January 2026 - Newsletter
- Stacy Fernandez
- Jan 31
- 8 min read
Happy New Year - Excited for what this year has to bring
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📸 Lincoln NE Area Market Snapshot
We are seeing the effects of a good ole Nebraska Winter! Keep in mind these are always from the month before (example December stats) though this comes out in January. Around the office people have felt it pick up with more buyers coming out of the woodwork (yay lower interest rates), as well as some properties that have been sitting going under contract. Just remember if you are in the market to buy if interest rates go down more competition is very likely to rise and thus prices creep back up.
👫 Realtor Matchmaking
As you may have seen in my last email I am doing a weekly Live series breaking down the process for buying a home in 2026! So far it has been on time (still waiting for this baby to make it's appearance which may interrupt a week or two).
We have covered the following so far:
Week 1 | Your 2026 Homeownership Roadmap
Week 2 | Why Buying Isn't Out of Reach
Week 3 | Renting vs Buying The Real Math
Week 4 | Credit What Actually Matters
Would love to see some new faces on there and help answer any questions that come up! They are short 15-20 mins focused on a new topic each week. After the topic there is time to ask anything real estate related you want! So get your burning questions answered 🔥
Replays are available at the Facebook page just need to join the private group - click the photo below for the link:
We will eventually have it on our Matchmaking website as well just haven't quite finalized that yet. Feel free to check it out for a sneak peak though!
We are really excited about this and look forward to being able to help first time homebuyers all across the US achieve the American Dream!
Continue to stay up-to-date be sure to continue reading this Newsletter, follow Eliezer and I on our Facebook Page and Instagram. Or join us for a live!
As always if you or anyone you know is needing some real estate resources you can always reach out or fill out this link here:
Click to be Matched or Refer Someone Else!
📝 A Note from Your Favorite Realtor
It is crazy to me that the first month of the New Year is already over! Time flies and i'll be honest I am in baby preparation mode not Goal setting mode like I normally am.
We are doing our best to patiently wait for baby Fernandez but honestly i'm ready for some calm baby cuddles, naps and family bonding time. The baby was generous enough to wait for our most recent listing to go under contract which worked out well, but we are ready.
Eliezer will get a week off of work to help get us settled in and I have a list of things I would like to do that is definitely goal oriented and will help us get a better handle of what we want for our lives in the coming year. A few items on the list are: get our tax info sent in to our preparer, start using Monarch Money to track our spending and net worth, reengage with a fee based financial advisor, plan our camping trips/vacations for the year, and buy my turkey permit!
We have had a relaxing month because we are very cautious to commit to events since we know the baby could make it's appearance at anytime. However it has also been fulfilling and pretty active with business. We had our first closing for 2026 with some of our Spanish only clients and are really excited for them! They got a great deal on their home and are so excited to be homeowners. They are really great people and were so grateful for our help! It warmed my heart 💖Plus our first listing of the year is under contract and we have been working with a few buyers checking out houses. I think 2026 will shape up to be a good year!
Ezrael also started swim lessons which have gone well (if he doesn't skip his nap)... Mom and Dad aren't in the pool with him and it's all new people, but i'm really impressed with Life Strokes and their ability to keep the kids along the wall & distracted while the other little fishies are doing their part of the lesson. It is a highlight each week to go and watch him learn and see all the cute kiddos!
Ezrael and Gizmo both got haircuts - it was Ezrael's first and we went up to Omaha because they had a cute little salon, Cookie Cutters with fun chairs. Highly recommend for a first time haircut. We got a little certificate with his photo, lock of hair and he got to pick out a balloon and sucker. We were totally those overbearing parents that took way too many photos as he got to sit in a Firetruck chair and watch his all time favorite movie Disney's Planes ✈️ He managed super well and seemed to enjoy it - he was still half asleep from his nap on the drive up thankfully! He got to play on their slide after too so he was just a happy camper!
We are excited for what February brings and with the new baby coming are still keeping our commitments low but are looking forward to what is to come and the transition from party of 3 to 4! I'm also just feeling good about real estate this year and am excited to ramp up business. If you work with us you may just get your chance to experience that new baby good juju 👶
Happy January! Wishing you a month of LOVE in February! I know we will be feeling all the love in our house in the coming month as it is looking official that the baby will join us in February (hopefully not the 14th - that's already Eliezer and my mom's birthday and way to long for me to comfortable incubating a baby).
📅 Event
City of Lincoln Libraries - Jigsaw Puzzle Swap
Are you obsessed with Jigsaw puzzles like I am but tired of doing the same ones over and over?!
This event is for you! The Walt Branch Library in Lincoln is hosting a puzzle exchange.
As far as I know you can exchange an unlimited amount of puzzles. If you bring them in before the day of the event you get VIP access. What a fun and free way to get some variety in your collection!
I'll be gathering my puzzles up to exchange and get something fresh and fun - hope to see you there!
I also found a local Facebook group for puzzle exchanges as well! Here is the link if you want that Lincoln NE Puzzle Exchange
What local groups and events interest you most?
🤝 Giving Back
February is Sock Drive Month!!!
We will take all kinds of socks New, Used, Holey, Mismatching, & Singles.
Now is the perfect time to clean out your sock drawer. If you gather them I will pick them up!!! Just shoot me a text to schedule 402-413-9558
It goes on the whole month of February so if you see a really good deal on socks at the store please let me know so I can snatch them up.
Ways to donate:
Collect your used socks.
Call me to coordinate pickup!
Buy new socks to donate.
Call me to coordinate pick up or drop off at my office!
Donate via Venmo
Use the Realtors Association of Lincoln Venmo to donate money.
@REALTORSLincoln
If you donate please let me know so I can send you a little thank you for being so SWEET 🍪
What local organizations are important to you?
💁🏼♀️ Stacy's Pick
Welcome to this new section that highlights things I like and want to share!
I was back and forth on this being a money saving tip because it could qualify as one but it's more just me supporting a product that i'm really excited about and think other people should know about too.
This was our family Christmas gift and we are really excited about it. It is an indoor hydroponic garden.
Eliezer eats salad everyday for lunch and we realized it was getting pretty expensive, and sometimes it would go to waste. We have also been very conscious of what is in our food lately. We previously had an Aerogarden which had 3 spots for plants, at one point we had a great lettuce plant that we were harvesting quite often. Sadly it wasn't enough to sustain our needs.
Thus we found the Gardyn!
We have actually been contemplating this purchase for a few years, so i'm happy we finally bit the bullet. I'm most excited for the other things we can grow beyond salad like kohlrabi, strawberries, flowers, peppers, mini cucumbers, mini tomatoes and herbs (which is a big line item in our budget that goes to waste often too).
Wanted to share that they have refurbished systems for sale that are a great deal - they are going fast too they already sold out of the Gardyn Home 4 (the same system we have).
Or if you aren't interested in the refurbished system I have a referral link that will get you 15% off your purchase (if you use my referral link I get 2 free months of membership).
Don't worry we will keep you posted on how it goes and stay on the look out for recipes featuring some of our goodies!!!
What products do you like that save you money or help you live a cleaner life?
🍪 Recipe
This is a recipe that we found online but is was a total winner in our house and will be made again very soon!
I will be honest this blog is a go to when I need a good sourdough recipe. It hasn't let me down yet so highly recommend checking out the other recipes as well!
We did make a few substitutes to use the ingredients we keep on hand at home. These included substituting date sugar (the only "sugar" we really use in our house) for the light brown sugar in the crumble topping & cinnamon sugar filling. We ran out of date sugar for the actual cake batter so we substituted the light brown and granulated sugar for 3/4 cups of pure maple syrup. It turned out delicious none the less. We might have had to cook a little longer than was originally suggested as well. Cook until toothpick comes out clean.
Anyway if you are into the sourdough thing and need something to do with your discard this coffee cake is worth trying! Though we did eat it with our coffee it was also snacked on all day long because it was too good not to.
It's supposed to freeze well too if you are worried about indulging too much at once (a serious risk with this one)!
Are you into sourdough? What are your go-to recipes?
💸 Free Resources
All of these Free Resources can also be found on our Realtor Matchmaking Site:
You can also find Lincoln Nebraska Local Resources here:
Wanting something else specific? Let me know, i'd love to offer more value!
🎯 Goal Tracking
Accountability 101 - Goal tracking update.
We haven't really had a chance to update our goals for 2026 but I think 30 transactions is still a good goal to shoot for so i'm going to keep it for this year and hope we can actually achieve it!
We have already had one closing so you can see the new tracking above!
Congrats Magaly & Osmary!!!
Here's to another year of public accountability and if we achieve it a party is back on the table for 2026!
Would love to celebrate with you, your friends, family, coworkers or whoever it is that helps support our business! As always your referrals are greatly appreciated and the core of our business.
Thank you for your support in 2025 and looking forward to 2026!!!
🥂 Cheers
Happy New Year! Looking forward to another year of growth, sharing, connecting and learning!
-The Fernandez Family
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