CIPS Networking Reception at Arcadia Association of REALTORS®, Sept. 30

The Arcadia CIPS Reception will take place during the CIPS course offered by the Arcadia Association and California Association of REALTORS®, September 27 – October 1. The Arcadia Association of REALTORS® is offering this course, for the first time, in Mandarin Chinese.

CIPS Networking Reception
Thursday, September 30, 2010
5:30 – 7 p.m.
Call to R.S.V.P. and for directions
(626) 445-8525 or (626) 446-2115

Cultural Awareness: Inclusive Multicultural Marketing

When serving a multicultural audience, you want to make sure that your practice incorporates diversity and complies with the Fair Housing Act. While you must recognize a diverse market base, any marketing plan – including the selection of media and publications for advertisements – that indicates a preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, family status, or national origin violates the Fair Housing Act.

Some tips to be sure that your marketing is inclusive but not in violation of the Fair Housing Act:

• Always focus on describing the property, not the person, in your advertising.
• Read and reread your advertising for words with hidden or double meanings.
• Think about what potential customers might think the message says.
• Don’t use slang or idiomatic expressions that might be misunderstood.
• Be inclusive.

Think glocal, act glocal

That is not a typing error in the headline! You might not realize it, but global real estate is happening locally, in your own backyard – it’s Glocal. If a client called you tomorrow and said, “I have been renting for six months each year when I visit the U.S. from Canada, now I’m ready to buy. Can you tell me if I need a special visa if I want to buy property while I’m here? Do I need special financing? How do you convert funds from Canadian to US currency for the transaction? Can we get it done before I have to go back?” -- would you know how to help this person?
While “global real estate” might sound like it only applies to million-dollar deals with prestigious foreign investors, it can be as simple as the example above. More than a quarter of a million REALTORS® have international clients, and 93% percent of REALTORS® have seen steady or increased international business, and those numbers are on the rise. If you have experienced a situation like this, you are a global REALTOR®! Learn more about what NAR and SBAOR offer to help you conduct these transactions with ease.

In 60-plus Countries, You have CIPS Personal Contacts

Sometimes, just having the right personal contact can be the spark you need to explore a new market opportunity. Through the CIPS directory, the CIPS Network provides members with the kind of personal contacts that can make that kind of difference in more than 60 countries around the world. For even more reach and visibility, Network members are also encouraged to join CIPS groups on social networking sites, such as Facebook or www.Realestateconnections.tv.
Read more.

Look Both Directions: Inbound and Outbound

U.S. real estate attracts international buyers for several reasons: foreigners may freely own, purchase, and transfer real estate; there is a large supply of residential and commercial investment-grade real estate available; the U.S. offers a reliable system for registration of property ownership and documenting real estate transactions, and the U.S. has a resilient economy and stable political climate. Also, in the case of Europe, the Euro to U.S. dollar exchange rate makes U.S. real estate more affordable, so the buyer gets “more house for the money”. For these reasons and many more, international buyers are seeking vacation homes in resort communities for investment or second-home properties.

On the outbound side, U.S. retirees are increasingly lured to the warm climates, low cost of living, and sometimes homeland ties of foreign countries. Your next client may be looking to list or buy a second home in countries that welcome retirees with reliable pension incomes, such as Panama, Mexico, Belize, India, Malaysia, or the Philippines.

Become an expert in these unique transactions –consider the Certified International Property Specialist designation classes being offered at the South Bay Association of REALTORS®, July 6 - 13. Early-bird pricing will expire on April 30, so don't delay!

Early CIPS registration - by April 30, 2010 $449 ($499 SBAOR nonmembers) full institute or $79 ($89 SBAOR nonmembers) per class

Click here for more details.

Source: National Association of REALTORS®

Photos from the California Dreaming Tour, November 2009

At the end of last year's California Dreaming Tour and during the November 2009 meetings of the National Association of REALTORS® in San Diego, we had the good fortune to meet with the leadership of the Australian real estate community.

We are pleased that the California Association of REALTORS® has recently become the Ambassador Association for the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA). For more information, check out the links below:

• NAR International: www.realtor.org/global
• California Association of REALTORS®: www.car.org
• REIA: www.reia.com.au
• The Real Estate Institute of the Australian Capital Territory: www.reiact.com.au

At Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
From left: Rob Druitt, REIA Board Director; David Airey, President, REIA; Tashia Hinchliffe, SBAOR International Committee Chair; Michael Wellsmore, President, Real Estate Institute of the Australian Capital Territory





At an International Committee event in Hermosa Beach, Calif.
From left: Gloria Godet, SBAOR International Committee Member; Michael Wellsmore; Rob Druitt; David Airey




At Terranea.
From left: Michael Wellsmore; Roger Phillips, SBAOR International Committee Member




At Terranea.
From Left: Michael Wellsmore; Marija Terzic, SBAOR International Committee Member; Rob Druitt; Roger Phillips; Tashia Hinchliffe; David Airey

Cultural Awareness

Whether or not you consider yourself an international practitioner, your web site is globally accessible. To make sure you are not losing a potential sale because of a cultural blunder, educate yourself on appropriate global marketing practices. Think about the pictures and colors you are using - in some cultures, photos of women or animals are discouraged. Likewise, green can symbolize hope and growth in some parts of the world while in others, it is associated with death, sickness, envy, or the devil. Similarly, in western cultures white is the color for the bride's gown, while in India widows wear white.

Another tip: translating is not as simple as getting the words right - for example Arabic is read from right to left, so a left justified Web page might not be visually appealing. Even the rules of bolding, underlining, capitalizing, and font selection vary between languages. For example, a font size of nine is less legible in some Asian languages. As always – do your research before you interact with a global audience and you will avoid some of these cultural faux pas.