A�Message�fromPeter�F.�Huntpage�2

The�I�CAN�Projectpage�5

Solar�City�isComing!page�10

The official newsletter of HUNT Real Estate Corporation June 2015 | Issue 73

continued�on�page�6

ePropertyWatch IS A GAME CHANGERby�Dan�Mirsky,�Director�of �Marketing

A recent study showed that the majority of consumers who bought a home forgot who their real

estate agent was just 6 months after closing. Let that sink in for a minute.

Are you really doing a good job of staying in touch with your clients? Just because they’ve “Liked” your

Facebook business page or you’re sending them seasonal postcards doesn’t guarantee that they’ll contact you

again when they’re ready to buy. Chances are, they’re going to call the person who they feel is the expert

about their home and neighborhood - offering them the most insight and knowledgeable information.

That’s where ePropertyWatch is a game changer for you. EPW not only gets you in front of them au-

tomatically every month, but does so with the relevant, accurate data about their property and neighborhood

that they covet.

But don’t just take my word for it, look at the results from just the first month of HUNT agents using EPW:

Price�is�Value

Henry Ford revolutionized Western society by

introducing over 100 years ago mass-produced

transportation affordable to the growing middle

class. He did this by creating the assembly

line. This allowed for the production of many

more automobiles at a faster pace and for less

cost. Effectively, through ingenuity, he provided

value at a price that gave access to what had

been previously inaccessible for most. Mass-

produced automobiles revolutionized,

among other things, real estate develop-

ment and the growth of our nation.

This is an over-simplification of a very complex

set of changes in our economy. But it illustrates

the importance of both process and effi-

ciency in the concepts of value and price.

In our industry, even as documented in most

state real property laws, there is a “customary”

price for our services—a generally acknowl-

edged and accepted commission level within

any community.

The average homeowner makes a simple

decision when considering selling: Do I

hire an agent/broker and pay the cus-

tomary rate (or whatever I can negoti-

ate) or do I sell my house on my own?

Essentially, the homeowner is asking if there is

value for our services commensurate with its

“price”—our commission. The homeowner

must fundamentally believe that he/she will ex-

perience a better, more efficient home-selling

experience through an agent/broker than by

engaging in the process him or herself.

In recent years, sellers of homes have had easier

and easier access to an increasing array of serv-

ices through a new set of third parties to help

them effectively work around the real estate bro-

kerage industry. The introduction of “auto-

mated valuation methodologies”—the most

well-known of which is Zillow’s “Zestimate”—

put market data and an instant value for any

property directly in the hands of the consumer.

Zillow is also among many players who are even

now attempting to build a universal property

database that anyone can tap into, find their

own property, make a few modifications to the

data and create an offering to the public. Zillow

calls theirs “Make Me Move”. Several of our

agents have lost listings to this system.

In the meantime, the real estate market na-

tionwide is improving, with the supply of

listings slowly growing, more closely meeting de-

mand, creating a more balanced marketplace.

In this improving market, often I hear from our

agents that “if the house is priced right and ex-

posed properly through the MLS and the right

websites, it will sell.” How then, do we dif-

ferentiate ourselves from all competi-

tors, sell the value of our services in this

environment—and command a price for

our services?

In a recent discussion with one of our up-and-

coming younger agents, we broke down the

“value” within a commission. Among

other things, this illustrated the complexity of

the process of buying and selling real es-

tate that has, throughout the history of our in-

dustry, been the reason for our being. It is

A message from Peter F. Hunt Chairman�&�CEO

2

hard work, requires great selling, mar-

keting, servicing and negotiating skills,

and time that often goes uncompen-

sated. It also requires a unique team ef-

fort. In last month’s article, I described the

three levels of team operations we enjoy at this

Company. Through our layered team efforts,

we are building a sustainable organization and

one that we believe can be a model for our own

continued growth, the growth in productivity

and earnings for each individual agent and em-

ployee within our organization.

We are working diligently right now to refine

our Agent Team policies, organization, com-

pensation, and even contracts. We are also

working diligently to continue to improve our

processes and our efficiency through the

refinement our systems—the most recent of

which are ePropertyWatch (“EPW”) and

the “HUNT Digital Listing Center”—so

that our value-added for our Agents and our

customers is second to none. And we are con-

stantly working to improve our training and ed-

ucation so that all of our people excel at the

skills and knowledge needed to prove our value

to each and every customer.

We cannot win on “price”. We can and

will win by demonstrating real “value”

so that our customers see a fundamental

difference between us and all competi-

tors—including those that exist in cyber-

space.

3

4

Agents of the Month

Buffalo �����������������������������������������������May Akron Cheyanne SeelauAmherst Judy LewisBuffalo Metropolitan Ellen DalyEast Aurora Todd AichingerHamburg Lou Ann SpauldingKenTon Karen LoffredoLancaster Ann & Ed DunningLewiston Anne SmithLockport Dianne ShawOrchard Park Colleen BrunelleWest Seneca Jennifer SennettWheatfield Mark LemkeWilliamsville-Clarence Karen BakerWilliamsville Village Bonnie Clement

RochesterBrighton-Pittsford Larry MagguilliCanandaigua Sandi Van CampGreece Rich OrczykPerinton John DennistonWebster Vince LoCastro

Central�&�Northern�NY/Carthage�WatertownCamillus David ManzanoCazenovia Thomas TaitChittenango Robert FreunschtClinton Barb OwensDeWitt Chip HodgkinsLiverpool Starr-Nicholas TeamManlius Gaulin TeamOneida Jeanette DenneyCarthage-Watertown Jacqueline LadueCicero Bruce Tibbitts

Capital�DistrictSaratoga Springs Dede OldsLoudonville Dan LesageGlens Falls Jen BallSlingerlands Sandy Evans

ArizonaTempe Christine HartmanScottsdale Susan Dabovich

The�I CAN Project

Technology is no replacement for networking and relationship building. Don’t get me wrong, I am

not saying that technology is irrelevant, but we may be looking at it through blurred glasses.

In a recent article I read, written by a millennial, the point made was that millennials don’t need a

technology invested agent to find a home. What they need and appreciate is a competent professional

to take care of all the other parts of their transaction.

The millennial buyers are tech savvy. They know how to find a home with technology and online

resources. What they need is someone to help them with everything else.

I think we sometimes miss that fact. We are too eager to find that piece of technology that will take

care of everything for the buyer. We sometimes forget about all the non-technology needs of our

clients.

Before you condemn me for being “old school,” I can tell you I am not! Those who know me realize

I am a proponent of technology in real estate. What I am suggesting, however, is that we find out

what the buyers need and give it to them. What the connected buyer needs is someone who can take

care of their transaction and communicate the progress to them.

Technology is a tool that allows us to do just that. It helps the “connected” real estate professional

provide an accurate source of homes online, organize the purchase offer process, provide convenience

in electronic signings, keep an accurate record of tasks needed and completed in order to follow up

on the purchase process, organize and track the purchase from contract to close, and to communicate

their efforts and results in an effective and appreciated method to our clients.

HUNT ERA’s investment in technology, like AgentAchieve, allows you to be on the cutting edge of

service to consumers. It is more than a business generator, it is a validation of your value to buyers

and sellers alike.

Career Development understands the need to provide our agents with the tools and, more impor-

tantly, instructions on how to use technology to serve our consumers. We are dedicated to providing

training resources to help you learn and use technology.

Our newest endeavor is the “I CAN” Project. It is being designed to help you learn and use the con-

nectivity of the HUNT ERA technology. I CAN stands for the Connected Agent Network and will

be launching this summer.

Career Developmentby�Bob�Scholz,�Director�of �Training

5

� � � � �

6

The Accounting Department has successfully in-

stalled remote check scanners at the Dewitt,

Liverpool, Pittsford and Loudonville

branches.

The remote scanning service is another step we have

taken to benefit agents and reduce processing time

for commission checks. Agents wishing to have faster

turn around than regular postal mail now have the

ability to personally deliver closing commission

checks to one of the designated branches.

The scanners provide a great convenience for those

agents that attend closings and pick up checks, as they

can now deliver commission checks to a designated

office and eliminate the time involved in mailing

checks to Dick Road.

If attorneys are currently mailing commissions to the

Dick Road accounting office, we are not looking to

change that process. Checks received via mail service

in the branches can be delivered by an agent or con-

tinue to be mailed to Dick Road.

All branches will be holding firm to the 1pm delivery

deadline in order for all steps in processing a closing

to take place.

At this time, we are not depositing escrow checks at

the remote scanner locations. We are working on the

details and logistics for this to work successfully with-

out increasing workload, paper copies and mail costs.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to

call Alicia Townsend at 315-506-6582.

Accounting Departmentby�Alicia�Townsend,�Accounting�Manager

ePropertyWatch cont.

by�Dan�Mirsky,�Director�of �Marketing

The 27% Response Rate is the percentage

of clients that have subscribed to EPW

after receiving an invite. To put this in per-

spective, the average Response Rate for Direct

Mail is 1-3%.

Need even more proof that EPW is what your

clients want to see? The Email Open Rate is an

incredible 71.5%. This is the measure of how

many people open or view a particular email. The

average for Open Rate for Real Estate related

emails is just 22%.

If you were selling your home, would you contact

a real estate agent who’s been sending you emails

of their favorite recipes or filling your Facebook

news feed with funny cat videos? Or are you going

to call the real estate expert from HUNT who’s

been giving you detailed information about the

value of your property and keeping you updated

on what’s happening with other homes in your

neighborhood each month?

ePropertyWatch makes you the expert. For

more instructions on how to sign up for EPW, see

your Broker Consultant today!

7

News Around the Regions

June has been an amazing

month for West Seneca! We

have focused on giving back to

our community this month and

it has been great.

On June 4th, we had a very

successful Habitat for Hu-

manity Day. We met at 65 Sir-

ret at 9am and worked hard

until 3pm! It was very inspiring

to be a part of such a generous team. I am so very blessed to have such great agents in

my office. We worked together to:

• remove the 800 bricks (2 TONS) in the chimney and the ten 35lb square

clay tubes inside

• take out all the wiring and insulation in the basement

• remove all the floors on the first floor

• remove some of the rafters and roofing that were burned in a fire

• paint the first floor walls

• paint the basement ceiling

Being a part of giving back to our community and doing it as a team made all the hard

work worth it - and we had a great time doing it!

On June 15th, we planted a garden in the Veterans

Walkway in the park area of our West Seneca Town Hall.

It came out beautiful. Looking at the other gardens that were

planted, you can tell which one is ours (but I might be bi-

ased). We added lots of color. Every time you drive by, you

can’t miss it.

This month has been a wonderful month for the office, we

have a great unity that shows. I thank all you at West Seneca

for making this office a wonderful place to work. You all

ROCK!

Congratulations to Jason Jurek of the West Seneca Office! He won a contest

and was selected to throw the first pitch at the Buffalo Bison’s Game on June 13th.

The office came out to support and cheer Jason on as he threw a strike right down the

middle of the plate. What an arm!

Buffalo/Niagara

8

On June 12th, the Lockport office celebrated the success

of their team with the Kamanawanasellya Luau. With

their monthly increase of Market Share, they are making

their mark in their Lockport Community.

The Amhrest office had a great office picnic

on Friday, June 26th.

On May 30th, some of the

Lewiston Team participated

in the Relay for Life. Leslie Sci-

bilia (a survivor), Anne Smith,

Kathy Hesson and Heather

Gouthro participated!

Erie County Fair Table Opportunity - We have a great opportunity for your agents

to man a table at the Erie County Fair!

The Erie County Fair is the 3rd largest fair in New York. Last year they

achieved an attendance record of 1.2 million people. This is your chance to expose your

business to all those potential customers!

We will have the HUNT tablecloth and table set up. We have an inside table, right by

an entrance/exit. The fair will be August 12th through 23rd.

It is first come first serve, so sign up for your spot. The cost is $24 plus your $5 parking.

Each shift is 4 1/2 hours long. Payment is due upon sign up.

If you have any questions, please email Amber Wesser, BC at the West

Seneca Office at amber.wesser@huntrealestate.com.

Buffalo/Niagaracont.

News Around the Regions cont.

The CNY Region celebrated a busy spring market with a

picnic BBQ at Long Branch Park in Liverpool on June

23rd. Though the day began with strong storms and down-

pours, HUNT luck came through, as the sun shone and tem-

peratures were pleasant by the time of the event. Peter Hunt

joined the region agents and employees, enjoying a delicious

catered lunch provided by Brooks BBQ of Oneonta.

This year, the Willow Bay Shelter was reserved for the picnic,

and attendees found the parking close by and the mix of out-

door and covered tables refreshing, as they took in the view of

Onondaga Lake and the new amphitheater that is scheduled

to open in the fall. HUNT Mortgage provided raffles baskets

and prizes for the participants, and the picnic was topped off

by a beautiful cake thanking all the agents and employees for

their hard work and dedication.

9

Central�New�York

Our agents are outperforming the local market! The BC’s are

keeping the agents focused on their businesses by offering

evening meetings and trainings for those that cannot attend a

morning sales meeting. Each Broker Consultant offers some-

thing different and all agents are encouraged to attend. This

month we have selected to highlight Jim Sauer, the BC for

the Brighton-Pittsford branch. Jim has been hosting a

Wednesday night forum for approximately a year

now. All agents are welcomed and it has taken off ! Jim will re-

view Sales Meeting information, but after that the floor is open! Sometimes agents need a

little extra help with our HUNT Technology or maybe they just need advice on selling strate-

gies. The results are in the agents’ production and the Region’s overall performance. Many

of these agents are new to the industry and all are listing and selling!

Mike Herrman, an agent out of our Brighton-Pitts-

ford branch, has been biking for many years in the Tour de

Cure, raising money and awareness for those with

Diabetes. “I have been participating in the Tour de Cure for

over 10 years now,” Herman said. “So many of us are touched

by someone with diabetes. Over 2000 people rode or volun-

teered this year. The support is amazing. Every time a red rider

(someone riding with diabetes) goes by there is a cheer! I really

think we can make a difference.”

Rochester

Welcome to HUNT!

We would like to welcome the following newly licensed agents from across the company:

Jennifer Arsenault - Williamsville Village

Heather Bennett - Scottsdale

Michael Bondrow - Wheatfield

Margarita Cultrara - Brighton/Pittsford

Jason Curry - Wheatfield

Ryan Daley - Willamsville/Clarence

Amanda DeMare - Lancaster

Rebecca Doll - East Aurora

Joseph Fineberg - Scottsdale

Joel Goldberg - Brighton/Pittsford

Kristopher Hedges - KenTon

Kevin Horton - Dewitt

Vicki Lang - Lockport

Michele Lynch - Williamsville Village

Kristin Marchese-Ragona - Brighton/Pittsford

Samantha Margeson - Lancaster

Theodore Maul - Amherst

Lori Mauro - Williamsville/Clarence

Lindsay Petras - Dewitt

Kimberly Shattell - Camillus

Carla Shrout - Hamburg

Alicia Smith - Greece

Javante Vasquez - Lancaster

We would also like to welcome the following experienced agents fromacross the company:

Dennis Dominick - Glens Falls

Joan Rubert - Saratoga Springs

Tina Stinson - Dewitt

Deborah Varcoe - Slingerlands

Carol Czerwiec - Orchard Park

Solar�City�is�Coming�to�Buffalo!

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership hosted “2015 Buffalo Niagara State of Logistics” event on Wednesday, June 17th at The Hyatt in the

Grand Ballroom with approximately 325 professionals in attendance. The event was a sell-out.

First speaker, Jack Ampuja President of Supply Chain Optimizers is an expert in trends and oversight of information and finance as it

pertains to the process of moving resources from supplier to manufacturer to retailer to consumer. The main topics he addressed were trans-

portation and freight issues which will specifically impact Solar City.

Vinayak Gupta, Vice President of Supply Chain for Solar City will be developing the local supply chain and HUNT Real Estate will be part

of the proposal process to offer our services. One of the first things he said, which engaged the audience the moment he started speaking

was, “My heart fills up every time I come here (Buffalo) and the first time I came here was in February.” The company’s goal is to transfer

the way energy is delivered through cleaner, affordable energy and to reduce energy bills both for residential and commercial customers.

Solar City will be in business 24 hours a day, 7 days per week and they’re expecting to produce 10,000 solar

panels per day with 1400 employees. Production is estimated to begin the second half of next year. The search

for suppliers will begin in the 3-4th quarter of this year and will go through the request for proposal bidding

process.

He was asked why they selected Buffalo as a site and he explained because of the price and quality of life, being close to one of the largest

water connections as well as being part of the Buffalo resurgence.

Relocationby�Mary�Croglio,�Director�of �Relocation