75 Years and Three Generations Later, Shorewest, REALTORS® Remains Wisconsin’s Largest Home Seller™

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75 Years and Three Generations Later, Shorewest, REALTORS®

Remains Wisconsin’s Largest Home Seller™

 

If John A. Horning were here today with us, he not only would be proud to see his dream continue for 75 years and three generations later, but he’d be humbled.

He started Wauwatosa Realty in 1946 out of an office in his home. His vision and philosophy, which remain strong today, were to provide his clients with exemplary customer service that extended beyond the transaction, innovative marketing and personal recognition. He looked to instill a familial relationship with each employee and customer, imparting Midwestern values of hard work
and dedication.

After just seven months, Horning quickly outgrew his home office and opened the first of many offices at 7602 Harwood Avenue in Wauwatosa. During his first year in business, Horning sold $500,000 and served 40 families. The average price of a home in 1946 was $12,500. By 1951, Wauwatosa Realty became Wisconsin’s Largest Home Seller™, a position it maintains today. In addition to that title, Horning was declared the number one real estate salesman in the entire United States in 1953.

Second generation, John E. and Donald F. Horning, son and nephew of John A. Horning, continued to grow Wauwatosa Realty. They opened more sales offices and created a family of companies and divisions to better service its clients, comprising of Heritage Title Services, Wisconsin Mortgage Corporation, the Real Estate Institute, Home Closing and Relocation divisions.

In early 1997, the company acquired several Milwaukee-area real estate offices, outgrowing its roots and the Wauwatosa Realty name. The new name, Shorewest, REALTORS®, was adopted to indicate the growing presence from the shores of Lake Michigan to all points west. Shorewest continued to grow and innovate, marketing its properties through a real estate hotline, on its own internet site and on television.A local ad agency helped rebrand Wauwatosa Realty to Shorewest with the now infamous Yodeler commercial.

“I remember when the agency pitched the idea,” says Joseph “Joe” A. Horning, president. “It was out there compared to anything we’ve ever done. My dad and Uncle Don took the chance, and it really paid off. People today still talk about the yodeler.”

In 2002, Joe and John P. Horning, sons of John E., became the third generation of leadership continuing in the footsteps of their grandfather. Both Joe and John grew up working in the family company doing jobs such as company courier, lawn care and more before attending college. After college, Joe joined the company and started the IT division. John gained experience from another family-owned company before joining Shorewest in the accounting department. They used these experiences to grow within the company and build it to what it is today.

Joe and John continue to uphold their grandfather’s philosophy that providing a quality, rewarding workplace is an important priority. They take pride that Shorewest is a “Top Workplace in Milwaukee” for the past 10 years. It’s an award and an accomplishment that is based off employees’ feedback on an independent survey conducted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Shorewest is a place people call home. More than 162 individuals have called Shorewest home for a majority of their careers, working 25 or more years for the company.
“The length of time people stay with Shorewest is unheard of in any other industry or company,” says John. “That truly is a statement to our people-first philosophy. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for our outstanding team.”

Another unique trait of Shorewest is that it is independently owned. “While many larger real estate companies have sold out to national brands, and we’ve been asked numerous times ourselves, we are committed to remaining independent to better serve Wisconsin,” says Horning. “The fact that we make decisions locally helps us best serve our people and our clients while staying true to the mission and core values our grandfather founded the company on.”

While Shorewest remains local, it has strong affiliations with brokers throughout the world. In 1997, Shorewest was one of the founding members of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®. LeadingRE is the home of the world’s market-leading independent residential brokerages in over 70 countries, with 565 firms and 130,000 sales associates producing over 1.1 million transactions valued at $372 billion annually. Shorewest is also members of Luxury Portfolio International® — the leading network of the world’s premier luxury real estate brokerages and their top agents. These affiliations help the company and its leaders stay on the cutting edge while providing a strong network of top brokers and leading innovations.

Providing leading real estate services isn’t all that makes Shorewest stand out from the others. Shorewest is committed to community involvement and charitable giving. Since the very beginning, the Hornings understood the importance of supporting the communities they live and work in. It’s founder, John A. Horning, put several nonprofit organizations that were dear to him “on the payroll,” and to this day, these organizations continue to receive monthly support from Shorewest.

In 1984, Shorewest, REALTORS® started their own charity, Christmas is for Kids. For the past 36 years, Shorewest has provided a kids in the greater Milwaukee area a Christmas party they’ll remember for years to come. Over 300 children each year are treated to a party with gifts from Santa, lunch, stockings stuffed with goodies, hat, mittens and scarves and books.

Each year, members of the family of companies volunteer their time and efforts in their communities. From cleaning up parks, building houses, donating food and almost everything in between, Shorewest sees the need to give back and steps up to the task.

“The real estate industry continues to evolve, and we know we need to evolve with it,” says Horning. “We didn’t get where we are at today by staying complacent. Our goal is to continue to grow and be the real estate resource people trust for their home buying and selling needs.”

Much has changed in the real estate industry since John A. Horning started Wauwatosa Realty in 1946. From the price of homes, to the evolution of the internet, to the length of the contracts and more, real estate has become an increasingly challenging and changing business. Shorewest is proud to have been on the forefront of many of those changes, and continues to lead the industry today. From convenient mobile apps and a comprehensive website with instant home value estimates to marketing luxury properties through Luxury Portfolio International, Shorewest stands above the competition.

Since its beginning, Shorewest has assisted almost 400,000 families with their home buying and selling needs,
as well as countless others in title, mortgage, insurance, rental and property management. For 75 years, Shorewest, REALTORS® and its family of companies — Wisconsin Mortgage Corporation, Heritage Title Services, Shorewest Insurance and My-Dwelling — have upheld the same timeless values of exemplary customer service, hard work and dedication started by its founder in 1946. From serving local communities throughout Wisconsin to helping people realize the American Dream of homeownership to providing a rewarding career to over 1,400 team members, Shorewest is committed to continuing to serve its employees, clients and community for years to come.

He started Wauwatosa Realty in 1946 out of an office in his home. His vision and philosophy, which remain strong today, were to provide his clients with exemplary customer service that extended beyond the transaction, innovative marketing and personal recognition. He looked to instill a familial relationship with each employee and customer, imparting Midwestern values of hard work and dedication.

After just seven months, Horning quickly outgrew his home office and opened the first of many offices at 7602 Harwood Avenue in Wauwatosa. During his first year in business, Horning sold $500,000 and served 40 families. The average price of a home in 1946 was $12,500. By 1951, Wauwatosa Realty became Wisconsin’s Largest Home Seller™, a position it maintains today. In addition to that title, Horning was declared the number one real estate salesman in the entire United States in 1953.

Second generation, John E. and Donald F. Horning, son and nephew of John A. Horning, continued to grow Wauwatosa Realty. They opened more sales offices and created a family of companies and divisions to better service its clients, comprising of Heritage Title Services, Wisconsin Mortgage Corporation, the Real Estate Institute, Home Closing and Relocation divisions.

In early 1997, the company acquired several Milwaukee-area real estate offices, outgrowing its roots and the Wauwatosa Realty name. The new name, Shorewest, REALTORS®, was adopted to indicate the growing presence from the shores of Lake Michigan to all points west. Shorewest continued to grow and innovate, marketing its properties through a real estate hotline, on its own internet site and on television.

A local ad agency helped rebrand Wauwatosa Realty to Shorewest with the now infamous Yodeler commercial. “I remember when the agency pitched the idea,” says Joseph “Joe” A. Horning, president. “It was out there compared to anything we’ve ever done. My dad and Uncle Don took the chance, and it really paid off. People today still talk about the yodeler.”

In 2002, Joe and John P. Horning, sons of John E., became the third generation of leadership continuing in the footsteps of their grandfather. Both Joe and John grew up working in the family company doing jobs such as company courier, lawn care and more before attending college. After college, Joe joined the company and started the IT division. John gained experience from another family-owned company before joining Shorewest in the accounting department. They used these experiences to grow within the company and build it to what it is today.

Joe and John continue to uphold their grandfather’s philosophy that providing a quality, rewarding workplace is an important priority. They take pride that Shorewest is a “Top Workplace in Milwaukee” for the past 10 years. It’s an award and an accomplishment that is based off employees’ feedback on an independent survey conducted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Shorewest is a place people call home. More than 162 individuals have called Shorewest home for a majority of their careers, working 25 or more years for the company.

“The length of time people stay with Shorewest is unheard of in any other industry or company,” says John. “That truly is a statement to our people-first philosophy. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for our outstanding team.”

Another unique trait of Shorewest is that it is independently owned. “While many larger real estate companies have sold out to national brands, and we’ve been asked numerous times ourselves, we are committed to remaining independent to better serve Wisconsin,” says Horning. “The fact that we make decisions locally helps us best serve our people and our clients while staying true to the mission and core values our grandfather founded the company on.”

While Shorewest remains local, it has strong affiliations with brokers throughout the world. In 1997, Shorewest was one of the founding members of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®. LeadingRE is the home of the world’s market-leading independent residential brokerages in over 70 countries, with 565 firms and 130,000 sales associates producing over 1.1 million transactions valued at $372 billion annually. Shorewest is also members of Luxury Portfolio International® — the leading network of the world’s premier luxury real estate brokerages and their top agents. These affiliations help the company and its leaders stay on the cutting edge while providing a strong network of top brokers and leading innovations.

Providing leading real estate services isn’t all that makes Shorewest stand out from the others. Shorewest is committed to community involvement and charitable giving. Since the very beginning, the Hornings understood the importance of supporting the communities they live and work in. It’s founder, John A. Horning, put several nonprofit organizations that were dear to him “on the payroll,” and to this day, these organizations continue to receive monthly support from Shorewest.

In 1984, Shorewest, REALTORS® started their own charity, Christmas is for Kids. For the past 36 years, Shorewest has provided a kids in the greater Milwaukee area a Christmas party they’ll remember for years to come. Over 300 children each year are treated to a party with gifts from Santa, lunch, stockings stuffed with goodies, hat, mittens and scarves and books.

Each year, members of the family of companies volunteer their time and efforts in their communities. From cleaning up parks, building houses, donating food and almost everything in between, Shorewest sees the need to give back and steps up to the task.

“The real estate industry continues to evolve, and we know we need to evolve with it,” says Horning. “We didn’t get where we are at today by staying complacent. Our goal is to continue to grow and be the real estate resource people trust for their home buying and selling needs.”

Much has changed in the real estate industry since John A. Horning started Wauwatosa Realty in 1946. From the price of homes, to the evolution of the internet, to the length of the contracts and more, real estate has become an increasingly challenging and changing business. Shorewest is proud to have been on the forefront of many of those changes, and continues to lead the industry today. From convenient mobile apps and a comprehensive website with instant home value estimates to marketing luxury properties through Luxury Portfolio International, Shorewest stands above the competition.

Since its beginning, Shorewest has assisted almost 400,000 families with their home buying and selling needs, as well as countless others in title, mortgage, insurance, rental and property management.

For 75 years, Shorewest, REALTORS® and its family of companies — Wisconsin Mortgage Corporation, Heritage Title Services, Shorewest Insurance and My-Dwelling — have upheld the same timeless values of exemplary customer service, hard work and dedication started by its founder in 1946. From serving local communities throughout Wisconsin to helping people realize the American Dream of homeownership to providing a rewarding career to over 1,400 team members, Shorewest is committed to continuing to serve its employees, clients and community for years to come.

 

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Categories: Community, Quarterly Newsletter, Shorewest News

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