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REALTOR®: June is National Homeownership Month

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

As they celebrate the month of June as National Homeownership Month, members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR), the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) are focusing on contributing to their communities and building better neighborhoods, towns and cities.

"I have been in this business for more than 30 years, and there is no better feeling than helping first-time buyers find the homes of their dreams," said Dick Gaylord, 2008 NAR president. "Realtors understand better than anyone else how important homeownership is to our nation. With more than 1.2 million Realtors working every day in cities across the nation to bring more Americans home, we are helping to build strong families, vibrant communities and a great nation."

Realtors and their associations are helping others because it's just good business to be a good citizen, according to SILVAR President Leannah Hunt.

"Homeownership is an investment in the community," Hunt said. "When more people own homes and are able to remain in their homes, everyone benefits."

Hunt, who is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Palo Alto, thanked the 300 Realtors and affiliates who recently participated in SILVAR's annual Realtor Service Volunteer Program (RSVP). RSVP is an annual community outreach program in which Realtors and affiliates perform household tasks free of charge for seniors and the homebound. This year, a total of 587 members of four Realtor associations provided the free service to 432 senior households on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.

Sue Bose and Adam Atito, co-chairs of SILVAR's Cultural Diversity Committee and Equal Opportunity Committee, said local Realtors continue to conduct workshops and classes in an effort to broaden homeownership in the region. They describe the Silicon Valley region as being very diverse, a melting pot of many cultures.

"That's what makes the area an attractive place in which to live," said Bose, a Realtor with Referral Realty.

Bose said the committee has been hosting a series of panel discussions which focus on the importance of cross-cultural understanding and cooperation among Realtors, home buyers and sellers at different stages of the real estate transaction. The last panel discussion focused on the Hispanic, Indian, Caucasian, Chinese and Filipino communities.

Bose said it is but fitting that on National Homeownership Month, the committee will be hosting a panel discussion featuring Moise Nahouraii (Referral Realty), who will represent the Persian community; Lilly Ham (New Star Realty), the Korean community; Haruko Jitsukawa (Coldwell Banker), the Japanese community; and Andrey Bandrovsky (Campi Properties), the Eastern European communities. The program, entitled "Realtor Etiquette & Ethics," will be held on Friday, June 20, 2-4 p.m. at the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors office in Cupertino.

"It is estimated by the year 2010, 60 percent of all first-time home buyers will come from emerging markets. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, some 33.5 million foreign-born residents live in the United States, making up 12 percent of the country's total population," said Atito, a Realtor with Keller Williams. "However, the home ownership rate of immigrants continues to lag that of native-born residents by as much as 30 percent."

"Here is your opportunity to understand and learn how to assist minority home buyers in achieving their American dream of home ownership," Bose added.

For more information about the cultural diversity panel discussion, call SILVAR at (408)
200-0100.



The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.

For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

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