Meet Neil

At a time when some are bailing out of the real estate business, Neil is still going strong, helping buyers and sellers meet, and looking at smiles around the closing table. Here, in Neil’s own words are the reasons for his success:

Tough times give us opportunity to help each other, and that’s what I love to do. One couple came to me feeling trapped. They had no choice. The husband lost his job. The money didn’t stretch far enough to pay the bills. They needed to sell the home they loved and move into an apartment. Or so they thought.

At this point, most Realtors would be salivating. A quick and easy sale. Realtors who view people as transactions would be pushing the listing agreement under the noses of these people and pointing at the place to sign.   Not me.    I took the time to listen. I cared. And I started exploring alternatives with them. I soon found a way for them to keep the home they loved, even though they were down to one income. In this case, I helped them find a way out of their expensive automobiles into more modest, reliable, attractive transportation – and saved them several hundred dollars a month in the process.

Did I make any money? No. But I accomplished something far more important than making money. I helped this couple avoid the pain, the guilt, the embarrassment of a short sale. I showed them a way they could keep their family – they had two children – in their home, and focus on rebuilding their lives.

Neil in the middle of helping a family acheiving their dreams.

When times are good, almost anybody can make money in real estate. But when times are bad, our character is tested. Who we are deep inside comes to the surface. Like many people, I’ve grown during these challenging times. I’m a better person than I was two years ago. But one thing that hasn’t changed is my commitment to helping other people. I truly believe it: What goes around, comes around. You get back what you put out.

I come at this business from a different perspective than most. Each person I work with is a person with dreams and hopes and fears – a person connected to a family and a community. I take that seriously. My job is to help and to educate, so that every person I work with is empowered to make smart decisions and go after their dreams. When you help someone without getting paid – people remember that. They will never forget it. That brings people to me, and keeps them coming back.

Working with Neil

My goal is to make every part of this fun. Buying and selling real estate can be stressful, but I take the stress out of it and and turn it into an enjoyable experience.

In order to have fun, you need to be educated. You need to understand the market. I take buyers through as many houses as possible – far more than the average Realtor. In that process, you really understand the market. You become educated. I want you to feel in control, because you really do have a choice. I want you to make the right decision, and feel 100% at peace with the choice you’ve made.

Along the way, we have fun. You get to go shopping. Who doesn’t like going shopping!

My sellers have fun too, because I show them how to do it right. I educate. My sellers understand the market. They know how to price their home and how make it stand out from the rest of the market. And when it comes time to detach themselves from their home, I’m there for my sellers. That’s who I am. I’m there for people. I care.

I love watching a family’s dreams come true. I love getting the family into the home of their dreams, getting buyers and sellers the best deal possible. Real estate isn’t about properties. It’s about people. That’s why I love educating my buyers and my sellers, even if I never get paid a dime. Educated people make great decisions. Educated people are much happier with the decisions they make.

Helping people bounce back by staying positive

Positive thinking helps me, and it infects others. Yes, I understand that bad things do happen. But I believe in the power of God to turn those troubles into something good. Every bad thing that ever happened to me has helped me to grow, to move on to something bigger, better and brighter. That affects everything I do.

When something bad happens with a client, I help them see the bright side.  For example, sometimes a buyer falls in love with a house and writes an offer. In their minds, the home is theirs. In their imagination, they are already living in that home. Then someone else writes an offer and buys it out right from under them. Then I need to bring that bad news to my client. That’s painful. I hate making those phone calls; it’s the part of my job I dislike the most. But I help my client understand that this just wasn’t meant to be. But here’s the good news: Every buyer who sticks with it finds a better house. I’ve never seen an exception. I love sharing those stories. It’s a gift to move from gloom to hope to joy. And that’s one of the things I love about my job.

Solid core values and a track record of helping others.  I worked hard to become a top agent, and, in my profession, I’m proud of becoming the fastest growing agent in company history. Outside real estate, I am an instructor with Financial Peace University, a nonprofit ministry that helps people manage their finances. I’m proud to have helped over 90 families with this ministry; it’s very gratifying to know that I’ve helped them not only financially, but also to salvage and strengthen marriages that were stressed by money issues, and to help children grow up in homes that are more stable, secure and happy.

Neil's family a few years back.

I start my day with a fresh cup of coffee and a good read somewhere between six and seven. This is a chance for me to think and pray, plan and learn. My little girl wakes up about eight o’clock, and we enjoy cereal and cartoons until I walk her to our neighborhood day care. I work from my home office until appointments in the afternoon and evening take me out and about Sun Prairie, De Forest, Madison and beyond. I use evenings to help clients, to volunteer at our church, and for family time. Sundays are reserved for family. I don’t do open houses; I get great results for my clients without tying up their Sundays. I love my job because I get to meet and talk with people all day long.

I understand what families go through to buy and sell a house. I understand what it’s like for a child to need to keep a room spotless, to put their room “on stage,” to limit the number of toys in the room. For a child, you’re selling her room, his room. Being a family man empowers me to empathize with your family.

I love people. I love teaching people, comforting people, being with people. I love being a father. I love looking at the world through my young daughter’s eyes. I love watching her discover her world. My hobbies – I love athletics – going to football and baseball games. I’m a man of faith, and that faith spurs me to volunteer locally and globally to make my world a better place.

If you’re reading this for the first time, and we haven’t yet met, I want you know that I look forward to meeting you. I think we’re going to be great friends!

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