Greetings, 

Did You Know...that salsa now outsells ketchup in the U.S.?

Bienvenido...Witamy...Dobro Pozalovat... Huan Ying...Willkommen...	International  Networking Luncheon  CAR is hosting its 4th Annual International Networking Luncheon on Monday, October 6 at the Ambassador of India restaurant in Glastonbury. Come network with fellow REALTORS® from across the State to learn a little about international real estate and the programs/services available to help you succeed in this growing market niche...all while enjoying some authentic Indian cuisine! The luncheon will also include a brief look at Indian spices/cooking and all attendees will be entered into a drawing to win an Indian-themed gift basket.    Click here for all of the details/to register. International BYB (build your business) Tip #1 Expand your knowledge about your community’s changing demographic base.  Seek out statistics and information from your local government, Chamber of Commerce and/or school system.  Yes, school system!  Your community’s demographics are directly reflected in the demographics of your local school system. International IQ Click here to take a brief quiz and test your international IQ! CIPS Courses The NY State Association is hosting a CIPS Institute and the Transnational Referral Certification course in Canandaigua, NY in October with NAR’s International Instructor of the Year, Marcus Wally. Click here for all of the details and registration information. Click here for a full schedule of CIPS courses being offered.  International Calendar Click here for a full list of upcoming international meetings, events, conferences and expositions. Subscribe to NAR's International Newsletter To subscribe, go to www.realtor.org; Click on "My Account" at the top of the page and then log in; Then click "View/Update Your Email Subscriptions"; Under "Specialized E-Newsletters" click subscribe next to the International Newsletter option and then click on the Update Preferences button at the bottom. Click here to check out CAR's International website. Click here to visit NAR's International website. Your Feedback As this is our first edition of International Insights, we are particularly interested in your feedback.  Please click here and take a moment to answer a few quick questions to help us improve future editions.
...or “welcome” to the first edition of CAR’s new International e-newsletter, International Insights! In 2006, CAR conducted a survey of members regarding international real estate.  Highlights from this survey will be included in this e-newsletter from time to time.  But the result that seemed most significant to me was the fact that anywhere from 62% to 91% of those members responding were not aware of the numerous international resources, programs and services available from CAR and NAR.  With this publication, we hope to drastically improve those numbers and raise members’ awareness and understanding of international real estate. I know that my own awareness was raised to a level I never expected during a recent trip to Paris, France to serve as a featured speaker during the FNAIM Congress last December...details about this and CAR’s relationship with FNAIM (the French real estate association) will also be featured in future issues of International Insights. I hope that you find this publication educational and enlightening and, like I have, come to embrace and welcome this ever-growing wave of the future for real estate as we know it! Ken DelVecchio 2008 CAR President
Capturing Ethnic Markets in the U.S.
By Oscar Gonzales Reprinted with Permission of NAR's Global Perspectives in Real Estate The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that the Hispanic and Asian populations of the United States will triple by 2050 and that the White non-Hispanic population will increase by only seven percent. Since that recent report, you don’t have to look very hard to see a lot of attention being paid to ethnic market consumers—a heightened interest not unique to the real estate industry. In fact, a push to capture emerging market consumers can be seen in many industries, from automobiles to toiletries. So, exactly what are these emerging markets—where have they come from, and why the sudden focus? One definition might be minorities, families of modest means, new Americans, all underserved markets—many with very little wealth and complicated job and financial histories. Up to now, most of the focus has been on the minority component of these emerging markets, perhaps rightfully so. Click here for the full article.
The ABC's of International Acronyms
In a 2006 International survey conducted by CAR, 66.5% of members responding were not familiar with the acronym “CIPS”. CIPS stands for Certified International Property Specialist.  It is a designation program created and maintained by the National Association of REALTORS®.  The CIPS designation distinguishes CIPS designees as individuals who have both hands-on international real estate experience as well as having completed an intensive seven day program of study focusing on critical aspects of transnational transactions including currency/exchange rate issues, cross-cultural relationships, regional market conditions, investment performance, tax issues and more. There are approximately 1,800 CIPS designees worldwide and only 31 here in CT – a unique marketing niche and way to set yourself apart from the crowd!  Click here for a list of CT CIPS designees or here for more information on the CIPS designation.
CIPS Spotlight: A.J. Bernard
We recently caught up with A.J. Bernard, Broker with Real Estate Professionals of CT, LLC in Danbury and the first CIPS Designee in Connecticut.  A.J. received his CIPS designation 10 years ago (1998) this year and still maintains it to this day.  Here are some of A.J.’s reflections on becoming involved/educated in international real estate. “In the beginning, I just liked learning about other people of the world and slowly the world came to see me.  I understood the differences of my clients compared with my usual way of doing business.  I changed my approach to their requests, I started asking more questions and I asked my clients to help me understand their country’s way of doing business.  I continued to attend more NAR International events and CIPS classes and, at the same time, my own city was becoming a Mecca for many cultures. Today, not only have I been working with a number of different nationalities as my clients, but also the real estate salespeople/brokers are increasingly from other countries...so my buyers, sellers and co-agents are all international persons.  The CIPS international studies have helped me make more contacts and sales once again this year - from my local area to the rest of North America. This is the trend – the wave of tomorrow!  Yesterday and today it is Europe, North America and a growing South American influence...yet in the near future, I see it being the Asian rim countries with increasing international buying power.” Of his 11 designations, A.J. states unequivocally “CIPS is the one that makes me the most money”. One of A.J.’s international experiences/transactions was featured several years ago in NAR’s Global Perspectives in Real Estate publication...click here to read the article.

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