Mexico Resort Real Estate Update …………. From The Settlement Company® Ver el anexo para leerlo en español. Welcome to our Fourth Quarter 2014 newsletter. During this quarter there were three major real estate events. One was the Annual Meeting of the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI) in Tijuana and the other the annual Conference of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) in New Orleans. For the first time classes from the Real Estate Negotiation Institute were presented in Mexico. In this issue we also want to share with you news from Mexico’s NAFTA team. Tijuana Hosts AMPI Conference and Annual Meeting The Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI) held its 43rd Annual Conference in Tijuana, Baja California. This was the first time in the history of the association that the annual event has been held on the Baja Peninsula. In addition to AMPI members, REALTORS® from Arizona, California, Illinois and Texas came to Tijuana. Each morning, “Networking” sessions were held. Those attending had an opportunity to present their company and properties that are for sale. Speakers addressed such subjects as, Realities and Perspectives in the housing market, Opportunities in global industrial and commercial developments, the present Mexican real estate market and the future, the most efficient way to obtain an exclusive listing and a panel “Mexico a tourism paradise”. Jeffery Hornberger Director, Global Alliances at the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) came from Chicago to take part... As usual there were several entertaining social events. On Saturday attendees were able to tour several vineyards in the Valle De Guadalupe and enjoyed a taste of local cuisines. . Baja California produces world class wines. Several new members for the National Advisory Board were elected at the Annual General Meeting. They represent a wide cross section of Mexico and include newcomers Teresa Sandoval and Armando Trujillo both from AMPI Guadalajara. Eric Chazaro is the new member from San Jose de Allende. Oscar Orozco who had been on the Board a few years ago was also elected, once again. He is from Culiacan/ Mazatlan. Gustavo Solarez was elected as the new Executive Vice President and is in line for National President in 2016... Zacatecas was selected to be the site of the 2015 Congreso, beating out Acapulco and Cancun. An International Real Estate Summit was announced to be held in Puerto Vallarta in June, 2015 At the annual Dance and Dinner, AMPI President, Martha Ramirez recognized Linda Neil for her international work on behalf of Mexico. Linda is finishing her third and final term as NAR’s Presidential Liaison to Mexico this year. The new Liaison to Mexico will be Richard Miranda of the Texas Association of Realtors. Linda has accepted an appointment as the International Member on the Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) Advisor y Board. She is replacing Maurice George from the United Arab Emirates. NAFTA News A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting the headquarters of Mexico’s NAFTA team in Washington D.C. I was impressed with the caliber of the staff members I met. Since then I have had regular communication with their office. Following is an excerpt from a recent newsletter commenting on the U.S. Canada-Mexico relationship. “North America is home to almost five hundred million people living in three vibrant democracies. If the three North American countries deepen their integration and cooperation, they have the potential to again shape world affairs for generations to come.”.. The independent task force asserts that elevating and prioritizing the US-Canada-Mexico relationship offers the best opportunity for strengthening the United States and its place in the world. The report proposes a comprehensive set of recommendations for deepening North American integration, concentrating on four pivotal areas- energy, economic competitiveness, security and community. The innovation, investment and increased production in the energy sector is already giving North America a competitive advantage. Therefore, North American countries need a regional energy strategy to strengthen the continent’s energy structure, expand energy exports, support Mexico’s historic reforms, improve safety and encourage harmonized policies to promote energy conservation and reduce carbon emissions. For mainly economic and environmental reasons the report recommends that the U.S. Encourage increased energy connections with Canada and Mexico such as additional pipeline capacity and that it end restrictions on energy exports including oil and LNG. Following is an excerpt from another article in the newsletter:”Over the last twenty years, Mexico has made a drastic transition from a relatively closed economy to one of the most open countries in the world. Aside from deregulating business activity and encourage private investment, Mexico has embraced international free trade agreements as a means to promote industrial competitiveness’ and export oriented growth. Apart from the 10 Free Trade Agreements (FTA) that have already been implemented with 45 countries, including North, Central and South American countries The European Union, Japan and Israel the government of Mexico is working to open the gates of the Middle East by signing FTAs with Turkey and Jordan.” For more information: john.glaab@settlement-co Busy Year Ahead for Global Mexico Global Mexico Real Estate Institute. (Instituto Inmobiliario Global Mexico A.C.) - IIGM is a Mexican civil association dedicated to raising the level of education among REALTORS® in Mexico. It is specifically dedicated to international real estate education. IIGM has announced its Course Calendar for 2015. Courses are planned for Los Cabos, Morelia, La Paz, Puerto Penasco, Queretaro, and Guadalajara. Playa del Carmen, Chapala, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel, Tijuana and Chapala/Ajijic. Below is the schedule for Baja California Sur: January 23- 24 Accredited Buyer Representative (AB) Spanish, La Paz. January 26-30 Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) Institute English, Los Cabos February 2-3 Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) English Los Cabos February 28 Resort and Second Home Property Specialist (RSPS), Los Cabos It is expected that some attendees for the CIPS classes in Los Cabos will come from the U.S. and Canada. The event will be promoted by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). In addition to receptions, there will be property tours and a chance to enjoy warmer, sunny weather and will be a great opportunity for international networking... For further information, please see the Global web site: globalmexico.org REALTORS® Congregate in the Big Easy More than 17,000 REALTORS® gathered in New Orleans for the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) annual Conference and Expo. Following is a quote from friend Jo Anne Poole who hails from Baltimore, MD. She is V.P. NAR, 2014. Home from the Annual Realtor Conference. Conference was held in New Orleans where attendees numbered 17,000. Conference kicked off with the Realtor Habitat Build, moved into business meeting, education sessions and trade show. Friends were installed as Officers at NAR and our Institutes, Societies and Councils. What a week, In addition to all the work, we shared lots of laughs and hugs, good food and enjoyed meeting celebrities that joined us. President, Bill Clinton, Cal Ripken, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords, Jennifer Hudson and Jackie Joyner Kersee. Hope you enjoyed the conference. Realtors Rock! There were many successful associations, meetings, educational sessions and social events galore and a Celebrity Concert by Jennifer Hudson. Among the memorable events were the International REALTOR® Welcome Reception, the Inaugural Gala, the Certified International Property Specialist Breakfast (CIPS), and International Night Out. The international reception provided an opportunity to renew acquaintances with many old friends from around the world and make new friends. At the Inaugural Gala, former U.S. President William Clinton administered the Oath of Office to incoming NAR President Chris Polychron. Both men from Arkansas shared anecdotes from the past in Little Rock where they lived. International Night Out was an elegant affair. Awards were handed out to REALTORS® from around the world. Certified International Property Socialist Designees (CIPS) convened for a special breakfast. At the event 420 new Designees received their PINS and certificates. Instructors formed a receiving line as the new people were recognized. Outside of the U.S. large groups from Thailand and The United Arab Emirates are the new members. Mexicos new Designees are from Guadalajara, Morelia, San Miguel de Allende and Tabasco. The Global Theatre on the Expo floor was a very popular place. It was co-sponsored by COFECI-CRECI, the Brazilian Real Estate Association and CILA, the Real Estate Confederation of Latin America (Mexico is a member.) Representatives presented information on countries starting on Friday and running to Monday. One theme on Sunday was “A World of Opportunities,” This segment featured Panama, Colombia and Mexico... Past President Sergio Gomez from the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI) made a six minute presentation outlining opportunities for investment in Mexico. Tina Mak, Founder of the Vancouver Section of the Asian Real Estate Association of America was one of the presenters on Saturday. Her theme was “Vancouver: Gateway to North American Opportunities.” Sunday morning the FIABCI (International Real Estate Federation) World Council of Brokers staged a session “Referrals and Doing International Referrals.” Representing FIABCI were World Council of Brokers President Farook Mahmood and Barbara Schmerzler, FIABCI World Council of Brokers Director General. On the podium from NAR were Janet Branton, Senior V.P. Commercial and Global Services and Dr. Lawrence Yun, Senior V.P. & Chief Economist. Dr. Yun proved a snapshot of the U.S. economy as it relates to real estate and a look at what will likely be the situation in 2015. The large ballroom at the Morial Convention Center was filled to capacity for the General Session. Outgoing NAR President Steve Brown gave a “state of the industry” address and thanked all who had helped him in 2014, especially NAR staff. The parade of flags is a recent addition to the General Session. Presidents of real east associations from around the globe parade on stage waving their national flag. The Keynote address was delivered by Captain Mark Kelly, Coordinator of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission. Special guest was Mark’s wife Gabrielle, inspirational U.S. representative and Co author of “Gaby a Story of Courage and Hope. She also said a few words to the audience and was given a standing ovation. The 2015 NAR Conference and Expo will be in San Diego, California. Real Estate Negotiation Institute Comes to Mexico Cabo San Lucas was the first venue for classes leading to the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE®) designation. The classes, sponsored by MLS/BCS and Global Mexico, were offered in Mexico for the first time and delivered by Tom Hayman, author of the course...... He is the Founder and CEO of the Institute®. Tom earned the MCNE, ABR, CNE, CSSN, GHS, GRI, SFR and e-Pro designations and/or certifications. Tom has been interviewed by U.S. News & World Report, REALTOR® Magazine, and REBAC, and has also been published in various real estate and negotiation publications. Tom Hayman was named the 2010 INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR for the Seattle-King County Association of Realtors® in Bellevue, WA. Tom is the first instructor outside of Washington to receive this honor. While many of the students were from Los Cabos, others came from La Paz, La Ventana, Los Bariles and Tijuana. A few of the areas covered during the two days were; Competitive Win/Win - Hard Bargaining versus Collaborative Win/Win Negotiating and, Psychology of Buying and Persuasive Principles. Several real estate case studies were presented and group discussions were staged. At the end of the classes all of the students were given a multiple choice exam. During the two days funds war raised to enable the purchase of 20 blankets to be distributed in the less privileged neighborhoods that were hardest hit by hurricane Odile. Another six blankets were donated in the classes. Los Cabos Residential Market Report By Martin Posch Windemere Real Estate The number of sales for residential real estate has increased in the first five months of 2014. Residential listings under contract have increase by 21%. The total sales volume from January 1 to October 31, 2014 on residential properties (condos & houses) is up by a 21 percent to $249,215,000 US Dollars. The average sales price is up by 21 percent to $681,000 US Dollars. The total number of sales is up by 14 percent. The condo market is starting to develop nicely compared to 2013. The total sales volume is up 46 percent to $42,372,000 US Dollars and the average sales price is up by 18 percent to $369,000 US Dollars. Sales for single-family homes are up by 34 percent to $187,153,000 US Dollars. The average sales price is up by 26 percent to $945,000 US Dollars. Although activities have slowed down significantly due to hurricane Odile, I think we will still have a great season going into 2015. By then the hotel rooms should be back to about 90% and most of the flights will be back to the normal schedule. But it will be a slow recovery. Pending sales are up 24 percent so that makes me believe that we have hit bottom and we will see prices stabilize. The percentage of list to sold price for condos increased from 90 - 92% and for single family homes from 88 - 90%. All the best to you for 2015 For More Information: john.glaab@settlement-co settlement-co globalmexico.org
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:30:28 +0000