It is well known that Spanish speaking buyers and investors are a growing market in America, especially in the Southwest where we are located. It’s a niche market with dominant players that are well known and frequently referred to in their geographical areas. Perhaps I am biased because I live in Texas, have lived in Spain and Mexico and have a second degree in Spanish, but I find a high value in being able to communicate effectively in other languages.
Perhaps you’ll never be THE Spanish speaking expert in your area, but in business, I have been in many situations where someone is fluent in English but don’t have specific vocabulary sets to communicate with you (for example real estate vocabulary).
There are a lot of resources that can help you to learn real estate vocabulary in Spanish but one that has been around for years that I have used myself and enjoyed is the book and CD set that is finally online, produced by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University (RECON).
The interactive glossary that defines and plays words out loud so you can hear pronunciation is now available for free online and I highly recommend taking five minutes each day to learn a new word or two. Besides giving you a competitive edge, it simply helps you to serve all of your clients to the best of your ability.
Coleen DeGroff
December 7, 2010 at 9:02 am
Hi Lani,
What a wonderful resource! Thanks for posting this!
I’m definitely bookmarking the site.
Lani Rosales
December 7, 2010 at 7:44 pm
So glad to help, it’s been a big help to me in the past! 🙂
J. Mario Preza
December 7, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I found your article on Spanish glossary by chance, but I can tell you that not only is it important for the practitioner to adapt to the growing markets, it is also vital for the markets to be their own advocates when it comes to these important dealings. I have found that even when the Realtor has a command of both languages — Spanish and English, if the client is relying solely on that, they sometimes are set up for what could be a questionable outcome. I speak both languages fluently and, like you, I write in various publications in both languages with the sole purpose of educating the community at large and the Latino population specifically about their rights and obligations in this complex world of real estate. Thanks for the insights.
Lani Rosales
December 7, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Thank you for stopping by and you are SO right- protecting the rights of buyers and sellers is critical, especially in a competitive market.