July 2026 - Newsletter
- Stacy Fernandez
- Jul 31
- 12 min read
Hope you had a fantastic July - can't believe Summer is almost over!
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click the link, I may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you.
📸 Lincoln NE Area Market Snapshot
Lincoln's market is moving at a healthy pace! While buyers are finally seeing more homes to choose from, well-priced and well-prepared listings are still selling quickly. We're shifting toward a more balanced market, more balanced than we have seen in years, creating great opportunities for both buyers and sellers!
🏡 Buyers
More homes to choose from
Less frantic competition
Great homes still move quickly
Having financing lined up gives you an advantage
🏠 Sellers
Demand remains strong
Buyers are becoming more selective
Pricing accurately matters more than ever
First impressions help maximize your sale
👫 Realtor Matchmaking
Can I Make One Quick Ask?
I'm actually kicking myself a little.
Right now, I'm helping some wonderful clients buy a townhome here in Lincoln. At the same time, they're also dealing with selling a family home in another area as part of settling an estate. It wasn't until later that I realized...
I never even asked if they needed help finding a Realtor there.
That's exactly the kind of thing I love helping with!
If you or someone you know is moving outside my area, please don't assume I can't help! I may not be the one opening doors, but I can help you find a fantastic Realtor.
I love playing matchmaker and connecting people with agents I trust across the country. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of the process, and I'll help make sure you're connected with someone who's a good fit for your situation—not just the first name that pops up online. Even after the introduction, I'm always happy to be another resource if you need someone to bounce ideas or questions off of.
So before you Google a Realtor or call the first name you see, send me a message. I'd love to help you find the right fit—whether it's across town or across the country.
Click to be Matched or Refer Someone Else!
📝 A Note from Your Favorite Realtor
Cannot believe July is finishing today! Now it feels like we are on the downhill slope to the end of the year and we all know the holidays hit and they don't stop! Then it's a whole new year!!!
Okay i'm jumping the gun here a little but let's hop into all things July!
We got into festivities with a fun family camping trip in Stanton, NE at Maskenthine Lake. A gem of a campground that my brother & sister-in-law (Oz & Hannah) suggested! We had a nice time celebrating the 4th of July with the Fernandez family. The kiddos loved working our way back to Norfolk for Big Bang Boom and the 250th Anniversary show did not disappoint. Evany slept through the entire show but Ezrael was a big fan and at one point was yelling, TOO MUCH! They did have a large amount of big booms and a few good flames thrown.
A camping trip isn't complete without a little wrench being thrown in the plans but thank goodness they did! Uncle Oz noticed the tire on our camper was very near blowing out (ripped tread and side wall wear). So thankful he saw that and we were able to replace the tire to ensure a much safer ride home. We took it in for service thinking the axel was bent but luckily it was just a crappy tire and no additional issues.
Sissy aka Evany has been trying all kinds of foods and is most definitely interested in what we are eating! You have to be on your A-game if she is on your lap while eating because the food will be in her mouth or the plate pulled quickly and deftly into your lap.
We got to celebrate some friends kiddos birthdays! It's so fun to see your friends with kids the same age having them grow up together. It just reminds me of when I was a kid and we would meet up with friends at small town bars. Us kids would all go out an play and I realize now it was fantastic time for the parents to get their socializing in. Ezrael got a little glimpse of the small town bar dinners recently too and has discovered Pickle Cards. Watch out grand parents and friends you must bring your dollars to dinner because he is going to schmooze his way into your wallet to gamble away your change - just to get the satisfying pull of tabs!
This month we also got to meet Homer the Salt Dogs mascot then go with some friends to the game on a Friday night which means Friday Fireworks. It was a fun time we actually had two groups of friends go to the game so we got to see both sets which is always nice. Ezrael got to go on the bounce houses this time, despite my fear (you can barely see the kids in there and it is a free for all so I get nervous). It was a fun time and we even had a stereotypical moment of Ezrael eating icecream on Eliezer's shoulders and it dripping onto his bald head 😂
The last thing that happened today was Ezrael had his last day with his first official teacher. My momma heart almost broke and I for sure choked down tears picking him up from school! He starts with a new teacher who I am sure will be fantastic but we are so grateful for the experience with his first teacher. If you need a recommendation for a Montessori School we have nothing but good things to say about Montessori School for Young Children!!!
Well that pretty much tops off the July recap! August has a few big plans including a bachelorette trip where i'll be leaving both kiddos for 5 days... Not sure i'm totally ready but it will be good, the in-laws are coming down to help Eliezer so they will get some good quality time too!
Wishing you a calm but fulfilling August (start of school season 🤯)!
📻 Radio Show
Read for a chance to win FREE TACOS!
If you didn't know, which you probably don't because I don't think I've officially announced it...
I now host a radio show onceish a month!
You can hear my most recent recording right here - it was a solo show about who I am and what I do. If you don't like reading this is the medium for you.
Also be sure to listen to how you can win free TACOS from my Favorite Taco place in Lincoln - Birria Boss! Planning to announce the winner on my next show which aires next Saturday (August 8th).
All shows will be on KFOR 101.5 FM or 1240 AM at 9:30am on Saturdays
You will also get to hear from some of my awesome coworkers: Tanner Pinyan, Zach Kunz and Taylor Wyatt. We will be chatting it up with local people about businesses that involve real estate or that just make Lincoln a fantastic place to live.
If you or someone you know wants to be featured please reach out! It's quite affordable and the goal is to also help support local business by giving away food or giftcards to your favorite local eats. Plus i'll share all about you with my sphere and lovely folks like you!
Also shoutout to Dale Johnson (the gentleman in the photo) for producing the show and to Rich Rodenburg who started this many a years ago!
🔦 Local Spotlight
If you know me i'm not much of a news partaker... It's mostly just depressing. Sometimes though those algorhythms get by me and put up a news story that I do actually read.
Recently it was about Smoking Gun Jerky - a very local business that was needing some support!
Well this is my part in helping spread the word because if you have ever tried their jerky it is delicious - i'm a personal fan of their marinades too.
One thing I loved about the article was they pointed out they are not the only ones struggling they just have a platform at the moment (which I think helped a lot because there has been some follow up about the success this brought and thanking Lincoln for showing up! Way to go Nebraska!)
Anyway it got me thinking. Who else can we be supporting?! So I made a list and I apologize it is not perfectly inclusive but it's a start.
What else am I missing that should be on the list?!
🌟 Featured Listing
Ladies and Gents I present to you our newest listing:
3931 N 14th St Lincoln NE 68521
3 🛏 | 2 🛁 | 2-Car Garage 🚗
Looking for a solid home with room to grow? This well-maintained home is move-in ready while still offering plenty of opportunities to make it your own!
✨ Highlights:
• 🛏️ 3 Bedrooms
• 🛁 2 Bathrooms
• 🚗 Attached 2-Stall Garage
• 🏠 Finished Basement
• 🌳 Fenced Backyard
• 🌟 Hardwood floors throughout much of the main level
• 🍽️ 2nd Kitchen in Basement
• 📍 Convenient location with quick access to Downtown Lincoln & I-80
🏡 Open Houses
📅 Saturday 8/1: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📅 Sunday 8/2: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Be sure to try out the Zillow Showcase features including virtual staging - it's pretty fun to imagine with!
Hope to see you or someone you know at the open houses!
👶🏼👧 Ezrael & Evany Exclusive
Need a fun way to cool off in the Summer heat?!
We went and checked out Trago Park Splash Pad. It was a winner!
The only problem was we didn't plan in advance so Eliezer didn't get to partake much because he wasn't getting his tennis shoes wet and was wishing we had some towels.
Honestly didn't bother me one bit (I had my signature rubber sandals and it was hot enough I dried off pretty quickly).
Evany enjoyed waving her toes in some of the squirting floor fountains, Ezrael manned a specific floor fountain and I was the one trying to encourage him to walk through the whole thing.
It was a fantastic time, cooled us off nicely and set us up for an effiecient nap for the ride home (luckily had extra kiddo clothes so didn't have to worry about them being all wet).
Highly recommend a pop by if you need a quick and easy cool down. Oh and it's completely FREE!
What are your go to Summer time cool down spots?
💰 Money Tip
This tip may have been touched on in the past but I think I'm going to bring it back up anytime I have to use it...
Well here is the story all about how I saved a bunch money and time but taking my tire with a nail in it to Sam's Club (okay I was trying to make it come out as smooth as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Song - didn't work).
Really though the story is that my car kept dinging at me about my left rear tire. I had the Milwaukee inflator (one of my favorite of our Milwaukee tools) riding shot gun with me since it started dinging. I filled her up every other-ish day, which meant Houston, we had a leak!
Sure enough on my last fill up I finally found the culprit!
A NAIL!
I called Sam's Club South and got on the schedule to get it plugged. Then I called Sam's Club North and got on their schedule sooner!
Guess how much it cost me to get it repaired?!
If you said $0 - woohoo you win! (Sorry the prize is just a self administered pat on the back for being savvy)
Here's a couple of things to know:
I did not originally buy my tire at Sam's Club
I am a Sam's Club Member (though I don't pay for it as i'm an add on on my parents account - I think that is a free benefit but maybe my parents fund that...? Not totally sure but I have a card)
It only took about 30 mins - plenty of time to go spend other money in the store (that's how they get you - discipline is advised for the most money saving opportunity)
It didn't cost me a dime and they were able to get me in within 2 days of calling (the North location - South was a little over a week).
For those of you who drive job sites often, like a nice country road, or just drive your car pretty much in general this is a great benefit of a Sam's Club membership that not everyone knows about!
As a little bonus to this tip I thought I'd point out some other Wholesale Store Saving Tips (think Sam's Club & Costco):
Check out their giftcards (often times you get 20% off or more and even to local and franchise companies, excample (2) $50 giftcards for $79.99 or (4) $25 giftcards for $75)
You can buy Gold bars (from Costco) and potentially sell them right away on a Gold exchange (ideally for more than what you just bought it). Might be worth using this for credit card hacking if you have a new card you need to hit the bonus amount for (make sure it's a Visa card and there aren't wholesale store exclusions). This tip does take a little more suave and research but just to get your mind thinking.
If you have seen gas prices lately they are quite astronomical but Sam's Club and Costco are normally about 10 - 30 cents cheaper per gallon than stand alone gas stations.
Both have pretty lenient return policies. Recently we bought some chicken and fish from Costco and they smelled really bad once we got them home and opened to cook. We were able to get a refund for them at Costco (don't actually have to bring them in - just a photo of the product). I've even read that Sam's Club has a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee on Perishable items - haven't tried this one out as Costco is more convenient for us but worth knowing about.
Would love to know more fun money saving tips and secrete about wholesale stores.
💁🏼♀️ Stacy's Pick
Here is just a little update of an ongoing side project, personal goal, lifestyle habit, not sure exactly what to call it!
So I have had a blog that I am absolutely terrible about updating but have always wanted to be more consistent with as it is always an undertone in my life. That thing is Gratitude!
I started this blog years ago! Bought a website, made a site that I thought was super cool and then used it track my progress in my Gratitude practice.
My vision for this site is far beyond just a blog of tracking my Gratitude it is to inspire others to live their lives filled with Gratitude because I truly believe it has such an impactful ripple effect and could really help brighten up this world we live in.
Well I made some time to focus on it and have done a bit of a revamp! It is still absolutely a work in progress but if you want to check it out and see if you can find some things to be Grateful for i'd love your views and feedback.
When Eliezer goes on work trips I tend to find myself up into the wee hours of the morning working on something (historically that is random craft projects - scrapbooks, diamond art, etc). I normally hole up in my basement put on some chick flick series, pour a glass of wine and hammer away at a hobby that I prefer my little minions don't "help" with.
Well the last two trips (His brothers Bachelorette party and shortly later, work trip) have been focused Gratitude Force. I have to say I feel pretty accomplished with the work I have put in!
I did a website refresh (my old one was trash and didn't have much of a plan), wrote a few new blogs and revamped my inspiration for what this could become! Don't worry it still has my accountability tracking for doing Rhonda Byrne's The Magic, where I documented myself working through the book.
Hope you have a chance to pop in and see what you think!
💸 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 are over halfway through the year so one would hope to be halfway through their goal... Obviously not quite there but that's okay we are feeling good with the work life balance and the achievements we have had!
During July we had a few additional closings, we have some houses under contract that are not your typical transactions with one closing next year (so long as everything goes as planned). Also a house move which i'm super duper excited to see even though it will be my smallest commission hopefully ever 😂 (i'm not calculating dollar per hour on this one that's for sure).
One closing that happened was my first ever No-BS Live Home Buyer students. I plan to do a deep dive into this one soon so I will let you live in suspense until then! This was a very validating one for me and i'm so happy for them 🥰
Thank you to everyone cheering me on, supporting my business (and ultimately my family that benefits), and considering me their Realtor and resource for real estate needs. I don't take my job lightly and truly want to serve you the best I can!
🥂 Cheers
Hope you are enjoying this mostly mild (occasionally very hot Summer)!
-The Fernandez Family
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