Posts

CRES Will Attend the 2022 Five Star Conference and Expo in Dallas, Texas

CRES will be making a post-pandemic return to the annual Five Star Conference and Expo in Dallas Texas.  Scheduled for September 18-20th, at the Hyatt Regency, the event is likely to draw thousands of professionals in the real estate and financial services industry.  If you’d like to meet with us next week, please email info@gocres.com.  We still have appointments available!

AMDC Spring Newsletter is Now Available!

The American Mortgage Diversity Council provides best-in-class education on issues pertaining to diversity and inclusion. The organization fulfills this commitment, in part, through the production of a newsletter which educates readers on cutting-edge topics influencing diversity and inclusion within the mortgage industry. The Spring 2019 newsletter is out now.  Continental Real Estate Services has representatives serving on the Mortgage Banking Relations Committee and the Education and Training Committee of the AMDC.

Click here to download the newsletter: https://mortgagediversitycouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AMDC-Newsletter_Spring-2019.pdf 

 

 

CRES Joins Industry Leaders in Presenting Diversity Webinar on June 12, 2019

Katie Van Hook with Continental Real Estate Services will join a distinguished panel of presenters next week in a webinar discussing diversity and inclusion initiatives in your company. The webinar is part of a series made available to the industry by the American Mortgage Diversity Council. CRES leaders currently serve on the Education and Training Committee as well as the Mortgage Banking Relations Committee. Click here to register for the free webinar:  REGISTRATION LINK

 

CRES will attend the Diversity Symposium on May 8, 2019

Continental Real Estate Services, proud members of the American Mortgage Diversity Council, will be in Dallas May 6-9. We will be attending the Diversity Symposium at the Adolphus Hotel on May 8th. If you will be in Dallas, let’s meet! Email: info@gocres.com

 

Diversity Briefing from the American Mortgage Diversity Council – Spring 2017

Check out the latest update from the American Mortgage Diversity Council.  Continental Real Estate Services proudly serves as a member of the AMDC.  We recently attended the member summit in Dallas, Texas where we discussed diversity and inclusion challenges with the industry’s leaders.

AMDC Newsletter Spring 2017

Here’s what you’ll find in the latest Spring edition:
• A history of progress – Travel with Kim Morris, SVP Tax Services at Accumatch, as she chronicles 60 years of progress, from Affirmative Action to the inclusion movement of today. Morris acknowledges how government efforts have helped along the way but reminds us of the much more pivotal role community plays in diversity’s progression.
• More to be done – As Charmaine Brown, Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Fannie Mae, sees it, D&I has “…come a long way, baby.” Brown discusses the industry’s evolution from compliance-based inclusion programs to focusing on more bottom-line value adds. Yet despite this growth, she says, there is much work still to be done—and research on the successes of minorities and woman in mortgage proves it.
• Diversifying the workforce – Assimilating those with disabilities into the workforce can lower turnover rates, provide valuable tax credits, and increase loyalty from the customer base. Monika Peltz, SVP of Default Title Operations at First American Mortgage Solutions, provides great insight into this often-overlooked fact.
• Haitian-American home ownership – The plight of Haitian Americans in their pursuit of the American Dream of home ownership is felt by many members of their community. Consolidated Credit Solution’s Maria Gaitan, Director of Housing Counseling, and Meghan Alard, Finance Writer, discuss the challenges many Haitian Americans face because of lower household incomes, higher home prices, insufficient homebuying knowledge, and language barriers.Here’s what you’ll find in the latest briefing…

 

Artboard 1@0.75x-100

The Continental Quarterly – Volume 6

 

 

 

 

0-CRES-Header-11-TinaCostelloStory-2

We are honored to have our Title Department Manager Tina Costello’s article titled “What to Expect When You’re Doing Business in an Abstract State” featured in the Fall 2015 edition of REOMAC Update. Click here to read the full article.
2-Hours-2
CRES takes pride in being available for all of your real estate needs throughout the year. However, over the holidays we encourage our employees to spend time with loved ones and enjoy well deserved time off. Please see our holiday hours above.
3-CRESCARES-4
 5-Bracket-2
Major League Baseball Playoff Celebration
On October 9th, CRES had our first MLB playoff celebration potluck. Of course we had to make it a competition! There were 113 entries with only one person getting all of them correct, our fearless leader MK Kearns. Check out the photo to see her winning bracket.
9-Calendar-2
7-HAlloween-Header-1
2nd Annual Halloween Costume Contest Results
This October CRES hosted our second annual Halloween Costume Contest complete with a potluck and prizes. This year’s winner was Joel Aney, who dressed up as Lemmy from Moorhead. This year’s participants went above and beyond with their effort. We even had three dogs participate. Congratulations to Joel and all participants for their creativity. We can’t wait to see what the CRES team comes up with next year.
To see all of this year’s participants visit our Facebook page!
7-XMAS-Header-1
3rd Annual Ugly Sweater Contest Results
Holidays at CRES have really become a warm, happy and fun environment. We don’t just decorate the office with lights and ornaments, we celebrate with a contest. For the third year in a row our team showed off their best holiday inspired UGLY sweaters. This year the winner was Debi Stevenson. Her Grinch inspired holiday sweater truly took the cake. We have seen some really ugly sweaters over the years, but we want to thank our team for their participation in this hilarious contest.
To see all of this year’s participants visit our Facebook page!
8-Chilli-1
Veterans Day Chili Cook-Off
What better way to spice up a typical dreary fall day that to hold a Chili Cook-Off! On Veterans Day this year the CRES team celebrated by cooking their best recipes of the warm rib sticking dish.
The winners of this years contest were:
White Chili – Jen Boudreau
Original Red Chili – Joel Arney
Hot Chili – Jenn Swenson
Vegetarian Chili – Beverly Nation
To see all of this year’s participants visit our Facebook page!
10-PaulScott-ROOKIEvVET-4

The Continental Quarterly – Volume 5

0-CRES-Header-1

1-CRES-Storm-2

This summer was a remarkably wet one in the Midwest, with strong storms and record breaking rainfall documented across the nation. Illinois had the most June rainfall on record since 1895. Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri all had their second wettest June and July in 120 years. Many of our CRES employees experienced storm damage on their properties from falling limbs, hail and flooding. We have compiled a few tips to help you be proactive in protecting your home.
1-CRES-Storm-3
> Trim Your Trees:
Any branches that are growing close to or hanging over your home need to be trimmed to prevent damage to your siding and/or roof during a storm.
> Clean Your Downspouts and Gutters:
Repair any leaks, clean your gutters regularly and inspect your downspouts to ensure water is directed away from your house’s foundation.
> Elevate HVAC Systems and Appliances:
To avoid damage to household appliances in flood prone areas, make sure to set your air conditioning unit, furnace, washer and dryer above the level where water could potentially reach. Cinderblocks or a wood platform are easy ways to protect them from rising water.
> Get Flood Insurance for an Extra Financial Protective Measure
1-CRES-Hours-2
Fall is upon us again, and we are quickly approaching the holiday season. The next few months are sure to be a blur. As always, we appreciate your business and we look forward to a very busy end of year! For your convenience, please see our 2015 holiday hours above.
2-CRES-BigLoser-1
The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Competition has been a big success at CRES. We are very proud of the dedication of our participating staff. The winner of our 2015 CRES Biggest Loser summer contest was Mary Kay Rapa. Over the 12 weeks of the contest she lost 39 pounds and is on a mission to keep losing weight and living healthy. By the end of September she had lost a whopping 50 lbs!!
Stay tuned for more results!   
3-CRES-CRESCARES-3
3-CRES-CRESCARES-4-Nubbs 3-CRES-CRESCARES-4-Trivia
6-CRES-Calendar-3
CRES-News-8 CRES-News-9
9-CRES-Dusty-2
CRES-UpcomingEvents-5-2
2nd Annual Halloween Costume Contest
The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Competition has been a big success at CRES. We are very proud of the dedication of our participating staff. The winner of our 2015 CRES Biggest Loser summer contest was Mary Kay Rapa. Over the 12 weeks of the contest she lost 39 pounds and is on a mission to keep losing weight and living healthy. By the end of September she had lost a whopping 50 lbs!!
Stay tuned via Facebook for instant contest results!
CRES-UpcomingEvents-5-3
3rd Annual Ugly Sweater Contest
We love holiday time at CRES, and what better way to celebrate the holidays than with an UGLY SWEATER CONTEST? This will be our third annual contest, and boy have we have seen some ugly sweaters! We can’t wait to see what our creative team comes up with this year!
Don’t miss out on pictures and contest winners!
Gina_Pam_ROOKIEvVET-8

The Continental Quarterly – Volume 4

 

Biggest Loser WINNER!

On March 31st, CRES finished its third installment of The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Competition.  19 motivated employees took part, with the winner, Avianne Clay, taking home the grand prize of $300.  Avianne dropped an incredible 31 pounds over the course of twelve weeks.  We were so inspired by everyone’s efforts earlier this year that we’re going to have a second competition starting in June!  We’re excited to welcome summer with group walks, recipes to share, and pounds to lose!  Stay tuned for more results!   

EASY WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY THIS SUMMER

Choose Fresh: Beware of the working person’s snack trap. It is often easier and cheaper to grab a bag of chips or a candy bar when you’re famished. Instead, try to bring fresh vegetables and/or fruit with you to work. Buy groceries at the beginning of the week and package single servings of your favorite healthy snacks to stash in your desk.  Planning ahead is key! Add Greek yogurt and almonds for a boost of iron, calcium and omega-3’s!

Read Labels: We all know many processed foods are not generally good for our health. At times, we can be fooled by packaging that claims, “All natural” or “Low in sugar.” The key to seeing through the packaging comes in the ingredient list – read it. The ingredients are listed in order of quantity, so the greatest quantities come first and the lowest come at the end. If dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, enriched flour or any unknown ingredients are listed near the top, chose something else!  If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.  If it’s “low sugar” but contains artificial sweetener such as aspartame, skip it.  Got a mean sweet tooth?  Try honey!

 

Spring Training!

Last month we celebrated the arrival of spring (and baseball) with an office BBQ!  The staff took turns flipping burgers while sporting our fancy new CRES aprons.  We lucked out with mild temperatures and sunny skies!
View more of our BBQ photos on our Facebook!

CRES-News-6-Testimonial

CRES CARES – Walk to End Lupus

CRES team member Mary Kay Rapa and her daughter Jessica Rapa (both suffer from Lupus) participated in the Walk to End Lupus Now on May 2nd. Together they raised $300 in donations. 

The Lupus Foundation of America is the only national force devoted to solving the mystery of lupus, one of the world’s cruelest, most unpredictable, and devastating diseases, while giving caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. We envision a life free of lupus. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus through programs of research, education, support and advocacy.

Click here for more information:

http://www.lupus.org/action/walk-to-end-lupus-now

Always Improving

CRES is traveling to Dallas, Texas next week to help REOMAC celebrate it’s 30th anniversary. We will be attending the 2015 Education Summit and Expo from April 12-14. These informative seminars and intensive training sessions feature industry experts discussing current challenges and trends. The Expo should give us a fresh perspective and a look at the latest technology for better serving clients.