Sheldon Neal -- That British Agent --

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I was at a listing appointment this evening in a neighborhood that I had sold a home in a few years ago.

As I drove down that street I quietly smiled a contented smile remembering my two great buyers who bought that house

Then when I passed the house, I saw a light on and a weird little rush of excitement came over me thinking, "hey there are probably there right now !" ... so I pulled over and walked over to the house !

I had really enjoyed spending time with these buyers, and had been invited to a number of their barbecues and gatherings over the years, but I was ready to keep it very brief tonight if they were busy or didnt want to spend too much time chatting at this time.

... BUT !!!!!

They weren't too busy :o)

As they opened the door and saw it was me, their faces both lit up, and the wife stepped out quickly to give me a big hug !!!

... as did the hubby

Then they insisted I come on in, and we proceeded to chat for an hour about each others jobs, families and travels, and we exchanged pictures of our kids from our Blackberrys, and had a really really enjoyable 60 minutes just chatting !

Some Realtors dont believe in 'Drop Bys' as they are concerned about showing up unannounced and disturbing the homeowners, and I do understand it may not always be convenient, but I when I drop by, I always am ready to keep it very brief if it's not a good time, and I will immediately say "no problem at all ! I was just in the neighborhood and didnt want to drive on without at least stopping to say Hi to a couple of my favorite clients !"

... yet out of dozens of drop-bys, I've only kept it brief once ! - Every other time I have been happily invited in and often had coffee (and once even dinner ! lol ) with my clients.

For me, I am comfortable doing this, and it ALWAYS seems to bring me that much closer with my clients, and I am consistently invited to past client BBQs, parties and even 2 weddings !

So if it fits your personality, dont be afraid to drop by and make your clients smile, letting them know you were thinking of them and wanted to say Hi !!

(Oh and I have often brought gifts like sugar pumpkins for Halloween, and small candy baskets for Easter ! Bringing gifts usually makes you a very welcome visitor !!!! haha !)

Cheers Everyone and have fun out there !!!!!

Congress Overwhelmingly Approves "Expanded Tax Credit" - 402 votes to 12 !

Although we have seen that these announcements in the past need to be handled carefully to authenticate the entire truth, it does seem that today's overwhelming vote by the House of Representatives is a sign that the expansion of the Tax Credit is about to be signed off on by President Obama, and extended into next year.

Again, this information is not 100% in place yet, but this information was even released through our own industry Inman News.

Now the plan on how we the government will pay for this has not been released yet, but it would seem that even perceptually that this is a better option for the housing market, than if it expired without extension.

Details below ...

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Ah so time is flying and I am growing like balloon being blown up !

I just got my First Tooth a week ago, and that was painful until I got the couple of drops of whisky that Daddy put on my gums to numb the pain ;o)

I am sitting up on my own now, and my jumperoo was just raised to the higher level !

I had my first Halloween this last weekend, and here I am with my Big Brother Spencer before we went hunting for candy !!!

This was such a fun time, although after collecting a bag full of candy, Mommy and Daddy I was too small to eat any of it ?!?!?!??!?!?

What is up with that !?!?!?!??!?!?!?

Oh well, maybe one day I'll understand ...

I have so much fun with my Big Brother - and I even stopped by Target the other day and picked up a set of pajamas that were just like his !!!!!!

So I now look forward to my first Thanksgiving, and then my first Christmas !

But until then, I have plenty of work to do, but sometimes it's pretty tiring ...

Here below I had been working out jumping on my Jumperoo for about 15 minutes, and I was pooped !

Lawmakers are close to finalizing a new bill to extend the recent First Time Buyer Tax Credit, and in a bold move, extend it to current homeowners who have lived in their homes for at least 5 years.

The expectation is that there will be up to $6,500 tax credit for all current homeowners who qualify.

The final details of the programs have not been locked in, but it is certainly a good sign that this home buying incentive may well continue !

Official Release from Wall Street Journal:

Homebuyer Credit Gets New Life
Key lawmakers in the Senate have tentatively agreed to extend the existing $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and also offer a new $6,500 credit for existing homeowners who have lived in their current residence for a consecutive five-year period in the past eight years.

Home buyers must be under contract by April 30, 2010, and close before July 1. House Democrats have expressed concern about the cost of the tax credit for the government, and allegations of abuse have resulted in an IRS probe of the program.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Corey Boles and John D. McKinnon (10/29/09)

Enhancing Customer Relationships With ActiveRain !

As much as ActiveRain has helped my personal day to day success as a Realtor, it has also given value to my clients along the way too.

My ActiveRain blog content consists of everything from Listings, Market Reports, 'HyperLocal Spotlights' on Events and Businesses, Realtor Tips, Homeowner Tips, and even insight to me as a person and the important people in my life.

With all the content that I just mentioned, there is considerable value to my clients for the following reasons:

• Market Reports clearly have value, as my sellers love to keep a pulse on what the market is doing in their town, and my buyers love them so they can understand the pricing and activity, and incorporate that into any potential offers they make.
  
  
• Listings are obviously seen as a plus to my sellers who want to see their homes exposed on as many avenues as possible
  
  
• Hyperlocal Spotlights are benefits for many ! Current clients who are looking to move into my area like to see write-ups on restaurants, food markets, local events, and of course Target Store Updates !!!!! ...and the business owners like them, so it enhances my relationship with them too !
  
  
• Homeowner Tips keep my clients updated on handy hints to improve their homes, they love these :o)
  
  
• Insight on 'me' ... Well funnily enough, this is much more important than it may seem. I had two clients this year read my blog posts about my family, and felt comfortable with me as a person to hire me as their agent. Seeing us as a real human being and not just a robot is a huge benefit of blogging, and I'm happy to share a peek into my personal life too :o)

I often bring my clients into my office conference room at the beginning of our relationship, to chat in person and show them some things on the computer, and ways I can help them through the transaction.

We have a flatscreen TV in there so I can transmit the in-room computer screen content onto that TV, so that husbands and wives aren't crowding round a small computer screen to follow along ...

...and as you can see below, I am happy to expose them right away to my ActiveRain blog, and welcome them to keep tuning in for updates :o)

... this is one of my great current buyers

... and that's my ActiveRain Blog on the computer :o)

So if you are just blogging for SEO, that's great, BUT if you aren't letting your clients know they can get some value from your blog, then you may well be missing out on some great opportunities to
Enhance Your Client Relationships !!!

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>> Dont miss other upcoming blog entries from "ThatBritishAgent" !

Sheldon Neal is a Bergen County Realtor® with RE/MAX, specializing in Homes For Sale in central and northern Bergen County, NJ.

If you are looking for Bergen County Realtors, call local expert Sheldon Neal for all your
Bergen County Buying & Selling needs !
Sheldon Neal ~ RE/MAX REAL ESTATE LTD.
cell: 201-481-2891
email: SheldonNeal@remax.net
website: www.SheldonNeal.com