Event Coverage
SILVAR Hosts Trade Mission from Brazil
SILVAR was happy to host a trade mission from Brazil this week. Eighteen members of Secovi traveled to Silicon Valley to learn about the technology that attracts people to the region and largely responsible for heating up the region's housing market. They met at SILVAR first, then visited Stanford and several tech companies in the Bay Area.
Secovi is a real estate association in Brazil composed of real estate agents, builders, developers and other professionals engaged in the real estate business. The Secovi members who visited were part of the association's young professionals group. The trade mission included engineers, real estate attorneys, developers, property managers, economists and real estate agents.
On Monday the group arrived at SILVAR, where SILVAR member Fabiane Maluchnik and Estela Sallat, both REALTORS® with Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty, presented an overview of Silicon Valley and the housing market in Portuguese. Both Maluchnik and Sallat are recent graduates of SILVAR's Certified International Property Institute (CIPS) held last month. Following their presentation, SILVAR affiliate Jimmy Kang, who is a member of SILVAR's Global Business Council, explained how mortgage lending is done in the U.S.
The group was very curious about the difference between a REALTOR® and a real estate agent, lockboxes, Silicon Valley's housing market and how the MLS operates. They even took pictures of SILVAR's REALTOR® store because they said although they have stores that sell items for real estate agents in their country, they were impressed at the way the store was so organized and the numerous items it offers members.
The Brazilian young professionals had many questions about home prices, mortgage lending, FHA loans, and how foreign buyers purchase property in the U.S. SILVAR Board Member Penelope Huang later explained how the MLS system works. Brazil, like many countries, does not have an MLS system.
At a special lunch at noon, the Brazilians met with SILVAR's Board of Directors, members of the Global Business Council, Silicon Valley YPN, and representatives of the Filipino America Real Estate Professionals Association Silicon Valley (FAREPA SV) and the Asian Real Estate Association of America Silicon Valley (AREAASV). Everyone got to know each other and networked while enjoying the catered meal.
SILVAR was able to arrange a tour of Google for the group on Tuesday. SILVAR is grateful to have connected with Pierre Cintra, engineer and payroll manager of Google, who took the time to tour the group through several buildings in the tech giant's headquarters in Mountain View.
In addition to SILVAR and Stanford, the young professionals were also able to visit Cisco, Carbon 3-D, NASA and a couple of startups in the Bay Area.
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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.
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