Issue 34

The official newsletter of HUNT Real Estate Corporation

May 2011

Weve Accomplished A Lot!

A message from Peter F. Hunt, Chairman & CEO Most influences in the real estate industry today are designed to diminish the value and impact of a company and increase the value and impact of the agent. I am not here to buck that trend. Our theme: We are One Company: Your Team is designed simply to let our agents and their customers know that each and every one of our agents is supported by a company of individuals and businesses that together combine to always be there for them. I am here to let all who will listen know that together we can accomplish great things and create a truly special place in the real estate world. The fact that this is our Centennial Year makes this effort that much more important. Earlier in the year I shared with you the core strategies for our organization for the year. I spelled out how we would hunker down to reflect the real world, how we would opportunistically grow to take advantage of what the real world would give us and how we would investment spend to speed our growth measured against our competition and our own financial and numeric goals. I am not happy to report that the industry and the overall economic conditions continue to disappoint us making it very difficult to meet our financial and numeric goals (listings taken; sales made; mortgages; insurance policies, etc.). I am happy to report that in spite of those challenges, we have accomplished a great dealperhaps the most we have ever accomplished strategically and organizationally in one year in our history. Please review the extensive list of actual accomplishments and projects completed as a feaContinued on inside cover

HUNT Mortgage proudly introduces Buy the Before-Live the After program
enough. The reason for this is their pocketbook is calling out to the house because typically if it needs TLC, its probably a heck of a bargain. But, at the same time, the buyers are also concerned that they wont be able to get the house to their liking without the help from a contractor. In support of this promotion, HUNT Mortgage in conjunction with Lowes will conduct informational seminars with the intent to bring awareness to the general public. The program will run indefinitely based on consumer and agent demand. HUNT Mortgage also plans to conduct homebuyer sessions to generate consumer awareness as well as to promote the program in the Buffalo/Niagara, Rochester, and Central New York regions. Our Buy the Before-Live the After program will pull all of the required resources together to take what might have once been considered a nightmare and turn it into the American Dream, added Mallia. By the way, this program is not just targeted at those houses that absolutely need fixing up; it is also available for properties that a buyer wants to customize to their own tastes. For a complete training schedule, contact Amanda Vogel at amanda.vogel@huntmortgage.com.

HUNT Mortgage is proud to introduce an exciting new program to help our customers take their existing home, or purchase a new home, and revitalize, renovate, or remodel to meet their individual tastes and needs. Our Buy the Before - Live the After Program is designed to bring together in one simple and easy process all of the resources needed and to provide the financing in one affordable, low rate loan. This program is available for both purchase or refinance transactions. HUNT Mortgage has parterned with HUNT ERA, Lowes retail outlets and our local Realty Club vendors, to make the whole process simpler for our buyers. This cooperative effort is focused on bringing together sellers of homes that could use some upgrading, buyers who want these homes, and contractors who will provide the services, with the goal to revitalize communities by helping borrowers customize a home to their liking. Linda Mallia comments that when agents advertise a house to buyers as needing some tender love and care (TLC), those buyers that arent handy, cant pass by that ad fast

HUNT Launches Buy Design Program

We are excited to implement this unique program which helps buyers purchase a home with a plan.

Using Social Media to Grow Your Business

See how one of our top agents is using Facebook to support his marketing initiatives.

Weve Accomplished A Lot!

tured section 2011 in Review: Taking Stock in this months newsletter and please consider this against all of our competitors actions over the same period of time. I believe you will be positively impressed by what the people in your company have accomplished. Now it is up to all of us to take this set of accomplishments and all that we have created individually and as an organization and apply to the market everything that makes us who and what we are. That means that our customers need to know what makes you and your company simply superior to any other option in the real estate world those customers may be considering. It also means that we must continue to work toward being the model real estate and homeownership services organization in the real estate world. So proudly tell your customers why there is no second choice to you when you are on a listing; and there is no reason to consider any other agent for their buy decisions. If you have any lack of confidence, please go to HUNTUniversity.com and explore the educational opportunities designed

...continued from cover

to give you the confidence to compete and win. No matter what we have accomplished so far this year or in previous years, we must continue to work toward being the model real estate and homeownership services organization in the real estate world. Last month I asked that you consider what a model branch office might look like along with a model experience for an agent. I did not get much response, so I will ask again. Please let me know what the environment for your ultimate success would look like. I would like to thank the many people who have contributed so much of their time, talent and experience to who and what we are in this our 100th Anniversary Year. It is my hope that you will all take part in the celebration planned for later this year and in the meantime, help us to formulate the kind of company that will allow us to thrive in our second century.

2011 in Review: Taking Stock

Seller Select v2011 (beta) Buy Design Multicom II Establishment of Same Customer Service Level (SCSL) Action Plan First HUNT University Course Catalog New HUNT Transition Guide New Winning Differences recruiting brochure Top Gun Training with Dan Elzer Allan Dalton, the first distinguished speaker of our 100th Anniversary Celebration Complete revision of our financial reporting Cost management allocation C-21 acquisitions in Rochester, NY Appointment of Local General Managers Redefinition of branch structure (Outpost, Boutique, Branch, Super Branch) Realignment & redefinition of branch leadership HUNTRealEstate.com; stabilization, planning for new Web site & rebuild of OneRealPro Detailed comparison of all major competing Brokers (Listing & Agent Services) Updated Policy & Procedure Manual Successful R.A.P implementation . Online Video Training with David Knox Video Conferencing to connect all regions in real-time Detailed Agent Survey in Rochester and Syracuse regions with follow-up Action Plan Regional Co-Broker/Agent Events Updated Employee Manual Realignment of HUNT Mortgage Consultants HUNT Mortgages consumer-oriented

How one of HUNT ERAs top agents is using social media to grow his business
The Albany Times Union recenlty featured our very own Anthony Gucciardo, from our Loundonville branch in an article about Anthony Gucciardo how real estate agents are effectively using Facebook to reach new customers. Here is a snippet from the article.

his friend request. "It's a face directory is what it is. It's better than the yellow pages. It's better than a phone call," he says. "In the last year, I would say Facebook is definitely related to six or seven deals." Gucciardo says contacting potential clients through Facebook seems to be less invasive than a phone call. But because a Facebook profile can include pictures and personal background information, reaching out via the site still seems personal. When somebody tells me that their friend is going to sell, rather than call them on the phone, I send them a Facebook message," Gucciardo says. "It's like a warm call. It's not a cold call. They're seeing your face. You're seeing their face, and chances are you have a mutual friend.
Read the full article at www.timesunion.com. How are you using social media to drive your business? Share your story on our Facebook page at facebook.com/huntrealestate.

Buy the Before - Live the After Program

HUNT Mortgage and Network Title Agency sponsored Speaker Series Realty Club Attorney Action Plan Our unprecedented 5th Cartus Mobility Masters Cup Top Broker billing from ERA International Introduction of RISMedia RREIN relationship including a new mobile platform

Billboards plastered with real estate agents' faces have been part of the home sales landscape for years. But now, when Anthony Gucciardo, a broker associate for HUNT Real Estate ERA in Loudonville, launches a billboard campaign, he follows up his efforts to get his face out there by "friending" potential clients on Facebook. After buying billboards in Troy, Gucciardo looked up who lived on the streets surrounding his advertisements and sent Facebook friend requests to the residents who had profiles on the popular social networking website. About 95 percent of the people he reached out to accepted

Recognizing our Top Sales Agents of the Month

April 2011
Buffalo/Niagara
Amherst / Kathy Anderson East Aurora / Deb Kaczka Hamburg / Carol Lee Rubeck KenTon / Gerri Normandin Lancaster / Maureen Prinzbach Lewiston / Anne Smith Lockport / Jenna Rocco Metropolitan / Ellen Daly Orchard Park / Colleen Brunelle West Seneca / Patricia Thompson-Scholz Wheatfield / Kelly Ryan Williamsville-Clarence / Joel Calabrese Williamsville Village / Bonnie Clement

HUNT Mortgage Announces new buyer program with partner, Genworth Mortgage Insurance
At HUNT Mortgage we continue to seek ways to give value to our customers. Therefore, we are pleased to announce a great new benefit we are able to offer through our partnership with Genworth Mortgage Insurance. The Homebuyer Privileges Program will give our customers discounts at various retailers. Participating retailers include The Home Depot, Sears Commercial, Penske Truck Rental, and GE Appliances (discounts vary by retailer.) How does it work? Customers will receive a code at closing that will give them access to the Homebuyer Privileges site, where they can access a full list of participating retailers, and the discounts that are available. This program will be available to all HUNT Mortgage customers, not only those who require Mortgage Insurance. HUNT Mortgage Consultants will be providing more information on this program, and how it can help extend discounts to buyers.

The demise of e-mail

By Carlos Pegado, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer lenges, businesses continued to depend on the communication flow available solely through e-mail, so it remained a strong, must-have piece of software in every organization worldwide. So, then what happened? Businesses found their e-mail systems hacked and customer and corporate data stolen, destroyed or lost, costing untold millions of dollars. As a result, businesses found themselves forced to spend billions of dollars on e-mail specific security to prevent future loss. Towards the end of 2010, Facebook announced that it would integrate various aspects of messaging including e-mail into its social networking service to provide enhanced communication. Once the single most important source for business communication, e-mail has been demoted to just one among many communication tools in use today. The next world order in business communication includes SMS Text Messaging, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, BlackBerry messaging, iPhones Facetime and dozens of new collaboration applications. We want to know what you think. Visit our Facebook page and share your thoughts on the new business communication trends!

Rochester
Brighton-Pittsford / Roz Clancy Canandaigua / Sandi VanCamp Greece / Frank Cimino Perinton / John Denniston Webster / Vince LoCastro

Syracuse / Carthage-Watertown
Cazenovia / Chary Griffin Chittenango / Russ Waldron Cicero / Agati/Tibbits Team DeWitt / Dongxia Jiang Fayetteville / Manning/Litz Team Liverpool / Bill Hosey Manlius / Liz & Dan Gaulin Oneida / Mary Pat Adams West Regional / Dave Manzano, Sr. Carthage-Watertown / Jessica Dorr

Born in the research labs of MIT in 1961, email rose to prominence in the late 1980s through the late 1990s with services including CompuServe, AOL and client/server computing. It reached adolescence with the growth of Microsoft Exchange and Outlook. Often described as a killer app, e-mail solved business and communication problems encountered by national and international organizations. It eventually expanded into other areas including contact management and calendaring and it became a staple of communication. The future of e-mail came into serious question with the arrival of SPAM. The torrent of unwanted, unsolicited, often offensive and sometimes fraudulent e-mail started the erosion of trust in technology. They cost businesses billions of dollars a year while at the same time decreasing our collective ability to realize technologys full potential in the words of Bill Gate, Microsofts Founder & CEO. Despite these chal-

Capital District
Saratoga Springs / Anthony Gucciardo

Arizona
Tempe / Craig Milne

Brighton-Pittsford hosts 5th Annual Egg HUNT!

SCSL Success
HUNT Mortgage is once again pleased to share with you the Same Customer Service Level (SCSL) report for the month of April. Congratulations to the following branches for meeting or exceeding their April SCSL goal!

Customer Service Compliments

HUNT Real Estate Corporation would like to continue to share with you the kind words that our agents are saying about our friendly Customer Service team. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate all the help everyone at ProShow gives me. I have been taking advantage of having them set up all my buyer's appointments and it is so very helpful. They are all doing a great job and I totally appreciate all the help! You guys are the best! - Kelly Poulos - Amherst Branch Greg Oehler from HUNT Commercial also thinks Customer Service is doing a great job. He thanks you all for your hard work and the great job you do every day! Thank you, everyone at the Customer Service Department and keep up the good work!

Last month, the Brighton-Pittsford branch hosted the 5th annual Egg HUNT Columbus. The week prior to the event, over 3,500 eggs were stuffed with candy by those who attended the egg-stuffing party. 4 big baskets full of prizes for the kids were also assembled that day. One basket is made for each age group. The 4th basket is raffled off with the proceeds benefitting the Rochester Police Department's "Do The Right Thing" program. This program awards kids with a backpack full of supplies when they are caught doing something good in their school. Our Egg HUNT raffle provided 50 backpacks to the Police Department. Aside from the traditional egg hunt, the days activities included face painting, a coloring corner, the Easter Bunny, music, and refreshments. The egg hunt started at 1:00... within 15 minutes the field was spotless! Were still not sure who has more fun....the agents or the children!

Buffalo/Niagara: Goal 44% Lewiston 100%, Hamburg 72.22%, Met 50%, Orchard Park 45.45%, Lancaster 44.44% Rochester: Goal 33% Greece 40%, Brighton Pittsford 33.33% Syracuse: Goal 25% Chittenango 150%, Cazenovia 100%, Fayetteville 92.86%, Dewitt 50%, Cicero 29.41%, Liverpool 26.32%, West Regional 25.00% Special recognition is due to the Syracuse region. In April, the Syracuse region had an overall SCSL of 36.56%, the highest to date in that region. Thank you all again for your continued supportgreat team effort!

Announcing our Newest Recruiting Initiative

informational Career Session from 10:00 10:45 am sharp (EST). At 10:45, the video system will be activated, at which time either Peter Hunt or Lou Izzo will be available for a brief Question and Answer period and will close the session. We anticipate this to last no more than thirty minutes. The Marketing department will support these events through print and online advertisements. All of our Business Development Managers and Broker Consultants will be promoting the Career Sessions at every opportunity. In addition, all BDMs will be in attendance at the Career Session and will be responsible for following up will all of the session participants. If you know anyone who may be interested in a career in real estate, we encourage you to invite, and perhaps accompany them to these events. Remember, the RAP program applies to any new or experienced agent you recruit!

Beginning Saturday, June 4th at 10:00 a.m. (EST) we will be conducting monthly career sessions via video conference from HUNT University in Buffalo, NY. These events will be promoted through Jill Caffery, our Recruiting Coordinator, as well as through our Business Development Managers in the days before the event. From this point forward, the Career Sessions will be held on the first Saturday of every month. If that day happens to fall on a holiday, the session will be moved to the second Saturday of the month. Each regional location will use their video site as the meeting room and conduct a 45-minute

Look who joined HUNT!

HUNT Real Estate Corp. is proud to officially announce the addition of Peter Grandits, who has joined our Peter Grandits organization as our consulting Chief Financial Officer. Pete is responsible for leading/managing all financial activities across all HUNT companies. Pete has over 30 years of experience in the financial arena, most recently as the CFO and co-owner of AP Wagner, Inc., the second largest distributor of appliance parts across North America. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and is a Certified Public Accountant. Pete has been offering his consulting services to us and other companies over the past year. Since being first introduced to our organization, Pete has helped to develop new corporate financial goals and objectives, and a vision for how to attain such goals. In less than just the few months he has been with us, he has entirely revamped our monthly financial reporting capabilities at HREC. The new reporting capabilities combine traditional financial reporting with key financial and operational metrics, and are being rolled out over the next 10 days. Such metrics are designed to be the levers by which we can improve the profitability of our entire organization, and are an extension of our by the numbers initiative which we commenced late last year. Ultimately, Pete will be extending these financial reporting capabilities across all HUNT companies. Over his 14-year tenure at AP Wagner, Pete was successful in guiding the continuous improvement in the companys profitability in 13 out of 14 years, experience which we will draw on here at HREC to create a similar success pattern. Please join us in a warm HUNT Real Estate welcome to Pete Grandits!

Buy Design Program Successfully Launched

HUNT Buy DesignSM was introduced throughout all regions this month with a lot of energy and excitement. Agents were given an opportunity to view and learn about this unique program which helps buyers purchase a home with a plan in place, rather than in a confusing, unorganized and convoluted fashion. In an age of the Internet, smartphones, tablets and the like, buyers are looking at homes in a totally different way than in the past. The Buy Design Program was developed with these trends in mind and incorporating the services of a professional HUNT ERA agent. Designing the buyers homeownership experience to include assisting buyers search, securing that home under contract, financing it, insuring it, helping them move in and maintain it, our agents are positioned to offer the best services available anywhere. Buying a home is now easily accomplished through a relationship with a HUNT ERA professional agent. Making the homeownership experience more enjoyable, less expensive and on purpose is the foundation of the Buy Design Program. The buyer can take advantage of homeownership discounts and special services through The Realty Club, that would not be available with any other broker. Understanding the homeownership process and having a real estate professional by their side before, during and after the purchase provides an enhanced level of service that no other company offers. Plan to attend one of the many training sessions and workshops this month. Register online at HUNTUniversity.com.

How would you like to win an iPad?

agency (HUNT Insurance) serving the balance of our regions. Throughout the month of June, the representative from the agency serving your region will be in your branch office to get to know you and also to provide free quotes for all your insurance needs. The date and time of these visits will be published well in advance. All you have to do is bring in your current homeowners, auto and/or other insurance policy and you will receive a freeof-charge, no obligation quote. For each policy you have quoted, your name will be entered in a drawing for an iPad. We will be giving away one iPad for every twenty policies quoted. If you have three policies quoted, your name will be entered three times. It is our hope that through high-quality personalized service to you, you will in turn recommend us to your customers. Please join us in celebrating our Centennial Year, contributing to the growth of the entire organization, and experiencing the benefits of being part of One CompanyYour Team!

Our theme for this our Centennial Year is One CompanyYour Team. A significant challenge is simply increasing awareness of all the elements of Your Team and how those can benefit you as well as our customers. Providing access to competitively-priced property and casualty and other forms of insurance is a significant part of always being there for our agents, our staff and buyers of all forms of real estate. It is not a widely-known fact that we operate as a joint venture with Vanner and Associates a fairly large and growing insurance agency (The HUNT-Vanner Agency) serving our Buffalo Niagara Region and a newer, second

From the desk of...

A message from Louis A. Izzo, Jr., President - Residential Brokerage Thank goodness its June. And that means summer is just around the corner. June is the single busiest month of the year at HUNT ERA and activity reported through Customer Service, ProShow and our branches confirms this to be factual. It is our most aggressive month in our plan and will require a great deal of effort from all of us. Please work closely with your Broker Consultant and AA to coordinate our efforts in servicing our customers and clients through this busy month. Our inventory of homes in every market is lower than it was at this point last year and our market share is growing in several of our markets. This unique dynamic is a result of our national and local economies being in flux with the current level of buyer demand increasing dramatically. The time for a client to list their home has not been this good in the past three years. We are seeing well-positioned properties receiving dozens of showings. This clearly benefits our sellers if they are positioned properly, and can likely put them into the position of being a highly qualified buyer as well. We have recently had an enormous increase in new and experienced agents joining our company in several of our regions and many of our branches. It is exciting to see that the HUNT ERA tools, services, leadership and earnings programs are leading the way in the industry. Although many would say this is a challenging time to be in our industry, there is much to look forward to at HUNT ERA. The Buy Design program is now on ToolkitCMA and training is well underway and the new Seller Select presentation will be launched shortly. It is awesome and the test groups have given it strong positive reviews. I would like to thank the over 30 agents who volunteered for the beta groups. This months Above and Beyond Award goes to our new Consultant CFO, Pete Grandits. Behind the scenes, Pete has created the new financial operating systems for HUNT ERA that have led to tremendous efficiencies for our company and assisted our branches in operating more effectively. Pete has also worked closely with Laurie Schifferle and our Accounting group to bring a much higher level of service to their internal customer. Thank you, Pete. Until next month...

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Exciting Leadership Changes in the Rochester Region

HUNT ERA is thrilled to announce a series of leadership changes in the Rochester region. Jeanne Olson has accepted the position of Business Development Manager for the Rochester Region. Her prior Jeanne Olson success in running her own real estate business, producing 15 million annually in production as a agent and the reputation she earned in leading the Brighton-Pittsford branch makes her the right choice to grow our business and optimize agent productivity. Jim Sauer, currently Broker Consultant of our Perinton and Canandaigua branches will replace Jeanne as Broker ConJim Sauer sultant at Brighton-Pittsford. Jim's history with HUNT ERA has demonstrated his ability to earn the respect of our agents and to maximize their production. Jim will also continue as Broker Consultant in Canandaigua. Cheryl LaTray has recently accepted a full-time Broker Consultant position at our BrightonPittsford branch. Cheryl will work Cheryl LaTray with Jim on co-managing the Brighton-Pittsford branch. Cheryl has previous experience in several successful owner/operator positions and for the past several months, has partnered with Jeanne Olson in leading this fast paced branch on a part-time basis. Cheryl brings a focus on creativity, results and process to this important assignment. Ellen DeMar, currently an agent at our Webster branch, will replace Jim Sauer as Broker Consultant at our Perinton branch. Ellen comes with
Ellen DeMar

many years of leadership experience with Xerox and years of a successful real estate background.

As announced in last months newsletter, Catherine Peters accepted the position of Broker Consultant for our Greece Branch and she will continue in that role going forward. Her energy and freshness has been a welcome attribute in Greece. Lastly but certainly not least, Laurie Dietrich will also continue as Broker Consultant at the Webster branch. Laurie has done a tremendous job in building trust among her agents and offers a sound business approach to the office. Please join us in congratulating all the newest members of our management team!

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