HAR MLS Area 82 Celebrates One Year
In June of 2007, HAR created an MLS area for properties located outside the United States. It is known as Area 82, and if you are a HAR MLS subscriber that can input property listings, you can add listings to Area 82 as well.
Under the guidance of the HAR International Advisory Group, three new areas for property listings were created in the HAR MLS:
In June of 2007, HAR created an MLS area for properties located outside the United States. It is known as Area 82, and if you are a HAR MLS subscriber that can input property listings, you can add listings to Area 82 as well.
Under the guidance of the HAR International Advisory Group, three new areas for property listings were created in the HAR MLS:
• Area 80 is for all property listings located in the state of Texas but outside HAR MLS jurisdiction.
• Area 81 is for all property listings outside the state of Texas but within the United States.
• And Area 82 is for international property listings only.
Currently, there are more than 200 listings in Area 82 and more than 100 are properties located in Mexico. Earlier this year a multi million-dollar property located in France sold that was listed in Area 82.
A lot of HAR members aren’t interested in international real estate because they think it only includes outbound sales, where a buyer in Houston is buying a property abroad. That is only half the equation however.
According to NAR, an international real estate transaction is one where the buyer, the seller, the location of the property or the financing has an international component to it. Buyers or sellers who are U.S. citizens but still heavily influenced by a foreign culture are considered to be “international” as well. That covers a lot of ground so you could currently be involved in an international real estate transaction and not realize it.
Foreigners are moving to Houston because of jobs in the oil and gas industry, our world-renowned Medical Center and the low cost of living. Kiplinger Magazine recently reported Houston as the number one place to live in the United States in 2008 due to our strong economy, abundance of jobs, reasonable living costs and fun things to do.
Marketing yourself to inbound Houston buyers is a good way to not only increase your visibility in the community but increase your sales as well.
For more information visit www.har.com/international as well as the NAR site, www.realtor.org and search under international.
Special Thanks to Ward Arendt, CIPS and Wayne Stroman, CIPS Ward Arendt, CIPS, serves as the current HAR International Advisory Group Chairman and has done so since January 2007. Wayne Stroman, CIPS, was the Chairman of the group for 2005-2006 and they both deserve special recognition for getting MLS Area 82, the international listings area, as well as international education intergrated into the daily lives of HAR members. Thanks guys!
Houston Association of Realtors
