Woods Bros Realtor and videographer Doug Boyd created a TV show called “Meeting the Green Challenge”.

It features video segments on cutting edge energy efficient home construction, a home energy audit and deconstruction to recycle building materials.

You can see the video segments at Doug’s YouTube channel, or watch the program Thursday, Feb. 25 at 8:30 p.m. or Sunday, Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Dennis Cauchon of USA TODAY recently reported on Lincoln’s steady economy. Read the excerpt of the article below, or the full article here.

To understand why some places are winning and others losing, USA TODAY examined a pair of No. 2s — the metropolitan areas of Lincoln, Neb., which has the second-lowest metro area unemployment rate in the United States, and Merced, Calif., which has the second-highest.

Lincoln symbolizes a swath of the central USA with economies that didn’t have wild highs and lows during the last decade.

Lincoln: Steady as she goes

Lincoln’s economy has been good for so long that it’s hard for many there to remember bad times.

The unemployment rate in the vibrant metropolitan area of 296,000 is just 4.1%, second-lowest in the nation.

The rate has never been above 5% since the Bureau of Labor Statistics starting tracking it 20 years ago.

“It’s like we’re on our own island out here,” says Jason Perry, a Wisconsin-born rental car manager who moved to Nebraska in 2008, when his wife, Robin, got a job in nearby Omaha, which also has low unemployment.

Lincoln is home to a major research university and national and regional headquarters for several substantial companies. It is surrounded by farms that export worldwide.

The metro area — built on the edge of the Great Plains — has the good fortune of being at the convergence of several positive trends in a dangerously weak national economy. Lincoln is:

• A college town, home to 24,000 students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Nine of the 10 metro areas with the lowest unemployment rates have major universities.

• A state capital, benefiting from a stable workforce of government jobs.

• Part of a farm economy at a time when farm income has been at or near record highs.

Just as important, Lincoln missed the real estate bubble, so it’s not suffering withdrawal from a construction boom caused by too-easy credit.

Tom Henning, chief executive of Assurity Life Insurance of Lincoln, can’t recall any significant speculative office buildings or shopping centers getting built in Lincoln during this decade’s national real estate boom that ended in 2007.

During an interview, Henning calls the company’s head of real estate lending on a speaker phone to check his memory.

Investment chief Bill Schmeeckle pauses for a long time as he recalls what’s been built in Lincoln during the past several years.

“No. None,” he says.

Henning says a real estate developer who approached Assurity Life about financing a speculative building would have been met with the common-sense question: “You mean you want to build it, but you don’t have any tenants yet?”

Construction in Lincoln proceeded at a steady, moderate pace during the last decade — and that continues today.

Assurity Life is building a new $53 million corporate headquarters. The university is developing a new research park. In May, voters will decide whether to approve bonds to start a $334 million arena for the university’s basketball team.

The city’s historic Haymarket District continues to slowly but steadily add new businesses.

The Bar & Grill has hung a sign at its future location: “Now Accepting Applications for All Positions.”

Trent Taylor, 28, who recently quit his job as a cook, says he’s not worried about finding work.

“There’s work around, just not always what you want,” says Taylor, smoking a cigarette outside a government career center in downtown Lincoln.

Lincoln hasn’t been immune to the recession. A total of 6,800 people were unemployed in December in a labor force of 167,000. That’s an increase of 1,150 from a year earlier.

“We’ve absolutely had job losses,” says Eric Thompson, a University of Nebraska economist. “It just doesn’t feel like the worst recession in 30 years or longer.”

One reason: Nebraska has among the nation’s highest rates of people holding multiple jobs, Thompson says. That means people can lose one job or be employed below their skill level, yet not count as unemployed.

Nebraska, with its high level of education, and Lincoln, in particular, have a labor force that’s attractive to employers.

“We might have someone with an economics degree working as a clerk,” Henning says.

Lincoln’s diversified economy has more than 100 companies and agencies that employ 250 or more workers, including a robust manufacturing sector. Kawasaki makes New York subway cars here, along with all-terrain vehicles and Jet Skis.

Nick Cusick, chief executive of IMS Corp., says manufacturing has been helped by electricity rates 25% below the national average.

A key reason for the low rates: Nebraska is the only state that generates all its power from government-owned utilities.

Thriving entrepreneurship and the lack of a major union presencealso have helped keep Nebraska manufacturers competitive, says Cusick, who started his company with a high school buddy in 1974.

Today, Cusick and his friend are still 50-50 partners in a company that employs 200, down from a peak of 275 in 2008.

IMS makes football goalposts, basketball hoops and electronic signs and scoreboards. The PGA Tour’s electronic leader board is one of its products.

Cusick thinks his region’s “common sense” culture helps Lincoln avoid economic peaks and valleys.

Nebraska companies typically are reluctant to take on debt because of this conservative culture, he says. Nebraska’s constitution even prohibits the state from borrowing money.

“The Nebraska sensibility — whether it’s in the public sector or the private sector — is to be cautious,” Cusick says.

Cusick vacations in Scottsdale, Ariz., every March and November. Between visits there, new shopping centers would appear there during the boom years. “Lot of vacancies now,” he says.

Lincoln was different that way. No boom, no bust. Still hiring.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Twenty Woods Bros Realty sales professionals attended the “Short Sales & Foreclosures: Protecting Your Clients’ Interests” course Feb. 5, sponsored by the Realtors Association of Lincoln, the Nebraska CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) Chapter and the Nebraska Realtors Association.

The course, taught by Senior CRS Instructor Robert Morris, explained the intricacies of the short sale and foreclosure processes, as well as the roles of lenders, sellers, buyers and cooperating agents involved. It also provided dialogues and systems for working with financial institutions and other owners of REO (bank-owned) properties.

Students took this course as a core credit on their way to a CRS Designation. Those in attendance are now better able to counsel homeowners in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. In addition, they can help clients navigate the process of a short sale, which occurs when the proceeds from the sale fall short of the balance owed on the loan.

Woods Bros Realty agents in attendance were: Dave Rutledge with the Country Club Plaza office; De Abbot and Lorrie Foster with the Grand Island office; Susan Ferris, Mike and Polly Figueroa, Wendy Francis, Karalyn Hoefer, Brenda Mesloh and Sandy Wacker with the SouthPointe office; and Gloria Aron, Kevin Burklund, Brenda Farrington, Jennifer Gatlin, Jane Hermsmeyer, Carla Hines, Trish Jarvis, Dennis Mehrhoff, Bridgette Miller, Jon Rademacher and Deb Wagner of the Lincolnshire Square office.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Woods Bros Realty would like to welcome the following new agents to the company: Jethro Hopkins and Kristi Smith to the SouthPointe office and Mark Abele and Ray Crisp to the Lincolnshire Square office. They have undergone extensive training and are well-qualified to help their clients in every aspect of real estate.

Jethro Hopkins

Kristi Smith

Mark Abele

Ray Crisp

Woods Bros Realty, an affiliate of HomeServices of America, is a full-service company offering 120 years of expertise in real estate as well as experience in mortgage, title, closing, and insurance services. Providing an easier way to buy and sell, nearly 300 sales associates work with clients in Lincoln, Seward, Beatrice, York, Grand Island, and southeast and northeast Nebraska. For more information about Woods Bros Realty, visit www.WoodsBros.com.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Dick Young recently celebrated his 30-year anniversary with Woods Bros Realty. Young was honored with a commemorative clock and a reception at the Country Club Plaza office.

Dick Young

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Woods Bros Realty celebrated its 2009 award winners with a luncheon Feb. 11 at the Country Club of Lincoln. These agents and the company had success during a difficult year, and our congratulations go out to them.

The company named Chuck Winkler of Grand Island 2009 Realtor of the Year.

Craig Loeck of the Lincolnshire Square office was presented with the Salesperson of the Year award, the Century Award for over 100 transactions, Excellence in Outgoing Referrals Sold award, the Most Listings and Sales Units and Highest Listing Volume Closed awards and Largest Number of Transactions Closed award.

Sales Couple of the Year went to Rob & Teresa Predmore of the Lincolnshire Square office.

Ann Deck of the Lincolnshire Square office earned the Highest Volume of Closed Sales award, and Tiffany Heier of the Country Club Plaza office was given the Rising Star award as the newcomer of the year. The Overall Outstanding Achievement award went to Beverly Marsh of the Country Club Plaza office.

In addition, Gene Ward, managing broker of the Lincolnshire Square office, was presented with a Special Merit Award for his contributions to the company.

Photos of the event can be found on the Woods Bros Realty Facebook page.

Other awards presented were:

Outstanding Achievement Awards

• Beverly Marsh – Country Club Plaza & Overall
• Kelly Shandera – SouthPointe
• John Janovy – Lincolnshire Square
• Bev Hecox – Beatrice
• Debbie Pohlmann – Seward
• Pat Schmit – Grand Island

Salesperson of the Year by Office

• Craig Loeck – Lincolnshire Square & Overall
• Vladimir Oulianov – Country Club Plaza
• Chuck Winkler – Grand Island
• Shelly Nitz – Seward
• Sandra Harder – SouthPointe
• Glen Coffey – York
• Pamela J. Norton – Beatrice

For a list of the 2009 Top Producers, click here.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Woods Bros Realty today held our annual awards banquet where we honored the achievements of our associates in 2009.  We will be posting individual winners very soon, but for those who couldn’t attend the event you can view a video slide show of pictures taken at the event below:

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

Susan Ferris

Susan Ferris of Woods Bros Realty is being featured in a cooking column in the Lincoln Journal Star called “Welcome to My Kitchen.” For her first segment, she shared recipes for a guacamole dip and a corn and walnut dip to serve as a complement.

Read the article and watch the videos here: guacamole or corn and walnut dip.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

HomeServices of America CEO Ron Peltier weighs in on the state of the housing market.

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty

York Realtor Gayle Coffin has helped dozens of clients make their moves. But this year, it’s Coffin who’s making a  move.

Coffin made the switch to Woods Bros Realty effective January 1, 2010, and she is enthusiastic about what this means for her clients in York and surrounding communities.

“There are additional tools and resources available: a high quality web site that averages 1,700 hits a day, plus on-staff accounting, marketing and legal departments,” Coffin said. All these support services free up Coffin so she can do what she loves best, which is working with the client.

“Representing a larger company also increases her opportunities for personal growth and career development,” said Sharon Wulf, managing broker of the Woods Bros Realty York office, “which ultimately benefits her clients as well.”

Coffin loves selling real estate and said it has been a great fit for her.

“Woods Bros has all the support services while maintaining the presence of local Realtors to serve the local area,” Coffin said. “It’s the best of both worlds for clients—regional coverage with local people you know and trust.”

Woods Bros Realty, an affiliate of HomeServices of America, (owned by Nebraska’s own Warren Buffet) is a full-service company offering 120 years of expertise in real estate. Providing an easier way to buy and sell, nearly 300 sales associates work with clients in Lincoln, Seward, Beatrice, York, Grand Island, and southeast and northeast Nebraska. For more information about Woods Bros Realty, visit www.WoodsBros.com. And remember…..to buy or sell, just call Gayle!

 Posted by Woods Bros Realty