What is Woods Bros Realty? July 14th, 2011
We asked our agents and employees to describe Woods Bros Realty in a word or short phrase, and here is what they had to say:
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Woods Bros Realty acquires Collins Real Estate, names new managing broker for Beatrice, Seward and York June 29th, 2011
Casey Collins
Woods Bros Realty is pleased to announce a merger agreement with Collins Real Estate.
Woods Bros Realty acquires Collins Real Estate, and Casey Collins will be the new Managing Broker for the Woods Bros Realty offices in Beatrice, Seward and York. Collins Real Estate was founded by Casey Collins’ grandfather Ken in the late 1950s and purchased by Collins in 2004.
“I am very excited to be working for and with a leader in the real estate industry in Nebraska,” Collins said. “The real estate market and business have changed dramatically; Woods Bros offers a wide array of services and benefits to clients that smaller firms simply cannot offer in this new market.”
A past president of the Tri-County Board of Realtors, Collins is a current Chairman of the Tri-County MLS Board, holds his CDPE designation, and has extensive knowledge in marketing and technology.
“Casey brings to the table technology and sales expertise that will not only benefit Woods Bros Realty agent and clients in Beatrice, Seward and York, but also the management team and company as a whole,” CEO Gene Brake said.
Collins has been married to his high school sweetheart for 18 years and has four children: Jacob, 17; Alexis, 12; Jackson, 9; and Avery, 5. They enjoy being outdoors–camping, fishing, boating, golfing–and being around family and friends. They are members of St. John’s Lutheran Church and Christ Community Church, both of Beatrice. He can be reached at 402-223-8146.
Also joining Woods Bros Realty in Beatrice are former Collins Real Estate agents Jana Robertson and Joy Gaston, both Associate Brokers. Robertson can be reached at 402-239-9657, and Gaston can be reached at 402-587-0342.
Woods Bros Realty, an affiliate of HomeServices of America, is a full-service company offering 122 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, 250 sales associates work with clients in Lincoln, Seward, Beatrice, York, Grand Island, and southeast Nebraska. For more information about Woods Bros Realty, visit www.WoodsBros.com.
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July numbers are in August 6th, 2010
Here are the July numbers from all Woods Bros offices, including Lincoln, Seward, York, Beatrice and Grand Island:
- $28,086,718 Total Volume Sold
- 179 Total Sides Sold
- 240 Sides Placed Under Contract
- 558,062 Page Views on WoodsBros.com
- 50,761 User Sessions on WoodsBros.com
- 27 New Saved Searches on WoodsBros.com
- 1,263 New Saved Properties on WoodsBros.com
- 98 New Customers on WoodsBros.com
- 1,593 Visits to Facebook.com/WoodsBros
View our monthly Market Snapshot here.
Posted by Woods Bros Realty
By MATT OLBERDING / Lincoln Journal Star
The federal homebuyer tax credits helped propel local home sales in the first half of the year to their highest level in three years.
According to figures released last week from the Realtors Association of Lincoln, there had been 2,001 home sales through the local Multiple Listing System as of June 30.
That’s a more than 13 percent increase over the same period in 2009 and the most since there were more than 2,100 sales in the first half of 2007.
Sales of new homes, which have been a drag on the market for several years, were up even more.
For the year, sales of new homes are up more than 40 percent after increasing nearly 150 percent in June.
Despite the good news, most signs point to a slowdown in the second half of the year.
For the second straight month in June, pending sales – sales that are under contract but have not yet closed – were way down compared with last year.
“As expected, there was a reduction in the number of pending home sales in June, compared to those in June of 2009, due to the April 30 Homebuyer’s Tax Credit deadline,” said Nicole Jensen, executive vice president of the Realtors Association.
The tax credit, which offered $8,000 to new buyers and $6,500 to repeat buyers, expired at the end of April.
Despite continuing closings of sales related to the tax credits, sales of existing homes in June were actually down compared with June of last year – 370 to 396.
“We definitely foresee that the volume of home sales are going to curtail and are going to curtail pretty quickly,” said Kent Thompson, the elected president of the Realtors Association.
Still, Thompson stands by an earlier prediction he made that home sales will be up overall for the year.
“I think that Realtors, as a whole, will have a good year this year,” he said.
Mike Rezac, owner of Rezac Construction and president of the Homebuilders Association of Lincoln, is not as optimistic.
Despite the spike in sales of new homes, permits so far this year are down slightly compared with where they were at this time last year.
While that may not sound so bad, Rezac points out that last year was a 29-year low.
“I don’t see this being a terribly strong year,” he said. “We’re really holding out for next year.”
Not everybody is looking at the market with skpticism, though.
Rita Dinger, a real estate agent for Woods Bros. Realty, says she’s been plenty busy since the tax credits expired.
“I’m having one of the busiest Julys I’ve ever had,” she said.
Dinger said she thinks that all the incentives did was push people to buy a home earlier than they would have otherwise.
And she’s not convinced yet that the slowdown is anything more than typical late summer seasonal drop-off.
There are plenty of people still considering buying a home, Dinger said.
“They’re looking for all the reasons that people have always looked.”
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Leave the Light on Thursdays throughout April April 5th, 2010
Time is running out for the $6,500 repeat and $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credits, and the government is NOT going to extend the credit. That gives you less than a month to negotiate an accepted offer on a home in order to make the April 30, 2010, deadline, at which point you must close on the purchase by June 30, 2010.
In order to give our customers and clients more opportunities to find the home of their dreams, Woods Bros Realty is holding its “Leave the Light on Thursdays” open houses every Thursday night from 5-7 p.m. throughout the month of April. Search participating homes at www.WoodsBros.com.
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Congratulations to Woods Bros Realty Award Winners! February 11th, 2010
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:
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Less than 10 days remain to get tax credit October 6th, 2009
There are less than 10 days left to make an offer on a home for the best chance of getting the $8,000 tax credit. Click on the link below to view a story featuring Pat Schmit of our Grand Island office:
http://www.khastv.com/videoplaylist.php?playid=18651
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Lincoln named second best city for housing recovery August 14th, 2009
Forbes recently named Lincoln, Neb. as the second best city for a housing recovery.
Forbes compiled the list by looking at 161 metro areas showing sales growth and a low percentage of foreclosure sales in an attempt to forecast which markets are on their way to recovery.
Forbes stated that Lincoln metro sales are 15 percent higher this year over last year, with only 3.6 percent of them as a result of foreclosure. Miami ranked first in the study with 27 percent increase in sales, and 3.5 percent foreclosure resales.
The Rankings
1. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
2. Lincoln, Neb.
3. Colorado Springs, Colo.
4. Salem, Ore.
5. San Luis Obispo, Calif.
6. Bremerton, Wash.
7. Denver, Colo.
8. Redding, Calif.
9. Santa Barbara, Calif.
10. San Jose, Calif.
Read the entire article here.
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By Matt Gersib
Leadership manifests itself in a number of ways. Whether on the field of sport, in the boardroom or in government, a good leader sets an example for others to follow and does so without boasting. It’s always more challenging to lead than to follow, but the rewards are greater with success for leaders.
And so it is with the Bridges, a new subdivision near Southwest 27th Street and West Denton Road in Lincoln, Neb. For builder Mike Rezac, owner of Lincoln’s Rezac Construction Company and chairman of the Nebraska Green Building Council, taking a leadership role in development of the state’s first fully geothermal neighborhood is something he’s absolutely passionate about. For him and partner Gary Pickering, the development is the culmination of a dream borne out of respect for the land and a belief that the status quo in home building simply isn’t going to be good enough for a lot of homebuyers in the near future.
“I was part of the team that built the state’s first certified green home more than five years ago,” Rezac said. “At the time, we were just establishing Nebraska’s green building standards. The whole green building movement was just getting off the ground in Nebraska. Since then, we’ve developed a specific expertise in the design and construction of efficient, green-certified homes.
“Moving forward, as energy becomes an increasingly valuable resource, it makes sense that we pay more attention to how we’re generating and using the electricity we need to power our homes and our lives. There are so many ways to increase home efficiency during design and construction.”
Posted by Woods Bros Realty
AHS Warranties on Foreclosed/REO homes May 19th, 2009
It’s a familiar scenario these days in neighborhoods across the country.
A financially distressed home goes on the market.
It might be a short sale situation or a foreclosed/REO home.
It’s likely a good deal for a prospective buyer, but the property has been vacant for while, the utilities have been cut off and the home does not look like it’s been well maintained. Should a home warranty be included in this transaction?
The answer, according to many experienced real estate professionals, is a resounding yes. Many experts agree that home warranties are particularly advantageous for foreclosure, REO and short sell transactions for numerous reasons. When the condition of home appliances and systems is unknown or questionable, an American Home Shield Home Warranty can add protection from expensive and time-consuming breakdowns for the buyer. An AHS Home Warranty can also be a powerful service component and marketing tool, differentiating properties from others on the market, attracting interest and giving buyers the necessary confidence to proceed with the purchase.
Complete and thorough home inspections on such properties may not be possible without access to utilities, making the condition of home systems even more uncertain. It’s also a well-known, unfortunate fact that owners anticipating foreclosure may stop caring for and maintaining the property, leaving systems and appliances in precarious shape. In fact, buyers express more concern regarding financially distressed properties than any other type of property. An AHS Home Warranty alleviates many of these worries, and can offer budget protection to the buyer as well as to future resale buyers under the term of the contract. In short, an AHS Home Warranty is one of the best, most cost effective investments a buyer can make to help preserve the value of an REO property.
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