1,100 Realtors from 28 countries attend NAR convention

By Kenneth V. Smith

NEW ORLEANS Although real estate brokers and agents from other countries comprised only six percent of the total attendance at the National Association of Realtors annual convention, the 1,100 international delegates seemed to be everywhere.

Distinctively accented English and name badges from 28 countries indicated how much the American approach to real estate sales is going global. Throughout the world, real estate is obviously a serious business, and international representation could be seen and heard at nearly every training session and panel discussion, or asking questions and taking notes at nearly every vendor's booth in the exhibit hall.

There was no official tally, but several observers noted that the foreign attendees were less likely than the Americans to skip a training session or hours in the exhibit hall to take a bus tour of New Orleans or get an early start on Bourbon Street.

Gordon Barnaby, manager of United Realty in Whitianga, New Zealand, had a jovial yet distinguished bearing as he asked exhibitors questions about their latest technology offerings. Barnaby said he is a firm believer that the Internet will soon become an indispensable tool in real estate throughout the world.

"The Internet is working now in real estate and its importance will continue to grow," said Barnaby. He has had his brokerage on the Internet for a year now, and although online transactions are only a small part of his business, he expects the Internet to quickly become a necessary tool in his business.

Barnaby has six agents in his office, and he said it was somewhat like breaking a horse in to get them to use the Internet. He said he does not allow his agents to even begin talking about a new listing "until it has been fully and properly uploaded on the Internet."

Barnaby said his office recently closed a $360,000 sale on a property in New Zealand -- with the seller in Germany and the buyer in New Zealand -- using Internet e-mail to negotiate and the Web to market the property. And, Barnaby said, he is nearing completion on another sale to a buyer in Russia who found the property on the Internet.

Not surprisingly, the largest foreign delegation was from Canada with 400 Realtors. The next largest contingent were 150 Australians. The 125 Realtors from South African at NAR comprised the largest delegation ever from that country. Barnaby was joined by 80 New Zealanders, and there were teams from such widespread places as Singapore, the Philippines, Denmark, Brazil, and two dozen other countries.

Of the South Africans, one group of 80 was attending the NAR convention as part of a tour organized by Cherie Eilertson. Other South Africans were part of smaller groups, or came on their own.

Eilertson, a well known South African real estate trainer and motivational speaker, organized her group for Nedcor Bank. She said she first attended a NAR convention five years ago, and felt the experience was so worthwhile that she has since been recruiting ever growing numbers of her compatriots to make the long trip to America each November.

Shawn Mackrell, an agent with the Realty Executives franchise in Glenvista, South Africa, said the technology on display will almost certainly play a major role in the way he markets and sells real estate. However, he said South African Realtors may be several years behind their American and Canadian colleagues in taking full advantage of computers and Internet marketing of properties for sale.

Mario Pesce Cesarino, is an executive with an advertising and publishing firm in Rua Jandaia, Brazil, specializing in real estate. He brought a real estate broker client to NAR to attend seminars and to learn marketing techniques and technology that might be used in Brazil. Cesarino said one thing he became convinced about is that Brazilian real estate brokers must move quickly to adopt the Internet, and he added that he now plans to get an e-mail account as soon as he returns home.

Vendors said they were pleasantly surprised at the level of interest by the international attendees. Chris Purcell is senior vice president of Top Producer, http://www.topproducer.com makers of contact management software that dominates the U. S. market. Purcell's
company started in Canada, then quickly spread throughout the rest of English and French speaking North America.

Even with international origins, Purcell said he was pleasantly surprised with the widespread interest in his software at this year's NAR convention. While Purcell was talking about the success at this year's show, one of his staff members sold Top Producer to Hilton Leith, managing director, Leith Realty, Whangarei, New Zealand.

"The Realtors from outside the U.S. and Canada work very hard to keep up to date," Purcell said. "They are here looking for the latest technology and ideas so that they can stay ahead of their competition."

Also at the NAR convention, Purcell said he began negotiations to develop a private label version of Top Producer for an Australian client. Purcell said he expects to soon close the deal to customize a contact management version for a leading Australian residential broker.

Kelly Pantis is president of Realty Plus Online, a real estate software start-up based in Sacramento, California. Her company developed the software for a joint project between The Sacramento Bee's classified advertising section and Sacramento Metrolist, the local multiple listing system. This was her first NAR convention and she said she was both amazed and overwhelmed by new business from unexpected sources.

Exhausted from four days of non-stop talking, Pantis said she was surprised by the interest in her company by brokers from South Africa, Argentina, Bermuda, and Singapore. No contracts were signed, Pantis said, but discussions with the Singapore broker will lead her small company to immediately propose both a public and private Internet based listing service.

"I'm just amazed by the level of interest in other countries," Pantis said.