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The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® FutureTech 2018, held April 19 in Los Altos, led 200 REALTORS® and brokers in discussions about smart home technology, big data and virtual reality. Products and services showcased at the event were intended to put agents on the forefront of technology so they can better serve their clients in the 21st century, according to Palo Alto broker Michael Dreyfus, with Golden Gate Sotheby’s Realty.
Dreyfus, who chairs the local trade association’s Palo Alto district, opened the program by noting the business of real estate has come a long way from big listing books, which agents and their clients valued, to paperless documents and virtual tours.
A session on the future of smart homes moderated by CBS News technology journalist Larry Magid, featured Sean Paterson, head of marketing and sales for Noon Home, a smart lighting system that wirelessly generates light in different levels to transform the look and feel of a home, and Sophie Le Guen, director of product management of Nest, which produces programmable, sensor-driven, WiFi-enabled thermostats, smoke detectors, security cameras, and other security systems.
Another on how big data is going to affect the future of real estate featured Dave Wetzel, CTO & COO of multiple listing service provider MLSListings Inc., Avi Gupta, president and CEO of SmartZip, which offers predictive marketing services so agents can land more listings by identifying homeowners most likely to sell in any neighborhood; and Stas Alexandrov, founder & CEO of iDevelop.city, an application that allows brokers and developers to view lots, find a place for a building, and see all the specific restrictions in one place.
The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) is warning members about a new email scam targeting REALTORS®. An email claiming to be from “REALTOR® Party via DocuSign” and containing an attachment is being sent to REALTORS®. This email is not from NAR. Do not open any attachments or click any of the links, which may ask for passwords.
NAR will never ask you for your DocuSign credentials. Please delete this email if you see it. If you’ve opened the email and entered your DocuSign credentials, you should log into DocuSign and change your password immediately.
NAR urges its members and state and local REALTOR® associations to be on high alert for email and online fraud.
Click here for more resources and information on cyberscams and cybersecurity best practices.
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) 7th Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) Institute took place last week with 15 students registered, including SILVAR CIPS designees who took some courses for audit. REALTORS® enrolled came from around the San Francisco Bay Area and as far as Sacramento.
Interestingly enough, among the full-time REALTORS® registered, only one student was born in the U.S. The other students were born in China, Taiwan, India, and the Philippines. The composition of this year’s class says everything about the cultural diversity in Silicon Valley, according to CIPS instructor David Wyant.
This was the seventh time Wyant and his wife and assistant Patsy, returned to Silicon Valley to teach the CIPS Institute at SILVAR. The Wyants travel all over the world teaching the global real estate courses and are able to share valuable insights with their students. Wyant was named International Instructor of the Year at the National Association of REALTORS® Conference and Expo in Chicago last November. He has received the same award twice before, in 2012 and 2009.
The CIPS Institute provides training in international business issues, including currency conversion, cultural awareness, legal and tax requirements, transaction principles of international real estate, and specifics about the real estate markets in Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
Wyant said global real estate opportunities are everywhere. People move to Silicon Valley from other countries and foreign-born individuals residing here move to new markets. People here may look to invest in property overseas.
“No matter which audience you cater to, the CIPS designation will provide you with the knowledge and tools to expand your business globally,” said Wyant.
Thank you to this year’s CIPS Sponsors of the Day: Darrell Monda with TourFactory; Kyle Chuang with Farmers’ Insurance; Anita Rodal, international liaison with AFEX (Associated Foreign Exchange) and president of SBPI Services, Inc.; and Kim Kim P Nguyen and Suzette Reboton, premier mortgage consultant and vice president and senior branch manager of HSBC Bank USA, Cupertino.
Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® says ... 