Sandra Schwab

Sandra Schwab joins the Lincolnshire office. She was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and spent her early childhood in California. She graduated from Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska with an Education degree. She became an elementary teacher, teaching grades 1-8. She also has a degree in music with emphasis in piano. She earned a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She received her realtors license in Tennessee, also in Colorado and now in Nebraska. She has 2 grown children. She enjoys traveling, cooking and playing the piano. She recently returned to Nebraska to be close to a new grandchild and family. Sandra can be reached at 970-396-4502 or Sandra.Schwab@woodsbros.com.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Outdoor living spaces are hot. More and more people want to move their casual living spaces outdoors.

What this means is you are seeing bigger patios, fire pits, water features and durable outdoor furniture. This allows people to enjoy their landscaping, expand their home’s usable space and feel like they are getting away from it all without having to leave home.

Patio furniture is reflecting this trend. Traditional patio furniture includes a table with chairs and maybe an umbrella. You are now increasingly seeing a loveseat and several chairs or a sectional surrounding a coffee table or fire pit.

Water features of all kinds are popular – everything from patio fountains to bubbling rocks to waterfalls and ponds. Have you ever just sat and listened to a water feature. It gives you the feeling you are next to a babbling brook at a favorite vacation destination.

You’ll see a trend this summer toward embellishing your outdoor spaces much the same was as you do your indoor spaces. This is accomplished by using indoor/outdoor area rugs, throw pillows and cushions made with weather-suitable fabric. All-weather artwork and accessories like lanterns, candleholders and sculptures also are popular.

Battery-operated candles and umbrella lights will add ambient light after the sun sets and are of less fire risk than traditional candles, firepots or tiki torches.

Indoor/outdoor area rugs add color, texture and pattern to a deck or patio. Remember, though, if they get wet they must be hung out to dry to prevent mold growth underneath them. Outdoor pillows that continually get wet and dried should be made from quick-drying anti-microbial fabric.

The best options for outdoor furniture and accessories are those that mix style with durability to stay in good condition during weather extremes. The options include heavy-duty plastic furniture like Adirondack chairs and tables, all-weather wicker furniture or a number of styles of loungers.

 Posted by Lori Black

Julia Peterson

Julia Peterson joins the Country Club office. She has lived in Lincoln since 2009. She is married to Tyler (Boomer) Peterson and they have one daughter. Her hobbies include cooking, walking and spending time with family. Julia can be reached at 402-904-0984 or Julia.Peterson@woodsbros.com.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Rita Dinger of the Woods Bros Realty Lincolnshire Square office is the March Shining Star recipient.

CEO Gene Brake presents Rita Dinger with the Shining Star Award.

Her nomination read:

“One year ago on March 20th, I about died from Spinal Meningitis. While on my death bed literally I had my sister phone Rita Dinger. I don’t even remember this conversation, but Rita told me about it just today, March 14th. My sister had told her that I was in the ER and that I wanted to speak to her. I said to her, “Rita, would you watch over my business for me?”  Without a question, she said, “YES!”  RITA is a shining star every day, but at that moment in time she went above and beyond what is expected, and she did it with so much love and compassion.

I will always view Rita Dinger as a shining star. From the bottom of my heart to yours Rita, THANK YOU so much for all of your assistance, time, love, and friendship. We at Lincolnshire and Woods Bros as a whole have so many Shining Stars, it makes me happy to be associated with! Good work, Woods Bros, and again thank you, Rita Dinger, a very deserving recipient of this award!”

Shining Stars are HomeServices of Nebraska associates, including managers, employees and agents, who help make our company a better place for our customers, clients and for each other. Nominees must exemplify the following:

1. The person went out of their way to exceed the HomeServices of Nebraska Standards and best practices.
2. The gesture or service was above and beyond normal job requirements or expectations.
3. The employee, manager or agent went beyond the call of duty to ensure the needs of a customer, fellow employee or agent.

Anyone is invited to nominate employees, agents or managers who have displayed The Shining Star Spirit. For someone to be recognized, a Shining Star Nomination Form must be submitted by the 15th of every month. *A participant is eligible to win one (1) time per year.

Shining Star Values

Positive Attitude – A positive attitude is focusing on what is useful, beneficial and worthwhile in each and every situation. Your attitude is displayed through your words, actions and facial expressions with your customers and those around you.

Accountable - Accountable is being responsible for your actions and behaviors as they impact customers and those around you.

Responsive – Being responsive is being open to the situation as it occurs and responding in a sensitive manner to meet needs and expectations.

Teamwork – Teamwork is helping each other win and taking pride in each other’s victories. No one person or department alone can provide for the comprehensive needs of our customers. We achieve our goals when working together as a team.

No Excuses – A culture of no excuses acknowledges when mistakes or perceived shortcomings are made and seeks to correct or make right rather than rationalize or justify the problem.

Exemplary - To serve as a model or example of positive action; strive for high performance standards and deliver results. Demonstrate technical competence. Set high standards for self, demonstrating integrity and superior customer service skills.

Responsibility – Responsibility is acting with initiative and understanding that our organization and our customers are depending on us.

Service - Service is everything we do to exceed the needs and expectations of our customers at all times.

Safety – Demonstrate the importance of safety and how it may influence our daily lives.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Scott Rotert

Scott Rotert joins the Lincolnshire office. He grew up in Pocahontas, Iowa. He moved to Nebraska in 1996. Scott and his wife Stephanie have one son and two cats. His hobbies include golf, riding his motorcycle and reading. Scott can be reached at 402-440-6538 or Scott.Rotert@woodsbros.com.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Laura Horak

Laura Horak joins the Grand Island office. She grew up in St. Paul, Nebraska. After marriage, Laura and her husband moved many times, St. Libory, McCook, York and now they have settled in Grand Island. They have three grown children and can’t wait to be grandparents. Her hobbies include crafts, scrap booking and bowling. Laura can be reached at 308-380-0058 or Laura.Horak@woodsbros.com.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

New construction is hot in Lincoln. People looking for new construction typically have some features in mind that they want in a new house. Here are the top 10:

1. An open floor plan. Most people just seem to love going into a new house and seeing the living room and the kitchen as one big area. Most seem to want the ability to be in the kitchen and visit with someone in the great room at the same time.
2. A large kitchen with a walk-in pantry and granite countertops. The kitchen is often the focal point of the entire house and new home buyers want their kitchen to stand out. Granite countertops are wildly popular as they make kitchens look richer. A walk-in pantry provides sufficient space for items that won’t fit in the kitchen cabinets.
3. A mud room. Most new construction homes are built with a mud room. Typically this is the first room you enter when walking into the home through the garage. Also called a “drop zone,” it is a great place to leave coats, shoes and other items carried into the house. Most have cubby holes or lockers for coats or at least coat hooks. That makes it easy to grab your coat and run when you leave the house. Many times this room also doubles as the laundry room.
4. A master suite. This consists of a large master bedroom with a master bath that includes a walk-in tiled shower, a jetted or soaker tub and a double sink vanity. The walk-in master closet can either be off the bedroom itself or the bathroom.
5. A large rec-room in the finished basement. A finished rec-room gives a family double the living space and serves as a place to kick back and relax. It’s a great place for a large flat screen television and casual and comfy furniture.
6. Plenty of storage. Let’s face it – people have “stuff” and they need places to put it. Much new construction today leaves large unfinished spaces – usually where the furnace and water heater are – for storage.
7. Great floors – wood, tile – anything but vinyl. Wood flooring in the kitchen and dining area is fairly standard today in most new construction. Many people are even eschewing carpet in the great room in favor of wood floors. Wood colors range from light to dark and all provide a look of richness. Tile is demanded in bathrooms, laundry rooms and entry ways where wood is not present.
8. Well-placed laundry rooms. Laundry rooms no longer are relegated to the basement. In newer homes, they are expected to be on the main level or even on the upper level by the bedrooms in two-story houses. It’s a convenience thing – people just don’t want to carry laundry to and from the basement anymore.
9. Three-car (and even bigger) garages. You will notice that the majority of newly-built homes today have three car garages. Builders understand that families have multiple cars today and single and double garages just aren’t big enough.
10. Covered deck. Who doesn’t like a deck in their back yard – even more so when it has a roof over it. A covered deck gives people a great outdoor living space.

 Posted by Lori Black

Matt Garner

Matt Garner joins the Country Club office. He grew up in Hyannis, NE. He moved to Lincoln in 2003. He and his wife Mandy have a two year old child. His hobbies include fishing, rental property and spending time with family. Matt can be reached at 402-613-3709 or Matt.Garner @woodsbros.com.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Karalyn Hoefer

Woods Bros Realty agents and staff helped to raise more than $2,000 during the fourth annual Soup or Chili Cook-off for Cancer Wednesday in Lincoln.

The Chili Cook-Off raised $2,190 for the American Cancer Society through voting beans and cookbooks sold. The group has raised a total of nearly $8,000 to date.

This year the Celebrity Judge Award went to Karalyn Hoefer of the Woods Bros Realty Wilderness Hills office for her Southwest corn chowder. Celebrity judges were Channel 8 Eyewitness News Anchor Rod Fowler, Country Club of Lincoln Executive Chef Lorin Dagel, and Miss Star City Kalyssa Hoefer.

Lorin Dagel, Kalyssa Hoefer, Rod Fowler & Gene Brake

The People’s Choice Award (with the most beans) went to Donna Melichar of the HOME Real Estate Pine Lake office. Deb Wagner of the Woods Bros Realty Lincolnshire Square office won second place, and Regina Kastrup of the HOME North office won third. Voters were made up of Woods Bros and HOME agents and staff, along with staff from Nebraska Land Title and Abstract, HomeServices Lending, HomeServices of Nebraska Insurance and Larabee School of Real Estate.

“We’ve had a lot of cancer within our organization, and it’s just affected so many families, so many agents, that we wanted to do something,” HomeServices of Nebraska CEO Gene Brake said. “This was our way of participating and trying to help find a cure.”

The 2013 participants from Woods Bros were: Deb Wagner, Lincolnshire Square; Karalyn Hoefer, Wilderness Hills; and Jo Deyong, Country Club Plaza. Connie Hain represented the Support Services office, and Samantha Kinnett and Mary Pro cooked for NLTA.

View photos from the event here.

Channel 8 covered the event as well.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Woods Bros Realty is gearing up for the fourth annual Soup or Chili Cook-off for Cancer Wednesday, February 27 at 11:30 a.m. at 3355 Orwell St. in Lincoln.

Celebrity guest judges this year are: Channel 8 Eyewitness News Anchor Rod Fowler, Country Club of Lincoln Executive Chef Lorin Dagel, and Miss Star City Kalyssa Hoefer. All of the proceeds go to the local American Cancer Society. The group raised about $1,200 in 2010, $1,700 in 2011, and $2,975 in 2012, with $1,840 going to the American Cancer Society and the remainder to support an agent’s transplant fund.

“Cancer has affected so many of our family of agents and employees that we wanted to find a way to support this worthwhile cause and put the heat on cancer,” said HomeServices of Nebraska CEO Gene Brake.

Woods Bros agents and staff, along with staff from Nebraska Land Title and Abstract (NLTA), HomeServices Lending, HomeServices of Nebraska Insurance and Larabee School of Real Estate vote for their favorite soup or chili with purchased voting beans. The winning chef gets bragging rights and his/her name on the Top Chef plaque.

The 2013 participants from Woods Bros are: Deb Wagner, Lincolnshire Square; Karalyn Hoefer, Wilderness Hills; and Jo Deyong, Country Club Plaza. Connie Hain is cooking for the Support Services office, and Samantha Kinnett and Mary Pro are cooking for NLTA.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

WoodsBros.com is currently down for our scheduled maintenance window, which is between 12am CST and 4am CST Sundays.  It isn’t every Sunday, but if you are seeing this page – we’re currently down to do upgrades to our web platform and should be up by 4am.

During this time, you can view our listings on our online TV channel at www.MyWoodsBrosTV.com or download our mobile apps:

• iPhone/iPad
• Android

Thanks for visiting, and we look forward to being back to normal after 4am!

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Woods Bros Realty celebrated its top real estate professionals with an Awards Banquet Feb. 15 at the Country Club of Lincoln.

Vladimir Oulianov of the Country Club Plaza office was named the Salesperson of the Year for 2012, with the Most Transactions Closed, Most Listings Closed, and Highest Volume of Closed Listings. Oulianov and Craig Loeck of the Lincolnshire office were both recipients of the Century Award for closing over 100 transactions in the calendar year. Loeck also received the Most Closed Sales Units Award, and John Nanos of the Country Club Plaza office had the Highest Volume of Closed Sales.

Gene Ward of the Lincolnshire Square was honored with the Woods Bros Realtor of the Year award for 2012 for his dedication through the years to Woods Bros, as both a past manager and an agent, and the real estate profession as a whole.

Trish Jarvis of the Lincolnshire Square office won the Excellence in Outgoing Referrals award for helping people relocate in other areas. Sales Couple of the Year went to Bob & Sally Peterson of the Country Club Plaza office, and the year’s Rising Star for most success within the start of his career was their son, Boomer Peterson, also of the Country Club Plaza office.

The overall Outstanding Achievement award went to Karen Duncan of the Lincolnshire Square office for her 190 percent increase in sales from 2011 to 2012. Office Outstanding Achievement Awards also went to: John Nanos, Country Club Plaza; Tammy Peter, Wilderness Hills; Pam Norton, Beatrice; Chuck Kotera, Seward; and Melanie Bachman, Grand Island.

Top Sales Associates by office were: Vladimir Oulianov, Country Club Plaza; Craig A. Loeck, Lincolnshire; Susan Ferris, Wilderness Hills; Chuck Winkler, Grand Island; Shelly Nitz, Seward; Gayle Coffin, York; and Pam Norton, Beatrice.

To see more of the top awards, please visit www.WoodsBros.com/Awards.

View photos of the event on our Facebook page. Be sure to “Like” us!

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Nicole Duden

Nicole Duden joins the Country Club office. She has lived in Lincoln since childhood. She is married to Nate and they have 3 boys, ages 6, 4 and 22 months. Her hobbies include reading and watching Kansas basketball…don’t worry, she likes Husker sports too! Nicole can be reached at 402-580-1507 or Nicole.Duden@woodsbros.com.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

When it’s time to put your house on the market, you’ll want to prepare.  After all, the way you live every day in your house is much different than marketing a home for sale.  (There’s nothing wrong with that, either!  Day to day, we don’t need to be focused on maintaining a spotless house – there’s just not enough time for that!)

But how far do you go?  You can’t do everything, right?  While you may need to pick and choose your projects, I can tell you that everything counts!  Clean the top of the refrigerator?  Yes.  The paint spills on the trim boards?  Buyers will notice.  Sweep the front steps and clean the leaves out of the window wells?  Definitely.

Here’s the truth – buyers will notice everything.  In fact, they’re looking for stuff like that.  Perception is reality to them, and they’re looking for clues.  If they see enough ‘little things’ that aren’t done, they assume there are bigger things that also haven’t been done.  Fair or unfair, that’s how they think – and if they see enough little things, you won’t get a second chance to make a good first impression.

Here are some easy and basic things you can do when you’re preparing your home:

1. Let the light in.  If you’ve got heavy curtains or shades, you might consider taking them down, or putting up something lighter.
2. Turn the lights on.  Even with plenty of sunlight streaming in, let the buyers see the house.  Consider using timers for evening showings when it might be darker.
3. Clean off the fridge.  Yes, dust the top, but also take down grocery lists, wedding invitations, homework, pictures, and everything else.  Wipe down the inside, too.
4. Sweep the floors and vacuum the carpets.
5. Clean the kitchen.  The kitchen is usually going to make or break the sale, so make sure it’s clean!  The counters should be wiped off, and the sink and faucet should really shine.  No dishes in the sink, and only necessary items on the counters (2 or 3 at most!)
6. Close the toilet seats.
7. Clean the bathrooms.  Don’t forget to wipe the mirrors.  Toothbrushes/toothpaste and shaving items should all be stowed out of sight, too.
8. Clean the windows.  This is especially true if you’ve got older windows – you may not replace them, but they must be clean.
9. Make the beds.  Put laundry away.  Toys should be organized and put away.
10. Pets should be gone, but if that absolutely can’t happen, they need to be kenneled.

Pretty basic, I know, but you’d be surprised how often some of these items are neglected.  And they do matter – remember, buyers are looking at this stuff, and all of it forms their overall impression of the house.  Too many marks on their mental checklist, and they’re on to the next house.

The good news is that you can take care of that entire list for no cost!  Sometimes, though, the house may require you to spend some money to get it ready.  That’s another article for another day!

 Posted by Jon Rademacher

To borrow a baseball term, the news for Lincoln area home sellers these days is akin to hitting a “grand slam” homerun.  There’s excellent news on four real estate fronts.

1. Home sales prices are improving. According to numbers from the Realtors Association of Lincoln, the average 2012 sales price of a single family home in the Lincoln area was $160,159. That’s a 7% jump over the average 2011 sales price of $149,014. This past year also saw the highest average sales price the Lincoln area has seen in five years.

2. The total number of single family homes sold in the Lincoln area was up dramatically in 2012. The number of homes sold last year was 4,139, an increase of more than 600 homes over 2011. The Lincoln area’s biggest sales year was 2004 when 4,581 homes sold.

3. There’s less housing inventory. This means less competition for home sellers because there are fewer homes available for buyers to buy.  In December, 2012 there were 1,334 single family homes listed for sale on the Lincoln MLS.  That’s down from 1,486 in December, 2011. It’s way down from the 2,050 single family homes available for sale in December, 2008.

4. Interest rates remain at historic lows.  Mortgage News Daily reports the average 30 year fixed rate mortgage is 3.39% this month.  In January 2012, it averaged 3.92%. A 30 year fixed rate mortgage in January 2010 averaged 5.03%.

Summary: With sales prices improving, more people buying homes, fewer homes available, and historically low mortgage rates, conditions are excellent for sellers in the present Lincoln area real estate market.

 Posted by Joanne McCoy