DeLois Smith Adam WatkinsLinda Seifert Debra Pace Scott HolmesBrenda Blackwell Wendy Gay Dennis Baum

Elizabeth Liggett Josh Bellew

Volume 16, Issue 10 / December 2014

4 Willow Bend Drive, Hattiesburg509 S. Main Street, Petal

601.545.3900 • 1.800.DELOIS.SDeLoisSmith.com • GoAllStarTeam.com

Andrew Bird

Dana Quesenberry Antwain Ross

Bob and Helen Clunie have honored us by serving as our 2014 Third Quarter Great American All Stars! Recently, Brenda Blackwell and Linda Seifert had a delightful dinner with them at Purple Parrot Café. The Team came to know our All Star couple when Brenda had the pleasure of representing them in the buying and selling of their home in The Trace and the purchase of their current home.

The Clunies are a wonderful pair that met 20 years ago while each was attending grief counseling having lost their respective spouses. They have led full interesting lives on their own. Bob started an insurance career in

1949 and once handled national dealer enterprise accounts for Chrysler and American Motors Corporations. Helen had a 28 year teaching career and in more recent years has been heavily involved in genealogy research.

These two lovely people amaze us with their energy, descriptive stories of their past and plans for their future. They are devoted to each other and to their families as well as others in the community. In their retirement they have been active supporters of The University of Southern Mississippi having served on the Inner Tribal Committee promoting student recruitment from the Choctaw Nation.

Helen has a Cherokee Indian heritage and this is a committee the couple sees as a valuable tool in seeking deserving students for scholarship programs at USM. In addition to their community interests, they look for forums to increase their personal growth such as auditing a history course from the late Dr. Milton Wheeler, a beloved and renowned Professor at the University of William Carey.

Thank you, Bob and Helen, for setting an example of how to live happily and productively into our senior years. We know that you will always engage, encourage and endear yourselves to all whom you encounter.

Bob & Helen Clunie

We would like to wish you and your entire family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! It has been a pleasure to serve you and we look forward to

strengthening our relationships with all of you in the coming years.

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving….my favorite holiday was truly a season of gratitude for our team. We celebrated and expressed our gratitude to nearly 400 of you who honored us by coming by our Petal and Oak Grove offices for a seasonal pie. It has been heartwarming to hear team members expressing love and appreciation to our clients and friends as well as to our team members for team spirit, unity and focus we share.

Thanks to you and your amazing support, our team has exceeded our team goal of $65 million closed in 2014. We are especially pleased that we have been able to increase our listing sales by 24% this year while the overall market has increased by 1.6%.

100% of our Realtor Team and three of our support staff members attended the NAR Convention in November. We invested in new technology to better showcase our sellers’ properties; we also attended three day sessions that will enable us to sharpen our skills and better interpret our marketplace for the benefit of our clients.

A new designation, Sellers Representative Specialist (SRS) has been added. Adam and I completed the inaugural class with fifty other Realtors, both national and international.

“SRS Designees are said to be a driving force in some of the industry’s most innovative and successful real estate compa-nies,” said the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers.

Locally and nationally, we see some signs of the housing market growing stronger. Locally, one sign has been an increase in the $300,000+ price range. Year-to-date closed $300,000+

has increased by 32.3% from 2013. There is also a decrease in foreclosure/short sales locally from 20% to 18%. US home ownership rate dropped for the ninth year – edging down to 65.1%. US home ownership for age groups 25-54 is at its low-est since 1976 while ownership of households 75 and older is now a record high. Negative equity is 11.9% while approxi-mately one-third are debt free in their home ownership, a very positive sign!

As consumer confidence improves, consumers aren’t just looking for the biggest house on the block. They’re looking for more efficient use of space and a greater area allocated to “workhorse” spaces like the kitchen. Home buyers want unique features and amenities. Today’s home buyers are very focused on lifestyle and the way they live life.

Looking toward Christmas celebrations as we spend qual-ity time with family and friends, enjoy Christmas music in our churches, and celebrate the greatest event in human history – the birth of Jesus Christ; we also begin our focus on the upcom-ing 2015 New Year. Recently, our team has spent focused time on what we did well (“Our Hits”), what we could do better (“Our Misses”), and new action items.

This has brought me to Today Matters by John C. Maxwell, and his outline for 12 daily practices to guarantee tomorrow’s success in 2015 which I want to share.

Christmas blessings to you and your families!

DeLois and Team

Star Chat with DeLois

Just for Today…Just for today… I will choose and display the right attitudes.Just for today… I will determine and act on important priorities.Just for today… I will know and follow healthy guidelines.Just for today… I will communicate with and care for my family.Just for today… I will practice and develop good thinking.Just for today… I will make and keep proper commitments.Just for today… I will earn and properly manage finances.Just for today… I will deepen and live out my faith.Just for today… I will initiate and invest in solid relationships.Just for today… I will plan for and model generosity.Just for today… I will embrace and practice good values.Just for today… I will seek and experience improvements.

Just for today… I will act on these decisions and practice these disciplines, and

Then one day… I will see the compounding results of a day lived well.

The DeLois Smith All Star Team attended the 2014 National Association of Realtors conference held in New Orleans.

Photo by Robert W. Lewis

Current real estate market statisticsHattiesburg Area Single Family Median Sold Home Prices (January 01-November 30)

2013 2014

Hattiesburg $105,000 $112,000

Oak Grove $179,900 $185,000

Petal $143,000 $141,400

Hattiesburg Area Single Family Homes SOLD (January 01-November 30)

2013 2014

Hattiesburg 279 265

Oak Grove 434 427

Petal 195 200

Call us at 601-545-3900 for your no obligation home price consultation.

Looking for a new home? Visit DeLoisSmith.com to view all of the latest listings!

Client Quotes“I was very pleased with the experience I had with your team. Andrew made the process very smooth. All of the questions I had, he provided answers and he also took the time to explain various details concerning contracts and other such matters, all while demonstrating patience and understanding. I do not think I could have asked for anything more.”

-Adam Lofton

“We had a Great Experience! The team went out of their way to serve us. We will, if needed, continue doing business with the All Star Team!”

-Kelly J. Lambert

“As always, your team exceeds our expectations!”

-Jimmy & Jean Young

High Definition 3D Walkthrough home tours being addedby Josh Bellew, Marketing & Technology Director

At The DeLois Smith All Star Team Realtors, we strive to exceed our clients’ expectations on a daily basis. One of the ways we do this is by staying on the cutting edge of technology and utilizing the latest tools to market our clients’ properties to the public.

I am excited to announce the latest tool in our arsenal, a 3D Walkthrough that’s designed to provide prospective buyers with a deeper insight into what the home actually looks like before they go and visit. The effect is an intuitive experience that is both easy to use and highly detailed. Users can zoom out into a “dollhouse mode” and look at a home’s complete floor plan, and then zoom into a first person view to move around the house.

This new technology utilizes a special camera and proprietary technology to create a 3D tour that can be viewed from any web browser, including your smartphone or tablet. So no matter where you are in the world, you will be able to view a high definition walkthrough of the entire interior of a home.

We look forward to showing you the first 3D Walkthroughs in the coming weeks. Be sure to check out our website, DeLoisSmith.com, and our facebook page, facebook.com/AllStarTeamREALTORS, for more information.

Lake Serene 4BD/5BA - $629,000PALATIAL, CUSTOM, TWO-STORY COLONIAL &

PRIVATE IN-GROUND POOL. DRAMATIC, TWO-STORY ENTRANCE THROUGH LEADED GLASS FRONT

DOORWAY. GOURMET KITCHEN.

187 Balboa Drive

Trailwood 4BD/2.5BA - $295,000MAGNIFICENT SOUTHERN COLONIAL THAT OOZES CURP APPEAL ON THE PRIME, FLAT

TRAILWOOD LOT. COMPLETELY UPDATED W/ NEW WIDE PLANK WOOD FLOORS.

101 Sweet Bay Trail

Canebrake 6BD/4.5BA - $689,500 CLASSIC SOUTHERN COLONIAL W/ PERFECT FLOOR PLAN FOR LARGE FAMILY. INCLUDES A SUNROOM, GAME ROOM, HOBBY ROOM, WORKSHOP, 3-CAR GARAGE, SEPARATE MOTOR COURT, PLUS MORE!

4 Grand Bayou

Canebrake 5BD/4.5BA - $599,900 IT IS A CASTLE! HEAVY IRON CASTLE DOORS

PROVIDE CONVINCING EVIDENCE FROM THE FRONT ENTRY. 8’DOORS, GOURMET KITCHEN W/ GAS

RANGE, RECLAIMED PINE ACCENTS.

6 Oak Landing

SW Hattiesburg 4BD/2.5BA - $299,500HERE IT IS! OPEN AND FLOWING HOME ON ALMOST 8 ACRES W/ ROOM FOR HORSES. READY TO MOVE IN W/ FRESH PAINT, NEW CARPET, & HARDWOOD

FLOORING. PROPANE GENERATOR FOR HOME.

38 Elks Lake Road

Lake Serene 4BD/3.5BA - $329,900THIS ONE-STORY, EXECUTIVE HOME HAS IT ALL!

RENOVATED INSIDE AND OUT WITH EXCEPTIONAL ATTENTION TO DETAIL. ACHITECTURALLY APPEALING

& LUXURIOUS INTERIOR.

201 Balboa Drive

Christmas Open House!Come have your photo

taken with Santa!61 Bienville Trace, Hattiesburg

Canebrake Golf Community

Sunday, December 72-4 PM

Directions: Take Hwy 98 West, turn into the 2nd Canebrake Entrance. House is on the left. Additional

parking is available at the pool near the entrance.