clients come in shorts and a t-shirt. You are the professional
and should be looked at as such and as the expert in the
field.
Another very important thing to know about is the holidays
of their home country. A lot of cultures actually take the
day off on the holidays and they celebrate the occasion
and spend time with the family. You don’t want to be the
one to interrupt that. Knowing their holidays can help you
plan around their schedule so you know not to bother
them on that day.
3) YOUR SUPPORTING EXPERTS
While you will be the expert explaining to your clients how
real estate business is conducted here versus in their home
country (remember in some countries, they’ve never heard
of title companies , commission is split differently, and so
on), you will want a list of experts in different fields that
support and complement your real estate business. You’ll
certainly need attorneys that can help with visa questions,
CPAs that can explain our taxes here in Florida (there is a
fairly big percentage of international customers who rent
their home seasonally)and also who can explain FIRPTA.
Can you find any service providers that might speak their
language to assist during the sale or after? Lenders and
mortgage companies that provide loans to international
buyers. It’s also a good idea to compile an actual list of
experts (with multiple options) that you can give your
clients.
4) REFERRALS
Building a referral base is a great place to start any
business. The trick here will be that whoever and wherever
your counterpart is, they are also looking for business
so you will want to make sure that it’s a two-way street.
If you are becoming a Certified International Property
Specialist (CIPS), you will have access to a list of other CIPS
designees in more than 70 countries.
Another great way to connect and understand how
business is done in other countries is by joining one or
more of the other countries’ National Associations – yes
there are Associations around the world that offer an
“Affiliate Membership” to Realtors® that are a member of
the National Association of Realtors®.
I also highly suggest that if you have the time and the
serious interest to conduct international real estate, you
attend the NAR conventions and the Legislative Meetings.
At both, you’ll find international real estate professionals
and you can take that opportunity to network and get to
know each other. If you only can attend one, I suggest
the NAR Convention, as you will find more international
Realtors® and international Associations in attendance.
If you decide to become a CIPS designee – they will hold
a welcome reception, a breakfast, and a dinner function
which offer plenty of time and opportunity to network.
At the last NAR convention, CREA (Canadian Real Estate
Association) invited all of their “International Affiliate
Members” to a reception that offered great networking
opportunity with their members, and it was a great way
to find out more about how business is done there versus
here.
One benefit we have with our Association is the use of
Proxio. Proxio is a database where you can connect with
other Realtors® from other countries and build your
referral business. Watch out for the next class at the
Association that will show you everything you can do with
Proxio.
5) REACH THE MARKET
Of course you can’t solely rely on referrals. You have to
be proactive to reach the market. How you ask, when
they are not here? There it comes again – the internet.
Search for real estate portals where you can advertise your
listings. Make sure if you advertise your listings on another
country’s portal that it is written in their language!
For those of you who are tech savvy, a Facebook ad might
work. Just make sure it is lead generating with a “call
to action” and in the language of the audience you are
catering to. If you don’t speak the language – team up with
someone who does.
Real estate trade shows can be found around the globe.
Make sure you do your research, because being a vendor
can get pricey. Consider splitting a space with someone.
Don’t forget to connect with different groups on LinkedIn -
there are investor groups and much more.
And last but not least – get the apps on your phone that
help you save money with phone calls such as Skype,
WhatsApp, and Viber to name just a few.
As you can imagine, there is much more that could be said,
but for now this will give you a good starting point and
overview.
Don’t forget to check out all the interesting articles on the
National Association’s website concerning Global Real
Estate and look through the Statistics they provide us with.
Their insight is priceless!
RPCRA.ORG | MAR/APR 2018
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