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Exit Agents Receive Recognition for a Job Well Done!
By Dana Scalici, Director of Agent Development for EXIT Homeplace Realty

Friday, March 13th 2009 Exit Homeplace Realty agents were honored at a special event Exit Energy 2009. It took place at Pelican Reef Clubhouse in Hampstead and a great time was had by all.

Congratulations go out to all our award winners.

Our Multi-Million Dollar Producers...Debra Futch - Burgaw Office, Alexis Muegge - Jacksonville Office, Ellen Hough - Jacksonville Office, Hillary Nix - Hampstead Office, Christina Block - Hampstead Office and Stephanie Gasparovic - Hampstead Office.

Million Dollar Producers...Danielle Houfek - Burgaw Office, Christine McGinley - Jacksonville Office, Tina Kmetz - Jacksonville Office, Watts Carr - Burgaw Office, Loretta Greenough - Hampstead Office, Carol Tusing - Jacksonville Office, Barbara Wood - Hampstead Office, Christina Asbury - Jacksonville Office, Kathy Hazel - Jacksonville Office

We also had the pleasure of announcing our Top Listing Agents: Stephanie Gasparovic - Hampstead Office, Christina Asbury - Jacksonville Office, Debra Futch - Burgaw Office and our Top Sales Agents: Stephanie Gasparovic - Hampstead Office, Ellen Hough - Jacksonville Office, Debra Futch - Burgaw Office

Special thank you to all the staff and Helen Marotto and Phil for helping to make it a truly wonderful event.

We had the opportunity to have Key Yessaad return to Exit for a mini-training about our websites, blogging and social networking sites plus we learned how to make Google love us.

We were treated to some delicious food locally catered by Coriander's Fine Food and enjoyed a hilarious improv show brought to us by Comically Impaired. We are sure to remember this event for some time to come and look forward to having even more award winners next year.

For more picture click here

By Dana Scalici, Director of Agent Development, EXIT Homeplace Realty

Growing up as I have in real estate there are certain trainers like Zig Figlar and Floyd Wickman who are considered the elite! That was why; when Steve Caudle brought the opportunity to bring the renowned S.M.A.R.T program to Jacksonville, NC…we jumped at the chance.

The class was a mixture of experience levels and personalities from Eric Sabourin – Hampstead Office who is relatively new to real estate to Debra Futch – Burgaw Office who was already a successful Realtor® in her own right.

There were altogether 9 agents in the course including Karla Palmer who said: “What once appeared to be a universe beyond one’s control is now a fine tuned process backed by proven techniques.”

Pam Adams and Barbara Earley from our Hampstead Office both enjoyed learning to work their books of business.

Alexis Muegge who was working as a buyer specialist is now using her new knowledge along with her prior expertise to generate listing referrals, Brent Crane is helping for sale by owners and Cynthia LaCorte is using the program along with her staging accreditation to further her business in Jacksonville.

Pam Brooke – Burgaw Office commented that the program has helped her get out of her “comfort zone”.

On March 17^th these 9 agents completed the 7 week training program and received their certificates. It was so inspiring for me to see these agents now equipped with tools that will serve them well throughout their careers.

Top: From Left Steve Caudle, Dana Scalici, Pam Brooke, Eric Sabourin, Alexis Muegge Bottom: From Left Debra Futch & Karla Palmer

Their overall accomplishments during the program speak for themselves. These 9 brought in over 100 referral leads and about 45 new pieces of business! All in just 7 weeks, I would call that a success.

By: Dana Scalici - Director of Agent Development, Exit Homeplace Realty

We are building a company by design that honors production and success. It is to that end that I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about the 3P's. They stand for Participation, Positive Attitude and Production.

We have already awarded our first 3P scholarship to Alexis Muegge. She will be receiving $500.00 to be used towards furthering her real estate career through training. Please allow me to share with you why she was chosen.

At the age of 25 and still in her first 3 years in real estate, Alexis is already making her mark on the industry in Jacksonville. She ranks within the top 100 agents in her board. She always takes advantage of training opportunities and sits on the Public Relations Committee for the Jacksonville Board of Realtors®. She has truly made real estate her career. She is positive that she will succeed and is always around to help other agents in her office.

She was fortunate enough to have a wonderful mentor in Ellen Hough who sponsored Alexis into the real estate business and has taken the principal of sponsoring in the spirit in which it was intended by passing her knowledge of real estate to Alexis. Ellen is now reaping the rewards of her efforts through the 10% residual benefits that she is collecting each time Alexis has a closing.

Here at Exit we take a little different tack; we look for opportunities to help one another and are loyal to the Exit theory of abundance thinking. I heard a saying once that stuck with me…”never look down on anyone, unless you are helping them up.”

Thank you to all the agents that I work with who keep their integrity, even when times are tough, to those of you who take every opportunity to learn, those that build not only theirs but Exit's reputation by being a positive influence on everyone they meet and those who consistently work at their business each day and don't let market conditions dictate their success.

Kudos to you!

The Pender County Board of Education approved new boundaries for the Topsail area elementary schools after a lengthy discussion in a board work session on February 12, 2009.

Two public hearings were held, one on January 15, 2009, and one on February 3, 2009, to gather input on suggested boundaries. All questions and concerns brought by the public were considered before the final decision was made.  Pender County Schools staff advised board members to consider balancing school numbers, keeping neighborhoods intact, and maintaining transportation efficiency while considering the options.

The final boundaries are as follows:
South Topsail Elementary School: Cross Creek area, Scotts Hill area, Hoover Road, Washington Acres, Deerfield, and Majestic Oaks, from Scotts Hill up to Factory Road on Highway 17
Topsail Elementary School: Factory Road, Forest Sound, Hampstead Pines, St. John's Church Road, Country Club Road up to Mallard Bay Road, Pinnacle Parkway, Union Bethel Road, the stretch of road between Country Club and Sloop Point Loop Road, Pelican Reef, Bay Harbor, North and South Belvedere, from Factory Road up to Whitus Drive on Hwy. 17
North Topsail Elementary School: Everything past Whitus Drive on Hwy. 17 going towards Surf City, Bent Tree, Summerset and Yacht Basin Landing, and Mallard Bay Drive, Crane Point, right on Sloop Point Loop Road from Country Club Road, all of Sloop Point Road from Sloop Point Loop Road up to Bay Harbor, Surf City, Topsail Island, Buccaneer Blvd., Gillcup, Manhollow Church Road

Under this option, North Topsail Elementary will have approximately 541 students next year, Topsail Elementary will have 481 students and South Topsail Elementary will have 519 students.

Realtors from Exit Realty of the Carolinas met in Charlotte on March 5th and 6th to discuss the current market conditions, the future of the real estate market, and the past success of individual agents in the Region. Featured speakers were USA CEO Tami Bonnell, Vice President of Sales Bob McKinnon and Web Trainer extraordinaire...Key Yessaad. 

This high energy event is designed each year to reflect and reach out on what is happening in the Real Estate industry. Key Yessaad who has been training Exit Homeplace Realty exclusively for the last 4 years is now training agents from the entire Carolinas region and beyond with his fast paced advice on how to make a big impression with Google. Realtors were amused and riveted, and took away a renewed enthusiasm to embrace the future of our industry.

Local Hampstead Realtors, Stephanie Gasparovic, Christina Block and Hillary Nix were all awarded the prestigious 90/10 Award for their achievement of over $100,000 in gross commissions received in 2008. 

Other real estate awards were given for total production and sponsoring, where agents had introduced other agents to Exit Realty. 

Exit Homeplace Realty received the Gold Award for Production in North Carolina in 2008.

By Martin Evans
President / CEO