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By admin, January 26, 2012 3:34 pm

We would like to welcome our newest experienced & new agents for the month of January to the Reece & Nichols family!

Experienced Agents

Stacy Stallbaumer – Town Center – Transfer from Remax Best

Jayme Muehlberger – Leawood – Transfer from Prudential

Scott Lewis – Town Center – Transfer from Keller Williams

Patrick Becker – Country Club – Transfer Platinum

Doug Busby – South – Transfer from Keller Williams

Sandy Maag – Liberty – Transfer from Remax Innovations

Lori Johnson – Overland Park – Transfer from Realty Executives

Nicki Ann Barnes – Leawood – Transfer from Keller Williams

New Agents

Don Laffey – Kansas City North

Josie Kern – Country Club

Katie Stephens – Liberty

Monica Atwood – Liberty

Joshua Sidebottom – Blue Springs

Kelly Johnson – Town Center

Peggy Jones Wilson – Liberty

Aliciana Cox – Parkville

Tina Tran – Parkville

Ryan Dowell – Kansas City North

Frank King – Kansas City North

Eric Jones – Lee’s Summit

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By admin, January 25, 2012 3:23 pm

We are pleased to announce that HomeServices of America has expanded its footprint in the West Plains area of Missouri with the acquisition of Westgate Realty. Westgate Realty became a Carol Jones licensed affiliate in 2010 and has been operating under the name of Westgate Carol Jones Realtors. With this transaction, we will merge Westgate with Carol Jones Realtors (www.caroljones.com).

Westgate Realty, which serves West Plains, Willow Springs, Mountain View and Northern Arkansas, has been providing real estate services since 1994 and has been the #1 company in the Ozarks consistently maintaining over 37 percent market share since 2005.

Both Westgate Realty and Carol Jones have long-standing reputations for providing clients in the residential real estate market with the highest level of customer service, expertise and resources. With the merger, Carol Jones furthers its position within the West Plains area as the market leader in unit sales and average sales price.

The merger furthers HomeServices’ goal of expanding Carol Jones’ footprint within the Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas markets and reinforces their strength and market position.

Please join me in welcoming Westgate Realty to Carol Jones Realtors and to the HomeServices family of companies.

Ron Peltier

Chairman and CEO

HomeServices of America, Inc.

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By admin, January 23, 2012 3:02 pm

We were delighted when Ken Fain presented the College Blvd Office with an unexpected surprise today – a Toys for Tots Plaque.  He said they far exceeded their expectations as they not only picked up 253 Toys from their office but they were so impressed with the high value of each toy.  The highest number of any real estate office in the city!  Thank you to all of the Reece & Nichols offices who generously donated many toys to the Toys for Tots Program.

To learn more about Toys for Tots, click here!

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By admin, January 18, 2012 3:47 pm

We hope you enjoyed the 30 foods for a better body blog. As a follow up, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite work out ideas for when you are at the gym! As a part of the New Year, New You, many people are purchasing a gym membership to work out and stay healthy. Here are the Top 5 Best Exercises you can do – gym or no gym!

1. Planks: Looking to increase your core strength? Planks will do just that. They work your abs, back, arms, and legs, as well as your internal abdominal muscles. Go into a pushup position but resting on your elbows or hands. While keeping your body in a straight line, squeeze your abs and hold for 30-60 seconds. Repeat as many times as you can. If you cannot hold yourself up, rest your knees on the ground and work your way up.
2. Walking or Running Hills: Walking up or running up hills is a great workout as it has such an incline; it will really work your calf muscles! It will get your heart pumping, that is for sure! If you are not ready for the hills and have an hour break at work, pack some tennis shoes and go for a nice walk over your break.
3. Squats: The squat is something you can do with or without weights. It works many body parts including your core, quads, calves, and hamstrings. Whether you use weights or do not use weights, you should incorporate it into your workout as it will strengthen your legs & back.
4. Pull-ups & Chin-ups: Lacking upper body strength can lead to injuries and lack of ability with common everyday movements (ex: lifting anything heavy from the ground) If you are at the gym and cannot do a full pull up or chin up, there are machines that will allow some assistance to decrease your body weight when pulling up. However, you want to make it your goal to be able to increase the amount of pull-ups and chin-ups as it is a great workout to increase your upper body strength!
5. Pushups: Incorporating pushups into your workout routine will help work your chest, shoulders, back, triceps, and abs (core). Doing pushups daily will help decrease the flabby arms and weak chest. If you are unable to do the standard push up, it is okay. You can do the “girl” version which is doing a push up with your knees down. That way, you can strengthen the necessary muscles to eventually work your way toward regular pushups!

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading our blog with the top 5 best exercises you can do. I hope this gave you motivation and some ideas to add to your current work out. Good luck and stay healthy!

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By admin, January 17, 2012 1:21 pm

With the New Year, many people make resolutions to work out and eat healthy. We want to help you with your goal of eating healthy by sharing with you the top 30 foods for a better body.  If you regularly add in these beneficial foods in your diet, you will become a better you with a better body. The key is to find foods that are rich in nutrients, so here are the top 30 to choose from!

1. Spinach (weapon against cataracts and macular degeneration!)
2. Chia Seeds
3. Broccoli
4. Kiwi
5. Berries
6. Dark Chocolate (yummm, you can actually have something really sweet!)
7. Skim Milk
8. Sweet Potatoes
9. Green Tea
10. Tomatoes
11. Eggs
12. Fat Free Greek Yogurt (double the protein and HALF the sugar!)
13. Nuts
14. Beans
15. Peppers
16. Cinnamon
17. Squash
18. Avocados (high in monosaturated fat – the good fat! Works to lower cholesterol & improve heart health!)
19. Pomegranate Juice
20. Acai berries
21. Salmon
22. Cranberries
23. Apples (An apple a day, keeps the Doctors away….)
24. Oatmeal
25. Barley
26. Ginger
27. Edameme
28. Quinoa
29. Buckwheat
30. Kale (more nutrients than any other green leafy vegetable!)

Now that you know the top 30 foods that are better for the body, be sure to stay tuned to our blog and come back to learn some great work outs for 2012!

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By admin, January 6, 2012 1:17 pm

Happy 2012! Is your New Year’s Resolution to save up enough money this year to buy a house? If so, we have 5 things that you can do now to help you prepare for your future purchase of your new home!

Check Your Credit

• Checking your credit before considering buying a home is definitely a must. Many deals will not happen due to bad credit. While you still have time on your hands, be sure your credit is up to par. If not, be sure to work on building your credit up before you really start your home search. You do not want to get let down!

Do your Research

• Purchasing a home has a lot to consider. One of the things you really want to check out is the neighborhood and area you are looking to buy. Be sure to consider school districts, the resale value of homes, tax rates, and the neighborhood character. If you have a specific area you are looking to buy, we have a special tool for Reece & Nichols customers only; The MyNeighborhood Report. The MyNeighborhood Report will show you the market value of a home you are interested in and compare it to other homes within that neighborhood. Click here to get started on your FREE MyNeighborhood Report!

Save Save Save!

• Have you saved up for your 3.5 percent down payment? Or even saved up a little extra for closing costs? Well if so, keep saving! Purchasing a home is a big investment. After you close, you might want to make some repairs, do some upgrades, buy appliances, or even just buy some cute decorating items for your home. Putting aside a set amount per paycheck or per month toward home investments is a good idea to minimize any anxiety of any future home projects you might have.

Get Rid of Some “Stuff”

• Moving might seem like a hassle – having to pack up everything in boxes and then eventually unpack it all seems like a lot to do. BUT if you think ahead and get rid of some of the clutter and items that you do not need, that is less packing and unpacking! You can clear out items, have a garage sale, and all of the extra “stuff” that people did not buy, you can donate it! Two benefits: cash for the things you sell & a tax receipt for the things you donate.

Sit Tight

• If you are planning on purchasing a home, sit very still on making any major financial moves until you close on your home. Thinking about buying a new car? Wait until you close on your house. You do not want to do anything to mess up your credit by making any big purchases in the process of purchasing your home. Believe it or not, a deal can fall through right before closing because they will do one more credit check before the deal is done – so sit tight!

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By admin, January 5, 2012 4:08 pm

Are you a hockey fan? Better yet, are you a Missouri Mavericks Fan?? If so, we have a DEAL for you! This weekend, Reece & Nichols will be participating in the Sports Night at the Mavericks Game, Saturday January 7th at 7:05. Come visit us! The first 1,000 people at the game will receive a Reece & Nichols branded hockey puck key chain!

During the 1st intermission, participants from our Family of Services: Plaza Mortgage, Reece & Nichols Insurance, Kansas City Title, and Reece Commercial will be hitting wiffle balls into the crowd. But wait, there is a perk! They will be pitched to by Bill Pecota, Joe Randa, and many more Royals Baseball Players! The contestant who hits as many balls in the crowd in the given amount of time will win a SIGNED Mavericks Jersey. Also, the winning section during the intermission will win a Reece & Nichols baseball stress ball!

Be sure to come by our kiosk as well to sign up for a chance to win a SIGNED Mavericks Jersey by all of the players!

Before we forget….we can even hook you up with discounted tickets! Click here to order them through Ticketmaster. Enter the password REECE and you will receive your discounted seats. Hurry, seats are limited!

Can’t wait to see you at the Independence Events Center to see the Missouri Mavericks face off the Quad City Mallards at 7:05 on January 7th! Go Mavericks!

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By admin, December 30, 2011 1:21 pm

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year! I hope that this is a year full of great memories for us all. As we begin this new year, please remember that no matter what may be in store for you, if you find yourself looking for a new home or even with a question regarding your home or the local market, we are always here to care for your real estate needs. Click here to find an agent now!

Cheers to a great 2012!

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By admin, December 16, 2011 3:40 pm

Every year, Reece & Nichols partners with the Harvesters Food Network in an effort to feed the local families in need of food. We participated in a Harvesters Food Drive for the month of November in an effort to collect non-perishable food items for the Harvesters Food Network. All of our branch offices started with an empty box, and many came back overflowing.

We ended up provided 1,242 meals for a total of 1,615 pounds of food. Way to go!

Facts of Harvesters

As many as 66,000 different people receive emergency food assistance through Harvesters’ network in any given week.

More than one-third (37%) of those turning to Harvesters’ network for emergency food assistance are children.

38 Million Pounds – That’s how many pounds of food and household products Harvesters distributed to the hungry in FY 2011.

When making a donation, please consider these most needed items…

Most Needed Food Items

Canned Vegetables Canned

Fruit Boxed Meals (Hamburger Helper, etc)

Canned Meats/Tuna

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Canned Soup

Hot & Cold Cereal

Most Needed Household Items

Soap

Deoderant

Shampoo

Toilet Paper

Financial Contributions For every $1 donated, Harvesters can provide 5 meals!

We appreciate all of the donations from each of our offices. For more information on how to donate, visit the Harvesters Web Page.  They always need donations year round.

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By admin, December 14, 2011 3:53 pm

Q: How long have you been with Kansas City Title?

• A: 10 years

Q: What did you do before coming to Kansas City Title?

• A: Was with a couple of other Title Companies and now have a total of 34 years in the Title Insurance Industry.

Q: Where did you grow up?

• A: Independence and now growing up still in Blue Springs!

Q: Tell us about your family?

• A: My wife Janet and I have been married 25 years this year. Janet is the office Manager at Major Saver Company in Lee’s Summit. Daughter Jessie is teaching at Matthews Elementary in Grain Valley. Son Josh is a senior at UMKC majoring in Communication/film making. Granddaughter Bailey is now almost 2 years old. I have two sisters, Karla and Kendra and we all live in Blue Springs and Independence.

Q: Do you have any pets?

• A: None right now. Had a Great Dane and Boston terrier but both are gone now.

Q: What are your hobbies?

• A: Golf, Chiefs and Royals, Rotary, Cubmaster for my nephews Cub Scout Pack and playing with Granddaughter Bailey. So much fun watching Bailey grow up and they grow so fast!

Q: Who in your life has been the most positive influence and why?

• A: My mother. She was always so organized, worked hard and always thinking of others first.

Q: What was the best piece of advice given to you throughout your career?

• A: Two things actually. I am involved in Rotary and our motto is “Service Above Self”. I think that works in all aspects of life. I also have a “24 Hour Rule” that was taught to me early in my career. When something bad or unusual might happen, try and take 24 hours to think about that situation. In the heat of a moment, you might respond to something on emotion and then regret what you might have done or said. If time take those 24 hours to think and then respond.