Business Focus: HomeLand Properties

Photos by K² Images

Andy Flack

“Knowledge, Experience, Professional, Proven”— the four words which one finds written across the HomeLand Properties’ website. “Family” could be added to the list. For in this full-service real estate office, the employees care for one another, teach, share, and push one another towards success, benefitting each other and ultimately (and most importantly), the consumer. From the outside, HomeLand Properties may look like your typical small town real estate company, but this company packs a punch. Maintaining a relatively small operating staff of about 20, HomeLand Properties maintains and covers a wide and vast array of real estate, from their management of some 180 residential and commercial properties to their coverage of approximately 40 counties in East Texas in land sales, currently totaling 52,000+ acres in 270+ different offerings. Gross sales range between $50-100 million on an annual basis. “We keep our office and the staff small to better focus on selling real estate instead of managing people,” real estate broker and co-owner Andy Flack shared.

John Paul Lampson and Flack have worked together for 32 years, starting HomeLand Properties in 1990, and have resided at their current location for 20 years. Like many members of our close community, Flack and Lampson came to Huntsville to attend college and decided to remain. John Paul garnered his initial degree from Lee College and possesses 32 years of experience as a State of Texas Real Estate Broker. Andy earned a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from SHSU and has completed over 40 post-graduate hours in real estate economics.

HomeLand Properties’ brokers and agents are members of the National Association of Realtors, the Texas Association of Realtors, and the Huntsville Board of Realtors. Flack has also completed course work to be associated with the Rural Land Institute as an “Accredited Land Consultant.” The Land Report, a magazine whose articles concern topics of interest to those who own or seek to own or invest in land, has awarded the brokers at HomeLand Properties America’s Best Brokerages for the past three years.

This company, which seeks to be ahead of the curve technologically while remaining relatable and in touch with their clients’ needs, emphasizes the need for quality communication and presentation of information through their internet website and marketing platform. While multiple listing services are useful, much information is omitted and ambiguous, thus the need for quality information is paramount to marketing success. HomeLand’s website is a testament to this quality. Further emphasis is targeted to direct mail, telephone, and print media communications, especially for those non-internet users that prefer old-fashioned service. Homeland Properties sets itself apart and above the average by its people. Karen Stout, who lives in Conroe, started her journey with HomeLand Properties in January 2007. “I worked for International Paper coordinating land sales, and Andy sold me out of one job and into another. We’ve known each other for 16 years and now represent all of our land listings. Since we also have residential specialists, we usually focus on tracts of land, which I enjoy the most. While we service all land sellers and buyers, many of our clients are timber companies and select investors that sell or purchase large tracts of land for forestry and/or wildlife. We once sold a 54,000 acre tract of land for $120,000,000, which is the largest single land transaction in Walker County history. We love what we do. It is our passion. We are like a family,” Karen remarked.

Sam Walsh

Another member of the HomeLand family, Sam Walsh, a Bearkat alumnus who also decided to call Huntsville home, works tirelessly to make sure HomeLand Properties remains technologically current. He not only works on the web page, but he also captures beautiful video and photographs of the properties for sale. “Since we sell tracts that are over 1,000 acres, it is difficult to represent the land with just one or two pictures. An aerial shot is definitely needed. When they first hired me, they sent Arlie and me in a plane over property that we were soon to list. This was an expensive endeavor. When drones came out, we knew that flying them over the properties would be a cost saver. I never thought I would be working with drones when I graduated. Many of our clients like to see both the pictures and videos taken by these instruments,” Sam expressed with a smile.

Arlie Scott

Since SHSU is one of the few universities in Texas to offer a degree in Music Therapy, Arlie Scott left New Braunfels in order to garner her degree in Huntsville. In 2004, she joined HomeLand Properties part-time. Now, she not only works with the advertising and marketing aspects of this close-knit staff, but she also works in an administrative capacity. In 2007, when Arlie joined the staff full-time, the business world began to embrace use of the internet. “Andy and John Paul both possess the mindset that as much as we can do ourselves as a company, we want to do it. Web design, droning…we don’t hire third parties to do these endeavors; we do it ourselves. Because they want to complete these tasks within the company, we have many opportunities to learn. It is encouraging to have employers that are confident in you to learn new things. We really are like a family here. Andy even walked me down the aisle at my wedding,” Arlie reflected.

Continuing with the family theme, Arlie’s mom, Linda Stamm, moved to East Texas a couple of years ago to join the HomeLand crew and in order to be closer to her grandchildren. Often hers will be the first smiling face you see as you enter the company office. Linda works on the front lines answering questions from realtors, contractors, consumers, and more. She also manages approximately 180 properties, oversees the maintenance staff, schedules repair work, coordinates with vendors, inspects properties between tenants, organizes maintenance during the lease terms, and so much more. “I enjoy working with the maintenance staff. We have a very talented carpenter, A J Merchant, as well as a father and son team who are extremely knowledgeable and can repair just about anything. A J is our foreman, and I depend on him to disperse information to our crews. He is amazing,” Linda noted.

The Huntsville community grows closer and closer the longer you reside here. HomeLand Properties is a microcosm of this great population. The staff loves and supports one another truly as a family. Many walks of life with varying journeys have joined together in an unassuming office on Normal Park in order to serve this populace with excellence and exceptional commitment.

1600 Normal Park Drive
Huntsville, TX 77340
(936) 295-2500
homelandprop.com