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Tom Schoenbeck

Homes for Heroes in Delaware


"As a retired Air Force senior enlisted member, I could not pass up this extraordinary opportunity to give back to those who continue to exemplify selfless service to our communities and our nation. Their selfless courage and often times, heroic acts, are truly deserving of what Home for Heroes is all about. When I grew up in Chicago in the 50's, I watched my father's strong work ethic all my life. His personal strength and commitment to family and community values is what I will always remember. It is his example I always try to emulate; his integrity as a professional and a true gentleman. When I was 14, my family moved to Phoenix Arizona and I entered the Air Force right out of high school. I retired at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware as a Senior Master Sergeant in 1996 after 20 years of honorable military service. Through my childhood and military career, I have visited or lived in 48 of the 50 states and visited several countries, including Iceland, Mexico, Canada, and the Bahamas. After teaching for a number of years, I decided to shift my professional life's focus and in 2006 I joined the Keller Williams Realty family. Besides being a REALTOR®, I try to give to my community when I can. I have been a Delaware Big Brother since the early 90's, I foster parented several children through Catholic Charities, and I currently give to my community through a local soup kitchen. I live by a simple life's rule; I will never seek to be superior to another, I will only seek to be superior to my former self. With that, I hope I will always be remembered as a gentle man, a good friend, an honest advocate, and a diligent worker. How may I serve you?"

Delaware Offers Unprecedented 3.99 Percent Home Loans!

Delaware State Housing Authority recently announced rates of 3.99 percent interest on 30-year, fixed-rate, mortgages for first-time homebuyers.

Delaware Bond rates have not been this low in Delaware since 1979. This is a first-time buyers program, with zero points and can be used in combination with a second mortgage. The maximum home purchase can be as high as $378,000 as long as the borrower's income limit does not exceeed $89,470. All loans are on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you are interested, call DSHA at 302-739-4263. Don't wait, once the money is gone, it's gone!

Why Do I Need to Communicate?

Need to Communicate?

I often wonder how some professionals stay in business as long as they do. Often times when I am working with a client, the chief complaint I hear over and again, is the lack of communication with others. As a REALTOR, I've certainly experienced this myself and at the very least, it is frustrating. When a client does not receive the level of communication they feel is essential, they begin to close the gaps in their mind because of the lack of information. When a client asks their lender for example if there are any problems, and there is no communication back, the client begins to feel there is something amiss. When you repeatedly call another REALTOR in the attempt to garner information and they fail to respond in a timely fashion, you begin to feel as though you have no importance in that person's schedule. When e.mails go unanswered, you often wonder if they even received your note.

As a REALTOR, 80 percent of what we do is actual communication and the other 20 percent is the administrivia behind the curtains. Do some business people even know the amount of lost business due to their own lack of communication? My number one goal in business is to maintain contact. Not only to get business, but more importantly- to keep it. Never underestimate the importance of keeping in touch. Clients would rather you tell them directly what the problems are, where the pitfalls lay, what they should expect, and how the process works, rather than keeping them in the dark. If a client feels they are getting too much information, they'll let you know.

As REALTORS in this modern age of communication, there are so many avenues to keep in touch, that it is un-excusable for failing to do so. A client really needs to feel as if they are the only client you have. Of course you know you have a 100 clients, but never let your client know that.

There will always be those clients that no matter how often you update them, how quickly you respond, how detailed you are, it will never be enough, but this is probably more often the exception than the rule. When a deal goes south and you start to replay the whole scenario in your mind (and you will) think about how it may have changed had you been more communicative.

Habitat for Humanity in Georgetown Delaware

What an amazing day! We helped frame an area home for a most deserving family! The Sussex County Habitat is an awesome organization and they do such wonderful work.This is the fantastic crew from Keller Williams Realty at the Beach in Lewes Delaware. Yes, I'm the oddball on the far right without the matching t-shirt. My mom always said I always march to my own drumbeat!

I had never participated in such an endeavor, but I can tell you, it was an experience I won't forget. It was in the 90's with high humidity, but worth every drop of sweat. It was fantastic and I love my teammates. They are the best ever!