IT STARTED WITH AN APRON.
Four generations of grit. Two states. One square deal.
Square Deal Real Estate is a real estate brokerage based in Glenwood, Iowa, helping buyers and sellers across all of Southwest Iowa, the Omaha metro, and southeast Nebraska. We opened our doors in June 2026, but our story goes back a lot further than that: to a lumber yard, a gas station, a home hair salon, and a family that built businesses and community at the same time.
Where the Name Comes From
Emily's great-grandfather, Woody Pulsifer, owned the Glenwood Lumber Company, once a cornerstone of the local business community. His employees wore aprons printed with the company slogan, with a little square standing in for the word. Decades later, one of those aprons turned up at a local auction and found its way back to the family. When Emily and Jennie spotted it while brainstorming names for a new brokerage, the search was over.
"Grandpa Woody was using emojis before emojis were emojis."
A square deal means fair to everyone at the table. It's the only way we know how to do business.
Our Roots
Woody Pulsifer owned the Glenwood Lumber Company. His son, Butch, worked at the lumber yard after serving 20 years in the U.S. Navy, while Butch's wife, Nancy, kept the home front running through every Navy move, raising a family and building an award-winning Avon business along the way. That legacy of service is why we show up for veterans and military families today.
Emily's grandfather, Mike Konfrst, owned and operated the Standard Station on the corner of Sharp and Locust Streets in Glenwood. Emily spent her early years riding shotgun in his tank wagon, learning what it means to show up rain or shine. Her grandmother, Donetta, ran an in-home hair salon, where Emily folded towels, swept up hair, and soaked in small-town conversation. Years later, Emily opened a real estate office in that very same salon space.
Today, Square Deal Real Estate's home base sits on Locust Street, the same street where the Glenwood Lumber Company and Grandpa Mike's Standard Station once stood.
"I watched my family build businesses and community at the same time. That's where I learned how to treat people and the meaning of hard work."
Where We Work
Our roots are in Mills County, but our work covers two states. From Loess Hills acreages to new construction in the Omaha suburbs, our agents help buyers and sellers across all of Southwest Iowa, throughout the Omaha metro, and into southeast Nebraska.
Glenwood, Council Bluffs, Malvern, Red Oak, Shenandoah, Clarinda, Atlantic, Underwood, Carter Lake, Tabor, and every town in between.
Omaha, Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Gretna, Elkhorn, Plattsmouth, and surrounding communities.
Several of our agents are licensed in both Iowa and Nebraska. Meet the team.
15
People on our team
700+
Homes sold by our founder
15,000
Households reached by our monthly mailers
4,000+
Omaha & Southwest Iowa agents on our daily emails
2
States: Iowa & Nebraska
Our Founder
Fourth-generation Glenwood native. Actually answers her phone.
Emily Swinford has spent more than twelve years helping people buy and sell homes, acreages, and land across Southwest Iowa and the Omaha metro: more than 700 homes and counting. She's the one who takes your call, writes the contract, negotiates the deal, and keeps things moving. She treats clients like teammates with a shared goal, and plenty of them have become friends for life.
Before opening Square Deal, Emily spent years with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate – The Good Life Group, and she's grateful for the opportunities and friendships she built there. Square Deal was never about leaving something behind. It was about building something that carries her family's name forward.
12+
Years in real estate
700+
Homes sold
#1
Top-Producing Agent, Southwest Iowa Association of REALTORS®, 2025
2
States licensed: Iowa & Nebraska
If you catch Emily out in the wild, she's probably singing along to 90s country at Music Bingo, planning the next community event (with snacks, obviously), golfing, or cheering on her two daughters from the sidelines or at the county fair. And if you call, she'll answer, unless she's at Bingo. Then you'll get a call back right away.
Call or Text Emily: 712-520-4237Why Square Deal
We know every back road in Mills County, and we market homes to buyers across two states. You get both.
Our listings go on the MLS and major search sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Homes.com, so every agent and every buyer can find your home.
As your buyer's agent, we can show you homes listed by any brokerage, whether or not they're on the MLS.
A full-time transaction coordinator, a marketing team, a showing assistant, and an FAA-certified drone pilot, all working behind the scenes.
Monthly mailers to about 15,000 households, daily emails to 4,000+ Omaha and Southwest Iowa agents, and 4+ social channels.
Proud members of the Southwest Iowa Association of REALTORS®, working alongside agents across the region every day.
DO IT RIGHT, OR DON'T DO IT AT ALL.
A Family-Run Team
Emily didn't build Square Deal alone. Her mom, LeAnn, is her transaction coordinator and keeps every deadline on track. Her best friend, Jennie, runs our marketing. Heather has believed in every one of Emily's big ideas (and there have been a few). Around them is a team of agents-turned-friends and friends-turned-agents serving clients on both sides of the river.
Meet the TeamWhat We Stand For
Built on hard work. We roll up our sleeves, show up prepared, and do what it takes to get you moved.
Plain talk. No posturing. Approachable, neighborly, and honest, with community and people ahead of showboating.
Straight answers, always. Trust is earned through real relationships and honest conversations, even when the news is hard.
Showing Up
Our events were never about business. They're about gratitude, connection, and showing up for the people who show up for us.
Every November at American Legion Post 141 in Glenwood. Coffee, breakfast, and a chance to say thank you.
Co-hosted with Rachel Pierce of One Goal Mortgage, with Glen Haven Home, Inc. and American Legion Post 141.
Every summer with the Mills County Veterans Affairs office: live music, hot dogs, and local veteran resources.
Every Thanksgiving season since 2018, co-hosted with One Goal Mortgage, our way of saying thanks to the clients who trust us.
A night of '90s country, bingo cards, and neighbors, every year since 2022.
Square Deal Real Estate is owned by Emily Swinford, REALTOR® & Broker, a fourth-generation Glenwood native who has helped buyers and sellers across Southwest Iowa and the Omaha metro for more than twelve years.
Square Deal Real Estate serves all of Southwest Iowa, the Omaha metro, and southeast Nebraska. In Southwest Iowa, that includes Glenwood, Council Bluffs, Malvern, Red Oak, Shenandoah, Clarinda, Atlantic, Underwood, Carter Lake, Tabor, and every town in between. In the Omaha metro and southeast Nebraska, it includes Omaha, Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Gretna, Elkhorn, Plattsmouth, and surrounding communities. Our home base is in Glenwood, Iowa.
Yes. Several Square Deal Real Estate agents, including founder Emily Swinford, are licensed in both Iowa and Nebraska and help clients throughout the Omaha metro and southeast Nebraska.
Yes. Every Square Deal Real Estate listing goes on the MLS and is syndicated to major search sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Homes.com, so every agent and buyer in the region can find it.
Square Deal Real Estate has a 15-person team, including 14 licensed REALTORS®, a full-time transaction coordinator, marketing staff, and an FAA-certified drone pilot.
Square Deal Real Estate opened in June 2026. Our office is at 946 S. Locust St. in Glenwood, Iowa.
The name comes from Emily Swinford's great-grandfather, Woody Pulsifer, who owned the Glenwood Lumber Company. His employees wore aprons that read "For a ■ Deal and Quick Delivery, Phone 1," with a square in place of the word. One of those aprons found its way back to the family and inspired the brokerage's name.
No. In June 2026, Emily Swinford opened her own brokerage, Square Deal Real Estate, based in Glenwood, Iowa. You can reach her at 712-520-4237 or info@squaredeal.realestate.
Last updated: October 2026
Ready When You Are
Okay, enough about us. Whether you're buying in Omaha, selling in Mills County, or just curious what your home is worth anywhere in between, we'd love to hear from you.
