- For Immediate Release –
Cupertino, CA. - At the 2013 REALTORS® Conference & Expo over the weekend, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recognized the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) with a platinum award for its 2013 Global Business Council Achievement Program. The local trade association was one a number of groups to be honored as Silver, Gold, and Platinum Councils.
Global business councils are groups within the local board structure of NAR dedicated to globally themed education, programming, and networking for their members. Of the over 100 existing global business councils, only five were awarded Platinum Council status, the program's highest distinction, for having demonstrated exceptional commitment to building members' awareness of the global and multicultural business opportunities in their local markets.
Interest in U.S. properties has been growing. For the 12 months ending in March 2013, total international residential sales amounted to about $68.2 billion, with California just second after Florida in attracting international buyers and accounting for 17 percent of foreign purchases. To help members reach out to global clients, SILVAR, which represents over 4,000 REALTORS® and affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, formed a global business council in early 2012. The SILVAR global council took a lead in planning global programs, hosting global education courses, and building awareness among members of international business opportunities. In the past year, SILVAR offered two week-long Certified International Property Specialist Institutes, At Home with Diversity certification course, EB-5 Visa workshop and other global programs. The association was recently appointed NAR's Ambassador Association to the Philippines.
"Silicon Valley has been a top choice among foreign buyers. For our REALTORS® to stay competitive in both residential and commercial markets, they need to be familiar with international real estate issues and practices. Our association seeks to provide members tools they can use to be successful when dealing with clients here and abroad," said Carolyn Miller, president of the local trade association.
This year's conference, which was held in San Francisco Nov. 8-11, was attended by over 20,000 REALTORS® from across the country and all over the world. The REALTORS® engaged industry leaders and federal officials about the real estate industry's top legislative priorities, and obstacles and opportunities facing consumers, the real estate market and the economy. NAR is actively advocating public policies that promote responsible, sustainable homeownership and a stable housing market; ensure that reforms to the Federal Housing Administration do no harm to consumers' access to safe, affordable financing; preserve property and homeownership tax policies, such as the mortgage interest deduction; and restructure the secondary mortgage market with a government guarantee and a strong private market.
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.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.