Merry Cassabria, broker owner of Cassabria Realty in Gales Ferry, attended the first Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) class held in CT and has had the CIPS Designation for 10 years now. "Earning the CIPS Designation was definitely one of the highlights in my real estate career. I had an opportunity to learn about cultures and customs throughout the world, as well as meet some amazing people that I still keep in touch with today." says Cassabria. Merry has had the pleasure of working with many international clients, the majority being of Asian descent.  She loves to brag that she never has to cook during Chinese New Year, as her past clients bring her family enough food for an army! "For most REALTORS®, being a CIPS designee means working locally with foreign born individuals and having the knowledge/expertise to serve their special needs. For that reason alone, my international clients bring me more referral business than any others."

Merry helped form an International Committee for her local Board, the Eastern CT Association (ECAR), which she chaired for 4 years. "I’m extremely proud of the work that ECAR’s International Committee has done. Five forms have been translated into Spanish/Chinese and we produced a Newcomer's Guide for both international clients and those relocating to Eastern CT." The guide has been translated into 5 different languages. ECAR’s International Committee expanded on this idea by hosting a Multicultural Fair last year with various towns being represented along with numerous cultural organizations and government agencies (i.e. Community Development, IRS).  "Not only is this a great way to connect to the public and give back to the community – but it’s also a lot of fun! We look forward to hosting the fair again next year and encourage other local Boards or firms to consider hosting one in their own communities as well."

The International Real Property Foundation (IRPF) is dedicated to the development of private real property markets around the world. The IRPF believes that the opportunity to own private property and to be secure in that ownership is fundamental to economic opportunity and civil societies. Functioning real estate markets are vital to so many dimensions of social, economic and democratic development, key contributors to the alleviation of long-term poverty.

The IRPF focuses on the developing countries of the world where expert practitioners and property professionals collaborate with emerging real estate groups, governments and private firms to address and remove impediments to the efficient transfer of property. Established in 1992, the IRPF has delivered technical assistance in 27 countries over 4 continents and helped create 84 self-sustaining real estate associations representing over 170,000 practitioners.

Click here to find out more about the International Real Property Foundation.

(Reprinted with permission of NAR's International News Report)

NAR has put into place the Google translation widget at the launch page for International REALTOR® Members. This free widget translates not only the initial web page on which it sits into 30+ languages, but also translates linked pages and subsequent linked pages and so on down the line (sort of 6th degree of separation concept). While electronic translation isn't a perfect science, it's improving all the time and most find the Google tool to be more than sufficient in terms of web site communications. Check it out. Download the Google translation widget for use at association and firm websites to add an international element to online presence.

(Reprinted with permission of NAR's International News Report)

Americans are notorious over-tippers in foreign markets, which may make us popular with service providers, but may also demonstrate our cultural ignorance to local business partners. In many places, a service charge is already included in the bill, or local customs dictate a percentage below the standard 15%- 20% in the U.S. Be knowledgeable about local tipping customs with Condé Nast Traveler's Tipping Guide.

International IQ

Click here to take a brief quiz and test your international IQ!