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First Bay Area Multi-Cultural Real Estate Summit set for Oct. 25

Monday, September 3, 2007

The First Bay Area Multi-Cultural Real Estate Summit, a community outreach initiative for Bay Area real estate professionals who are intent on serving the emerging multicultural real estate markets, will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 25, at the Elks Lodge in San Mateo.

The event is being led by the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® (SAMCAR), the Asian Real Estate Association of the East Bay (AREAEB), Chinese American Real Estate Association of Santa Clara County (CAREA), Chinese Real Estate Association of America, Inc. (CREAA), Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (FNF), Filipino American Real Estate Professionals Association (FAREPA), National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) – Silicon Valley and San Francisco Chapters and the South Asian Real Estate Association of America (SAREAA), as founding associations, with the support of the San Jose Association of Realtist (SJAOR) and African American Economic Development Association of Realtors and Affiliates (AAEDARA).

“The summit is the first of its kind, a unique collaboration among associations of real estate practitioners to promote and embrace cultural diversity within the emerging markets of the Bay Area,” SAMCAR Cultural Diversity Committee Chair Patricia Lindo said. “The summit is an educational outreach initiative for all Bay Area real estate practitioners. Our objective is to help the Bay Area real estate practitioners better serve and understand homeownership needs and trends of the fast-growing multi-cultural real estate consumers within the Bay Area.”

She added, “Our long-term goal is to foster diversity within our communities and create a bridge between the existing associations of real estate professionals and engage them in the dissemination of information and best practices that create a successful homeownership experience for ethnic market real estate consumers and service providers.”

The summit will inform attendees of specific challenges being met and addressed by the event’s founding associations, offer an exchange of information which could enhance the real estate professional’s ability to serve the emerging multi-cultural market.

SAMCAR President Geoffrey Craighead will deliver the introductions and acknowledgements. The program includes a keynote address by California Department of Real Estate Commissioner Jeff Davi, who will discuss “Trends and Demographics Affecting the Multicultural Market,” followed by a panel discussion on “The State of Real Estate in California: RESPA and Financial Reforms in the Coming Tsunami” with Davi, C.A.R.’s Steve Goddard, Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) President Allen Okamoto, Freddie Mac Regional Director Gayle Bryce and San Jose Association Realtist Mickelin Brown, and Pablo Wong of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. as moderator. Jorge Carcamo, president of NAHREP San Francisco, will then present a program on “Preventing Foreclosures.” The summit ends with a wine and cheese networking reception.

The summit is open to all Bay Area real estate practitioners and will cost $25 for early registration and $35 at the door. Seating is limited. To register, go to www.samcar.org. Registrants who RSVP by Sept. 15 will have their contact information included in the program directory, which will serve as a referral and networking guide for Bay Area Realtors and service providers who attend the summit.

Lindo said, “This is a big undertaking for all of us, but it promises to be worthwhile. If the summit is well-received by our real estate practitioners, we plan to make this an annual event which would continue to expand on programs that are relevant to our founding associations and continue to involve other associations in the Bay Area.”

The San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® (SAMCAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 3,800 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula. SAMCAR 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 San Mateo County.

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 Julie Ziemelis, Director of Public Affairs, e-mail , or phone (650) 696-8214.

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