GLOBAL BUSINESS COUNCIL
Familiarize Yourself with All Things International By: Anita Lambert, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty; Women’s Council of Realtors® Sarasota, 2020/2021 President; RASM 2021 Leadership Institute
H
ow do local Florida Realtors® find out more about our international clients in order to help us develop our international business? Where can we learn more about their culture and customs, which will help us take good care of our global clients? On December 4, 2020, Florida REALTORS® released its latest report on the state’s 2020 top 5 foreign buyers:
Canada ($3.2 B) Brazil ($1.4 B) Venezuela ($0.9 B) United Kingdom ($0.6 B) Argentina ($0.6 B) Do you know where your embassies and consulates are located in the U.S. for those countries listed above? Can you guide your customers to their U.S. based consular offices when they may have questions as foreign nationals? For example, what are the current travel regulations during COVID? To best-assist our foreign buyers, we need to familiarize ourselves with the embassies and consulates in the U.S. For example, there is a Canadian consulate in Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington DC amongst other cities. Brazil has consulates in Miami, Houston, Washington DC, Atlanta. Venezuela has consulates in Miami, Chicago and Washington, DC. UK and Argentina each has consulates in Atlanta, Miami, New York, Washington, DC, amongst other cities.
SITES TO CHECK OUT BEFORE YOU TRAVEL When traveling to a foreign nation, it’s always wise to be mindful of restrictions and customs issues. Listed below are a few important websites to check out before you travel.
travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ ea/covid-19-information.html
www.cbp.gov/travel www.who.int/ www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/
OTHER USEFUL SITES Did you know that NAR maintains formal relationships with 100 organized real estate associations around the world and organizes international meetings and events? Visit www.nar. realtor/global/global-alliances to learn more. NAR also has an established Global Ambassador Program. Check out www.nar.realtor/global/global-ambassador to familiarize yourself with this program. Global Business Councils are groups within the local or state board structure of NAR dedicated to globally themed education, programming, and networking for their members. The council, compromised of volunteers and staff liaisons, takes the lead in planning global programs, hosting educational events and collaborating with other boards and outside entities to build awareness among members of the global business opportunities within their own market. Learn more at www.nar.realtor/global/global-businesscouncils
RASM GLOBAL BUSINESS COUNCIL Take your global business to the next level and join RASM’s Global Business Council where you can network with other international agents and grow your global reach! The council is made up of members of the Association who realize that we live in a global economy and that working with international clients is a daily part of the real estate business. View www. myrasm.com/specialty-groups/global. The Florida REALTORS® website offers a great deal of information to aid international clients with home purchases in Florida. In particular, the 2020 Profile of International Residential Real Estate Activity is a report that illustrates the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and details the impact on foreign investments. To view the report, visit www.floridarealtors.org/tools-research/reports/ international-home-buyers-sellers-profile-florida Another great website for learning about specific country profiles and demographics is The World Factbook. This site provides basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues. Visit www.cia.gov/ the-world-factbook/countries/ to learn more. •
international-travel-during-covid19.html
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