the East & West Office. What are your concerns or questions that you might have, please put it in the box or give us a call. We are here to help you get the answers.
From The RET Team
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UP COMING EDUCATIONAL CLASSES April 9th – 1:00 PM – 4:00Pm – Back to School: The Cool Kids Ethics Course Instructor: Brenda Noffert CE: 3 Elective Hours April 15th – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM – Lunch & Learn – Information on New Floodplain Zoning Maps - $10 – Call 263-3167 to RSVP April 20th & 21st – 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM – Sellers Representative Specialist designation Instructor: Ginnie Field 9 Elective Hours PENDING APPROVAL The above classes are all at the WAAR Office – 170 W. Dewey
Call the WAAR 263-3167 to schedule a class To make a reservation go to http://ims.Wichita-realtors.com or call 263-3167. There is a $10 charge for a no-show, if you make a reservation and do not cancel within 24 hours of class.
UP COMING COMPANY EVENTS & CLASSES April 7th - Tuesday – Company Office Breakfast Meeting – 9:00 AM Be 10 minutes early for breakfast – WAAR Office – 170 W. Dewey, Room B – Security 1st will sponsor the breakfast. April 25th – Saturday – Shred It Client Appreciation Party – 9:00 AM – Noon Make sure if you want the mailers to get them order from Alicia. April 30 - Agents Birthday Luncheon -11:30 AM – 1:00 PM at PF Changs – 1401 N. Waterfront Pkwy. Please RSVP with Alicia at 554-2845 on or by the Wednesday of the luncheon. We will reserve your seat! May 15th – Bar-B-Que Cook Off – 6:00 PM till whenever! 10100 W. Maple – Be here to see and experience an amazing assortment of Smoked meat made by our very own Kelly Bates and Don Rubottom. Food and Drinks are all provided compliements of the Amazing folks at Security 1st Title!
RE/MAX ANNIVERSARIES & Agents Birthdays RE/MAX ANNIVERSARIES: Cliff Schoonover(4/18) – 13 years. Congratulations! Happy Birthday to: Lola Mote (4/16) and Beverly Giles (4/20). We wish you both a Very Happy Birthday!
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Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake Easter Trifle This is a wonderful Easter dessert that everyone will love and easy to make. Ingredients: 2 quarts of fresh Strawberries 1/4c. granulated sugar 16 oz. cream cheese, (at room temperature) 2 Cups confectioners’ sugar 8 oz. sour cream or Greek yogurt ¾ tsp. vanilla extract 8 oz. Cool Whip, (thawed) 1 prepared angel food cake, torn or cut into small pieces. Instructions: 1. Slice your strawberries and toss them with the granulated sugar. Set aside. 2. To prepare the cheesecake filling, combine the cream cheese & confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. 3. With a rubber spatula, fold the Cool Whip into the cheese mixture. Gently fold in your chopped angel food cake. 4. Starting with your cream/cake mixture, layer 1/3 of your cake, followed by 1/3 of your strawberries, another1/3 of your cake mixture, another 1/3 of your strawberries, then the last of your cake and the last of your strawberries. 5. Cover and refrigerate at least three hours before serving.
Best Ever Hard Boiled Eggs 1 dozen large eggs Water to cover Pinch of salt Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Season with a pinch of salt. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Allow the eggs to sit for 11 minutes. Drain & cool the eggs for 2 minutes in ice water. Drain & peel the eggs. Refrigerate if you want to peel them later. Peel under cool running water. Your eggs will come out perfect every time. This really does work! This was Emeril Lagasse’s recipe from The Food Network in 1999
Make sure you call us with your questions and concerns and of course, your closing through out the year. Donna Osterman Branch Manager/Escrow Officer Office #: 316-554-2872
This serves about 15. Everyone will want seconds.
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Helping you stay Connected BE STORM READY Severe weather season is approaching. Is your family prepared? Through our ReliabiliTree program, Westar Energy trims trees all year round to help keep tree branches away from power lines. Unfortunately, we can’t prevent all power outages. And in some cases, restoring power after a storm means completely rebuilding parts of the electrical system, which takes coordination and time to complete. That’s why creating a storm kit is an important step in making sure your family is prepared for an extended power outrage.
Items to include in your storm kit: • • • • • • • •
Battery-powered emergency radio Flashlights and fresh batteries Supply of bottled water (one gallon per person per day) Nonperishable foods that don’t require heating Non-electric can opener Blankets, bedding or sleeping bags First-aid kit and medications Tool kit, including wrench to turn off gas or water lines
This information came in the Westar billing envelope. This is important information as we are now heading into our stormy months. Be Safe and take precautions.
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CARE COMMITTEE REPORT Vicki Dresslaer has started her chemo treatments. They have made her very sick. She has a total of 6 treatments that she has to do. She is a tuff lady. Please keep her in your prayers. Michelle Briggs is still not 100% but she is improving every day. She does come in the office for a few hours. She is having surgery on April 13th. This will possibly take care of some of her problems. Please keep her in your prayers. We wish her a quick recovery. Miss you at the office. Michelle. Alicia’s great grandma, Florence, who is 101 is going in for surgery on April 1st. Please keep this very strong, feisty lady in your prayers. We wish her a speedy recovery. If you know of anyone in our offices that are struggling with health or issues that we can help please contact the Care Committee: Kelly Bates, Donna Osterman, or Donna Schulze.
LOOK WHAT’S COMING IN MAY
REAL ESTATE HUMOR
Tuesday, May 5th we are having a Cinco de Mayo Lunch at the West Office from Noon to 1:00 PM Liz’s mom is going to be cooking up her homemade enchiladas and Spanish rice. We will have a side dish sign form at the west office below the mail boxes. Hope to see you all here.
ALSO IN MAY THE KELLY & DON THROW DOWN BAR B QUE! Friday, May 15th is the date for this great Barbeque! It will be at the West office from 6:00 PM to closing! The office will be furnishing the meat, buns and drinks. We will have a sign up sheet closer to the date for side dishes and desserts. What ever you feel goes good with BBQ. Mark your calendar. These are two events you don’t want to miss.
Teamwork is so important that it is virtually impossible for you to reach the height of your capabilities or make the money that you want without becoming very good at it. Brian Tracy
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Fed Signals Possible June Increase in Interest Rates By Jeff Kearns- Bloomberg News Published in The Wichita Eagle March 19, 2015
The Federal Reserve has opened the door to an interest-rate increase as soon as June while also indicating it will go slow once it gets started. The new signals were contained in a policy statement that ended an era by dropping an assurance that the Fed will be “patient” in raising rates and in a fresh set of estimates that lowered the median for the federal funds rate at the end of 2015 to 0.625 percent compared with 1.125 percent in December. “Just because we removed the word ‘patient’ from the statement doesn’t mean we are going to be impatient,” Chairwoman Janet Yellen said during a news conference Wednesday in Washington. The Federal Open Market Committee said it will be appropriate to tighten “when it has seen further improvement in the labor market and is reasonably confident that inflation will move back to its 2 percent objective over the medium term.” “An increase in the target range for the federal funds rate remains unlikely at the April” meeting, it said in its statement. Yellen is preparing for an exit from the most aggressive easing in
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The Fed’s 100-year history as the job market overcomers the damage wrought by the deepest recession since the 1930’s. At the same time, inflation and wage growth that remain too low are giving her reasons for caution. While Fed officials lowered their estimate for the federal funds rate at the end of 2015, they said in their statement that “this change in the forward guidance does not indicate that the Committee has decided on the timing of the initial increase in the target range.” Dropping the pledge to be patient marks a shift away from the explicit guidance on the future path of policy that the Fed has used since late 2008 to keep longer-term borrowing costs low. The Fed will now set policy at each meeting based on the latest economic data, making its actions less predictable. The Fed repeated that it sees strong job gains” and that labormarket conditions have “improved further.” Still, the committee lowered its assessment of the economy, saying growth has “moderated somewhat.” In January, it said the economy was “expanding at a solid pace.” Export Continued on Page 13
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growth has weakened and the housing recovery remains slow, according to this month’s statement. Yellen has said the promise to be patient means the open market committee would probably wait at least two meetings before raising rates. The next committee meetings are scheduled for April and June. The Fed is preparing to tighten even as stagnant growth elsewhere prompts central banks in Europe, China and Japan to ease policy. That has put upward pressure on the dollar, which has jumped more than 4 percent since Fed policymakers last met on Jan. 28, posing a potential headwind to growth as American exports become more expensive. Fed officials confront conflicting signals from their dual mandates for full employment and price stability as they weigh when to tighten policy for the first time since June 2006. Surging job gains pushed unemployment down to 5.5 percent in February, the lowest level in almost seven years, suggesting the economy is strong enough to withstand higher borrowing costs. Even so, recent data on housing, industrial production and consumer spending have been weaker than forecast, prompting some economists to mark down their estimates for growth this quarter. Inflation and wage growth also haven’t been as strong as many Fed officials would like, suggesting there’s more slack left in the economy than low unemployment alone suggests. “If we did see wage growth pick up, that would be at least a symptom that inflation would move up over time,” Yellen said. Still, she said faster wage growth isn’t a precondition for raising interest rates. RE/MAX REALTY BUSINESS PARTNERS2015 Need work done? Use the suppliers that RE/MAX Agents trust. Contact any of the advertisers in our magazine.
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RE/MAX Agents Raise $8.75 Million for Children's Hospitals in 2014 Participating agents support local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through individual donations and fundraisers March 30, 2015 SALT LAKE CITY [March 31, 2015] — RE/MAX agents across North America raised more than $8.75 million in 2014 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® – most of it by making donations after each property sale. Through the RE/MAX Miracle Home and Miracle Property programs, offices and agents across the United States and Canada commit to provide ongoing support to their local children’s hospitals, ensuring kids in their communities receive the best care. Since partnering with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in 1992, RE/MAX agents have raised more than $138 million for the charity’s 170 member hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Donations help fund pediatric medical equipment and treatments, healthcare services and charitable care. For some agents, these donations are very personal, helping kids in their own families and neighborhoods. “RE/MAX agents’ contributions to children’s hospitals are incredible,” said John Lauck, president and CEO of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “Agents raise funds for hospitals year-round while bringing awareness to the importance of supporting children’s hospitals in their communities. We're grateful for their 23 years of support and look forward to continuing our partnership.” continued on Page 15
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In addition to Miracle Home and Miracle Property contributions, RE/MAX offices and agents raise funds through golf tournaments, benefit dinners, auctions and other community fundraisers. Many agents also visit children’s hospitals and volunteer their time to further support the one in 10 kids who receive treatment at a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital each year "RE/MAX agents change lives every day when they help people buy and sell real estate, but they don't stop there," said Mike Reagan, RE/MAX Senior Vice President. "They know they can help save lives, too, by supporting this incredible organization." The funds help kids like 10-year-old Belle Helton, who receives care at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. She was diagnosed with a kidney disorder soon after birth. At age 5, her kidneys began to fail. Belle's mother was a donor match, but after a full health exam, doctors discovered she had breast cancer. Fortunately, Belle's father also was a match. Now, Belle and her mom, who is cancerfree, are both thriving.
Belle recently joined agents at the RE/MAX R4 Convention in Las Vegas, where agents raised $150,000 toward their 2015 fundraising goal through live and silent auctions, and a fashion show sponsored by Dillard's. Belle and her mother received a standing ovation as they modeled outfits on the runway. To support the RE/MAX network’s efforts to fundraise for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, find a Miracle Agent at www.remax.com or look for a RE/MAX yard sign with the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals balloon.
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AGENTS
Cheryl
Beverly
Cliff
Shawn
Dixie
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Lance
Don
Amanda
Anita
Jason
Janet
Kelly
Michelle
Ken
Gloria
Kerry
316-722-0001
Nick
Debby
Jennifer
Denise
Kirk
Kimberly
Brian
Tammy
Marsha
Karen
Kathryn
Jenn
Sharon
RE/MAX REALTY PROFESSIONALS STAFF
Liz
Judy
Debbie
Lila
Hannah
Sherri
PLEASE get your contracts into me as soon as possible. We need all signed copies well before closing. Thanks, Lila Brown
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RE/MAX REALTY PROFESSIONALS 10100 W. Maple Wichita, Kansas 67209 316-722-0001
for the opportunity to serve you.