Connecting Neighbors Links Agents and Education

RISMEDIA, July 17 2007—Connecting Neighbors, a division of Reply! Inc. announced its newly formed partnership with RealtyU for its Certified Neighborhood Specialist (CNS) course and designation. The CNS course, launched earlier this month by RealtyU, coaches real estate professionals on methods for researching valuable neighborhood information to assist home buying or selling clients in making informed decisions.

Connecting Neighbors provides real estate professionals, including Certified Neighborhood Specialists, a way to share their local expertise with residents through its neighborhood marketing programs. Each Connecting Neighbors program, including a ‘Neighborhood Web site’, newsletter and marketing support, is sponsored exclusively by a local real estate professional, known as the ‘Neighborhood Expert.’

“The Connecting Neighbors program and Certified Neighborhood Specialist designation align very closely,” says Bill Miles, Connecting Neighbors EVP. “Knowing the details of a neighborhood is crucial for our Members to deliver top quality service to their residents and clients. The CNS course allows our Members to further increase their value as the Neighborhood Expert by gaining a more in-depth knowledge of the communities they serve.”

The CNS course offers real estate agents a strong understanding of community activities and services, as well as exploring HOA rules and regulations that impact home transactions and estimated values. In addition, the extensive eight-hour course teaches professionals how to research community, demographic, zoning and future development information for their individual neighborhoods.

“Real estate professionals completing the CNS course will learn a variety of methods to research intimate neighborhood details,” says Allen Wright, co-author of the CNS program. “The comprehensive information taught in the course is vital for agents so they can assist their clients in making the best decisions when buying or selling a home. The CNS designation is a natural fit for Connecting Neighbors Members branding themselves as Neighborhood Experts.”

Connecting Neighbors is offering scholarships toward the cost of the course to its current and future Members.

To learn more about sponsoring a Neighborhood Marketing Program, visit www.connectingneighbors.com/sponsor.

For information on becoming a Certified Neighborhood Specialist, visit www.certifiedneighborhoodspecialist.com.