Commercial Investment Real Estate July/August 2018 | Page 15

Retail brokers have to stay on top of the latest trends in order
to provide their clients with the best service. Furthermore, it’s
important to understand how a property can be repositioned to
improve the tenant mix and unlock value for clients.
CIRE: Can you talk about your work with the Asian Real
Estate Association of America (AREAA)?
Wang: AREAA has more than 17,000 members and
39 chapters in North America; I’m the current president of
the Houston chapter.
The group’s mission is to provide sustainable home ownership
and promote investment for the Asian-American Pacific Islander
community. We do this in a number of ways. We emphasize edu-
cation and host monthly events with speakers for our members.
All our events also involve networking, which leads not only to
more shared knowledge, but also more business opportunities
among our members.
We’re also very active volunteering in the community. After
Hurricane Harvey, we helped deliver food and water to shelters,
raised money, and helped gut homes that were flooded. Last,
we’re very active on the policy side, at the federal, state, and local
levels. We work with our policy makers to advocate on legislation
that promotes investment and home ownership in the AAPI
community. Members are a mix of residential and commercial
real estate professionals.
CIRE: Has your work in the community been beneficial?
Wang: It is a great feeling to bring people together and to help
those in our community. The networking is very powerful; it
leads to more business for everyone.
CIRE: You’re proficient in both Mandarin and Cantonese —
has that been useful?
Wang: Yes, it has come in handy for work, especially with the
fast-growing Chinese population in Houston.
CIRE: How has the CCIM designation helped you?
Wang: Having my CCIM has opened the doors to a talented
and knowledgeable network of commercial real estate profes-
sionals. Just having access to this group has been tremendous for
me. I’m happy to say some members are my mentors and friends;
I’ve built great relationships. Being a CCIM designee also gives a
credibility boost to commercial real estate professionals running
their own brokerages, like myself.
Sarah Hoban is a freelance writer in the Chicago metro area.
Connect with Decision Makers
Sponsor Upcoming CCIM Events
This fall, CCIM Institute is holding its marquee event, the CCIM Global Conference,
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Learn more at
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