GLOBAL BUSINESS COUNCIL
Is it Time For You to Become a Global Realtor®? By: Dave Swenson, Realtor®, Broker/Owner, Suncoast Global Realty
I
s it time for you to become a Global Realtor®? I’ve chosen to become a Global Realtor® and I think you should consider joining the RASM Global Business Council to further your knowledge and expertise.
EARLY DAYS I became a Realtor® just over 30 years ago, in May of 1992. When I first joined the Realtor® community, there really wasn’t internet, we had printed MLS books that came out regularly, and we had to “car caravan” to see new listings. We had a simple MLS that could spit out listings, but everything was printed out with a dot matrix printer. We had a long unusual “key” that we had to stick into our lockboxes to open them. As for the market I served? It was Sarasota…PERIOD. As for the clientele, they were mostly local or perhaps a seasonal “snowbird” from the northern U.S. or Canada.
REAL ESTATE TODAY Fast forward to our current real estate reality. Now when you put in a new listing into our MLS, it’s immediately syndicated to a myriad of online websites, with exposure literally to the WHOLE world through the internet. We can now upload over 50 pictures, virtual tours, drone videos, and the technology goes on! Now to gain access to our property listings, we have electronic lockboxes that feature a Bluetooth wireless system that immediately notifies us of the exact time the showing Realtor® accessed the property, all the way to the exact time they left!
THE EVOLVING WORLD OF REAL ESTATE What is the geographic market we serve now? For most RASM Realtors® it is pretty much from Parrish down to North Port, essentially about a 45-minute drive in either direction from Sarasota. The Stellar MLS we have currently serves a huge area of central and west Florida and perhaps in the future, we’ll have a statewide, nationwide, or worldwide MLS. Things continue to evolve. Who comprises our Suncoast clientele now? They can be from anywhere in the world! Internationally, we still have the most buyers from Canada, but we also have buyers from the U.K., China, Brazil, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Italy, Iceland, and MORE. Now we are also seeing U.S. citizens who are considering investing or retiring abroad in places like Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, the Caribbean, and even places in Europe or Southeast Asia!
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES With our technological advances, we now live in a world that is interconnected more than ever. There are existing technologies that have made it possible to immediately translate a language so two strangers can have a “live” conversation! This exciting technology will bring new viability to traveling and immersion into a new country and its unique culture with much less concern. My wife and I have been blessed to travel to 74 countries on our beautiful planet, and we love to explore the world! Indeed, the world is open to more and more people living and moving and experiencing a different country than their country of birth. We as Realtors® need to be equipped to help our global customers to invest in our Suncoast and at the same time be aware of destinations that our fellow Suncoast residents may want to invest abroad.
BECOME A GLOBAL SPECIALIST So, where do you learn these unique skills to be a Global practitioner? Here are a few suggestions:
1 | Take classes like the CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist). 2 | Attending Realtor® conferences and expos, and most importantly. 3 | Become an active member of the GBC. For an annual $25 investment, you will enjoy all the benefits of membership, numerous special “spotlight” series on destination countries, trade mission trips abroad (we have a group going to Colombia in August 2022), and special classes on Global topics. 4 | Network with an experienced group of Realtors® who are committed to growing their Global businesses as well! So, join the GBC today… you’ll be glad you did! • myRASM.com | 27
