The Ebby Halliday Companies have lost a dear friend.  Rufus C. Burleson, husband of President & CEO Mary Frances Burleson, passed away in his sleep on November 13. 

Many in the company knew Rufus well, he was a regular at company events and one of the biggest cheerleaders for the entire organization.  And for those who didn’t know him personally, they knew his infamous Dog Art.  Rufus and Mary Frances have raised Boxers for many years and each holiday, he created an original Boxer painting which was reproduced as a postcard for every member of the Ebby Halliday Company as well as many friends.

Mary Frances was his best friend and soul mate and he was at her side for 55 years - never missing a chance to support her real estate career or share in her success and honors. 

She was his world and he was her cowboy.

Rufus was the epitome of a “good guy” and we will all miss his big smile, hearty laugh and his uncanny ability to make each and every person he spoke to feel special and appreciated.

Visitation will be held at Restland Funeral Home tonight from 6-8 p.m.

A memorial service and celebration of life is scheduled for Friday, November 20 at 2 p.m. at Park Cities Baptist Church, 3933 Northwest Parkway, Dallas 75225. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall.

Memorial contributions may be made to Buckner International, c/o Jim Huey, Buckner Foundation, 600 N. Pearl St., Ste. 2260, Dallas, 75201 or the American Boxer Charitable Foundation, ABCF Memorial Endowment Fund, P.O. Box 8667, Spokane, WA 99203.

To view the full obituary and sign the online guest book, click here.

It’s a week before Thanksgiving and our holiday ad shoot has already wrapped! 

Yesterday, the design experts at Dr. Delphinium Designs & Events worked their magic at 6239 Deloache Avenue in Preston Hollow, listed by Kay Weeks.  And not surprisingly, when they were finished, it looked like the cover of a Christmas card. 

Of course it took a lot of work to get there - a few garland malfunctions, some tricky ladder work, electrical creativity and raking an entire yard of leaves - but hey, all in a day’s work. 

They also got a little help from Caleb Powell and his crew at Nauhaus Home who took a break from their already busy holiday install schedule to line the sidewalk and roofline with hundreds of white lights.  The process started a little after noon and went right up to the sunset photo shoot with Sean Gallagher of Sean Gallagher Photography. 

Ebby dropped by on her way home before an evening event to check on the progress and give her personal stamp of approval.  She is pictured above with the team from Dr. Delphinium: Kelly, Rick, Charles and Vince.

We took lots of pictures and video and will post that soon - and look for the final ad to appear the first week of December. 

Thanks again to all our friends at Dr. Delphinium, Nauhaus Home and Sean Gallagher!

No matter which newspaper you pick up today, you’re going to find a great selection of homes for sale by The Ebby Halliday Companies. 

On the back page of the Business Section of today’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram, you’ll find a great collection of incredible kitchens.  From a more than $4 million Vaquero estate (pictured above) to well under $500,000 - you’ll find a kitchen perfect for your holiday entertaining.  See the online version of the ad here.

Meanwhile, in The Dallas Morning News, (also on the back page of the Business Section) you’ll find more than 50 DFW homes for sale.  These homes are all listings of our Breakfast of Champions winners - Associates who had the highest number of listings and sales in their office for Third Quarter 2009.  No matter your style, desired location or budget, you’re sure to fall in love with at least one home from this incredible collection.  See the full ad from The Dallas Morning News here.

And speaking of ads, today we’re going to deck the halls on Deloache Avenue in Preston Hollow.  Our friends at Dr. Delphinium Designs & Events are transforming another Ebby listing into a winter wonderland which will appear in a December ad.  Stay tuned for more information on that and if you’re in the area, stop by and say hi - just look for the big Dr. D truck and lots of busy workers trying to make the home perfect before the sunset photo shoot.

Ebby Halliday is comprised of some of the best Sales Associates in the Metroplex.  And maybe we’re a bit biased, but we think there’s no better broker than Ebby for an Associate to build and grow a successful business. 

 
But don’t just take our word for it – there’s no better testament to this than an Associate who has returned to Ebby after being with another broker – just like Donna Trayler (pictured above with Vice President & Director of Sales Offices, Betty Misko and Company President & CEO, Mary Frances Burleson). 

 
Donna started her real estate career with Ebby in 1990 and quickly achieved Top Team status for Ebby Halliday companywide for almost a decade. In a recent interview about her return, Donna had this to say about Ebby Halliday Realtors:

 “It’s true that you don’t fully appreciate what you have until it’s gone.  I started in this business as an Ebby Associate and I know now that I’ve always been an Ebby girl at heart.  I missed the traditional real estate business model and having a dedicated relocation department to better serve my corporate clients.  But most of all, I missed Ebby’s high standard of ethics.  The Ebby name is synonymous with integrity and is respected throughout our community – and that’s an invaluable benefit to any Associate. “     

 
To learn more about Donna’s recent return, see the full article from The Dallas Morning News here.

Comprised of three brands and more than 1,600 Sales Associates and staff in 30 offices that serve more than 12,000 square miles in North Texas, The Ebby Halliday Companies continue to grow.  We are pleased to welcome the following new Associates in October:

               Linda Ward Ambrose       Douglas

               George Bryant                  Flower Mound/Lewisville 

               Wendy Burr Gaule            Ellen Terry - Park Cities 

               Kim Burrough                   Sherman 

               Rebecca Castonguay        Rockwall 

               Bobbie Collier                   Campbell/Coit 

               Alvin Cooper                     Douglas 

               Melody Doll Warren          Irving/Las Colinas 

               Kaylon Ethridge                Douglas 

               Denise Fitzgerald             McKinney 

               Pat Halback                      Frisco 

               Lori Hoyt                           Preston Keller 

               Steve Hustoles                  Plano 

               Nina Knell Sache              Dave Perry-Miller - Highland Park 

               Jolene Landis                   Rockwall 

               Barbara Martin                  Preston Plano Parkway 

               Dennis McBride                 Flower Mound/Lewisville 

               Craig McClain                   McKinney 

               Teresa Neumann              Frisco 

               Lee Osteguin                    Allen 

               Roy Palvadeau                 Preston Plano Parkway 

               Angela Porow                   Tri-Counties 

               Amy Rakoczy                    Southlake 

               Melanie Reneau                Frisco 

               Cindy Singleton                Sherman 

               Cathy Sullivan                   Whitesboro 

               Debrah West                      Frisco 

               Jauana Williams                Flower Mound/Lewisville          

If you would like to learn more about a career with The Ebby Halliday Companies, contact Debbie Watson, Director of Career Development, at 972-980-6610 or debbiewatson@ebby.com.

If you’re planning to tour Open Houses this weekend, there’s no better place to start your search than the Ebby Open House Search page!  This weekend you’ll find almost 300 to choose from!  Happy touring!

Week 1 of Ebby Academy is coming to a close today and the almost 40 new Associates in this month’s class have had quite a week, learning from the top down why Ebby is the best place to begin a career in real estate.  Case in point, Ebby herself and Company President & CEO Mary Frances Burleson opened the class Monday morning and since then, Associates have been schooled on everything from Business Development to Social Media Networking.  And all these classes are taught by experts in those respective fields, including current Ebby Associates, Managers and Executive Staff. 

Yesterday’s highlight was a Panel of Achievers (pictured above), featuring 4 current Ebby Associates who shared their experiences about getting started in the business.  A special thank you to Jeff Weaver of the Preston Plano Parkway office for serving as the panel moderator and our four panelists: Chris Hickman of the Lakewood office, Kristi Davis of the Irving/Las Colinas office, Stacey Zimmerman of the Preston Plano Parkway office and Francisco Aguayo of the Flower Mound/Lewisville office.

Today’s class is Financial Management: You and the IRS, taught by Ebby CFO Ron Burgert, along with a little help from Ralph Stanford of The Levee Singers. 

“When new Associates complete our two-week training course, they have not only learned how to start and build a successful business but they also have confidence in their skills.  And we don’t stop there - our department provides comprehensive continuing education with an array of classes each month at the Corporate headquarters and in our branch offices,” says Debbie Watson, director of career development.

And if you’re interested in a career with The Ebby Halliday Family of Companies, contact Debbie to set up a confidential interview at 972-980-6610 or debbiewatson@ebby.com.

Our friend Candy Evans (you know her as DallasDirt blogger extraordinaire) has chosen another Ebby listing as the “D Sale of the Week”.  This time it’s 11036 Creekmere in the Lochwood area of East Dallas, listed by Jeraldine Wooldridge. 

This modern gem is located on a beautiful greenbelt and has never been remodeled - consider it a blank canvas.  But judging by the contract pending flag on ebby.com, someone already has. 

But fear not, ebby.com has many other options to choose from, start your search now.

And to learn more about 11036 Creekmere, check out D Magazine here.

Last night, Ebby was honored with the 2009 Flora Award at the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park.  The black-tie evening began with a cocktail reception and tour of the newly opened Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium followed by a seated dinner in he Grand Hall where guests enjoyed the beautiful sounds of The Steve Bayless Orchestra and the amazing fare of Wendy Krispin.  Ebby was introduced by longtime friend and 2008 Flora Award recipient, Lindalyn Adams, pictured above (left) with Ebby and Melissa Martin, Executive Director of Texas Discovery Gardens.

Texas Discovery Gardens is the second-oldest botanical institution in Texas and the first in Dallas to offer botanical education to youth with its living classroom comprised of 7.5 acres of garden, the new Butterfly House and Insectarium permanent conservatory and the new children’s educational programs of Environmental and Nature Science. 

The Flora Award was established in 1982 to benefit Texas Discovery Gardens and recognizes outstanding Americans who have demonstrated their commitment to beautification, education and advancement of the environment and quality of life.  Past recipients include Margaret & Trammell Crow, Caroline Rose Hunt, Ruth Sharp Altshuler, Margaret Hunt Hill, Ray Nasher, Nellie Connally, Deedie & Rusty Rose, Laura and President George W. Bush, Dee & Charles Wyly, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Louise Spence Griffeth and Carl & Peggy Sewell.

To see more photos from last night’s Flora Awards, visit the Ebby Halliday Facebook Fan Page here.

It was recently announced that Dallas and North Texas are among the 27 destinations nationwide shortlisted in a bid to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup!  Both the Cotton Bowl Stadium and Cowboys Stadium remain as viable options to be included in the USA Bid Committee’s final bid to FIFA in May 2010. 

Along with the additional 5,000-8,000 jobs created in Dallas and North Texas by hosting the World Cup, the event would generate approximately $300-$500 million in total economic impact for the region. In addition, the benefits of hosting the World Cup would not only help the community and city as a whole but have a lasting impact on the sport of soccer within the D/FW region.

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert is asking for your help:

Friends, we need your help.  Dallas wants to bring back the FIFA World Cup in either 2018 or 2022! You may remember the excitement when the Cotton Bowl last hosted World Cup Soccer in 1994, and we want to welcome the world’s most popular game back again!  The Dallas bid — which currently includes both the Cotton Bowl and Cowboys Stadium — is already a finalist to be a part of the official USA Bid. One factor is public support. We could really use your vote in an online poll. Please visit www.gousabid.com/Dallas, sign the online petition and show your support! Let’s bring back the World Cup!

 

Do your part and sign the online petition here.