Watch Your (Body) Language  Body language speaks volumes – yours as well as your prospect/client’s. Negative: l Limited or no eye contact l Brow tension l Crossed arms l Whole body positioned away from the person you’re speaking with l Tight jawline l Hunched shoulders l Rigid body posture l Tapping fingers. l Fidgeting. Positive: l Body position upright, facing the other person, leaning slightly forward means “I’m listening.” l Smiling eyes mean “I’m comfortable with you.” l Eye contact means “I’m interested. I like you.” l Relaxed jaw and brow means “I’m calm and at ease.” l Pleasant voice tone means “I’m relaxed.” l Fingers interlocked behi…

Watch Your (Body) Language  Body language speaks volumes – yours as well as your prospect/client’s. Negative: l Limited or no eye contact l Brow tension l Crossed arms l Whole body positioned away from the person you’re speaking with l Tight jawline l Hunched shoulders l Rigid body posture l Tapping fingers. l Fidgeting. Positive: l Body position upright, facing the other person, leaning slightly forward means “I’m listening.” l Smiling eyes mean “I’m comfortable with you.” l Eye contact means “I’m interested. I like you.” l Relaxed jaw and brow means “I’m calm and at ease.” l Pleasant voice tone means “I’m relaxed.” l Fingers interlocked behi…

Real Estate Trends Home prices have risen nationally three times faster than incomes since the turn of the century, which has made home ownership an impossibility for more Americans than ever before. In many large cities, home prices have outpaced income. In Miami, for example, incomes have risen 16 percent, while home prices have increased 58 percent since early 1998. New York's Long Island suburbs have seen just a 14 percent rise in incomes as compared to an 81 percent increase in home prices. Boston home prices have gone up 89 percent, while incomes have increased only 22 percent. Even with a downturn in the real estate market looming on the horizon, home sales are still headed for ano…

Credit Cleaning Companies: Illegal!Beware the latest internet pitch: “Remove poor credit from your credit report immediately and permanently!” Claims of guaranteed credit repair are out and out false and may place clients in jeopardy of committing a felony.The Tactics: A common “strategy” is to have clients to apply for a new Social Security Number, Employer Identification Number, or Taxpayer ID Number — all illegal. Another method: inundating credit bureaus with letters disputing all negative information on a credit report, in hopes they will default on the 30-day limit allowed to respond to such requests.Ethical Ways to Do It Yourself: What credit cleaners don’t tell you is tha…

Interest Rate BuydownsWhat is an interest-rate buydown?l It’s a tool to help you qualify for a larger loan and purchase a higher-priced house than you could under normal circumstances.l A buydown allows you to pay extra points up front in return for a lower interest rate for the first few years.l The good news: the extra points are tax deductible.l Often, people relocating for employment obtain buydowns because employers often pay the extra points as part of a relocation package.l Buydowns are a financing technique used to reduce the monthly payment for the borrower during the initial years of the loan.l Under some buydown plans, a residential developer, builder or the seller will make sub…