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The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) and members of the real estate industry and public officials congratulated the Filipino American Real Estate Professional Association Silicon Valley (FAREPA SV) as the group’s 2021-2022 president, officers and board of directors were formally installed last night at the Sonesta San Jose Hotel in Milpitas.
SILVAR President Joanne Fraser administered the oath of office to 2021-2022 FAREPA SV President Mark Taylan and officers. The executive board includes Taylan (Direct Mortgage Funding), president; Frank Cancilla (eXp Realty of California, Inc.), president-elect; Anne Orozco-Ramirez (Realty World Dominion), vice president; LJ Grossweiler, (Patelco Credit Union), secretary; Dorotea Tuzon (State Farm Insurance), treasurer; and Cheryl (CJ) Javier (CBC Realty), immediate past president.
Doug Goss, president of the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS®, installed the 2021-2022 board directors. They include Anna Truong Lopez (Wells Fargo Bank), Dan Ramas (Keller Williams Silicon City), Dexter Lat (Realty World One Alliance), Divina Pareno (WFG National Title Insurance), Tigran Bakchagyan (Keller Williams Silicon City), and Robert Balina (Synergize Realty).
In his message to members and guests, Taylan, who was re-appointed president of FAREPA, said the pandemic was a challenge, but FAREPA SV was able to manage and even thrive due to the commitment of its officers and board directors. They met on Zoom and were still able to serve their membership with virtual meetings and events, like the first-time homebuyer workshop, webinars on reverse mortgage and investing in the Philippines. The association also started a cooking channel on YouTube, where members and guests cook favorite Filipino dishes. Last night’s installation was FAREPA’s first live event since the pandemic.
“This year has helped us evolve in ways that we could not have imagined years ago. Our board thrived through the pandemic, and I attribute that to our strong leaders and the commitment we all share to our organization, the community, and to each other,” said Taylan.
Taylan said he is looking forward to continue making a positive impact in the real estate community. “My hope is for our board to continue to be a unified voice through education, networking, partnership, and to leave a foundation for future boards to thrive.”
Congratulating Taylan and FAREPA SV’s officers and directors, Fraser recalled her experience with members during the association’s 2019 trade mission to the Philippines. “It was a memorable experience. I had a wonderful time and enjoyed being with the group. SILVAR and FAREPA SV have had a longtime friendship and we hope to continue our partnership with you for many years to come,” said Fraser.
Bong Gutierrez, founder and chief strategist at Bahay Sa Pinas, and Orozco-Ramirez served as masters of ceremonies. The program included entertainment with native dances and a special dance performance by Taylan and his wife, Joy.
FAREPA was formed in 2002 with a mission to “promote the interests of Filipino American real estate professionals, to elevate the level of professionalism with the global community through education, networking and partnership and to create a united voice within the real estate industry.”
Representing SILVAR at the event were Fraser and Global Business Council members Mark Wong, Alicia Sandoval and Jimmy Kang.
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® Global Business Council (SILVAR GBC) was presented the DIAMOND Global Achievement Program Award for 2018 by the National Association of REALTORS® at the Nov. 2-5 REALTORS® Conference & EXPO in Boston. SILVAR President Bill Moody and Executive Officer Paul Cardus accepted the award on behalf of the GBC from NAR Global Business and Alliances Committee Chair Mario Arriaga during the International Night Out dinner on Nov. 3.
The DIAMOND award is the highest level award for global achievement that recognizes those global councils that have consistently performed at the highest level for six years. The award is given to association global councils that have earned PLATINUM status for five consecutive years. SILVAR was honored with the PLATINUM Global Achievement Award for five consecutive years from 2013-2017.
NAR recognized SILVAR GBC as having demonstrated the utmost commitment to helping their members capture their share of the global real estate market in the United States, in addition to connecting their council and members to the global community in their area. The services and resources they have worked hard to provide their members are the benchmarks upon which the standards have been set.
“We are thankful to SILVAR’s Global Business Council for their commitment to enhancing global business opportunities for REALTORS® in their market,” said Jan Hope, NAR Vice President of Commercial & Global Services. “They have done an outstanding job and we are pleased to provide them with the Diamond Global Achievement Program Award.”
The GBC provides SILVAR members information, resources, networking and skills training to enhance their professionalism and success in their local markets with international and multicultural clients and customers. Each year the GBC provides a host of programs related to global real estate, including the Certified International Property Specialist Institute (CIPS).
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. The course is taught by David Wyant, recognized NAR International Instructor of the Year for 2017, 2012 and 2009. There are currently over 4,000 CIPS designees from the U.S. and 35 other countries.
Congratulating the Global Business Council members, SILVAR Executive Officer Paul Cardus said, “The benchmarks for success over the past six years have been the commitment of SILVAR to think globally, the resolute efforts of our Global Business Council.”
Members of this year’s GBC core team are chair Tess Crescini, SILVAR board directors Mark Wong and Joanne Fraser, Mitra Lahidji, Atsuko Yube, past president David Tonna, Alicia Sandoval, Jimmy Kang, Ketan Jashapara, Daisy Wong and Lisa Wendl. Past chairs who led the team in obtaining past PLATINUM awards are Jennifer Tasto, Davena Gentry and Mark Wong.
Other REALTOR® associations earning DIAMOND status are Houston Association of REALTORS®, Arcadia Association of REALTORS® and Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association, REALTOR® Association of the Palm Beaches and Greater Ford Lauderdale (2017) and Miami Association of REALTORS® (2016).
Members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® packed the training room yesterday to learn more about working with Indian clients. Indians are a close second to Chinese as top foreign buyers of Silicon Valley property. Their cultural nuances, traditions and spiritual beliefs, were discussed by panelists at “Doing Business with Indian Clients,” a program hosted by SILVAR’s Global Business Council.
Sharing the information with members were REALTORS® Sue Bose with Referral Realty – Cupertino, Nomita Shahani with Alain Pinel REALTORS® – Saratoga, Umang Sanchorawala with Alain Pinel REALTORS® – Palo Alto, and supervising loan officer with PNC Mortgage Jimmy Kang. Mark Wong, chair of SILVAR’s Global Business Council, served as moderator.
The REALTORS® presented important information about vastu, the ancient Indian science of architecture. Vastu, which is the counterpart of the Chinese feng shui, can influence Indian buyers in their purchase of a home. According to Bose, the principles of vastu take into account the sun’s rays, earth movement and geomagnetic forces, with fire, water, earth and sky as important elements. Design and construction of buildings are based on vastu so that harmony is created where people who live and work.
Many homes in India are built in the shape of a rectangle or square with a courtyard in the middle, open to the sky, said Bose. Kitchens face southeast with the belief that the gods rule in the east. Winds come from the northeast, so doors and windows should be structured accordingly. Shahani added a pie-shaped lot with the front yard at the tip and the backyard at the larger portion of the lot would be attractive to an Indian buyer because the lot is likened to the shape of a cow, with the tip as its head. The cow is sacred to Indians.
Most Indian buyers “have it all mapped out,” said Bose. They have already done their homework about the home, the neighborhood and the school they want their children to attend. They can also be very aggressive in negotiation, and when their offer is accepted, they think they have overpaid and want to counter or want something more in return.
“It’s just their nature to negotiate,” explained Sanchorawala. “They feel better if they get something more in return.” He said paying for the cleaning or extra work that needs to be done can often appease the buyer.
Be patient with Indian buyers because it is hard to connect with them for the first time. They are not good at returning phone calls. The agent will need to follow up with them multiple times. Sanchorawala said many Indians feel they are important to their job, so they will not interrupt their work day by returning an agent’s phone call.
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Charitable Foundation Trustee Lydia Kou presented a $2,000 check to Myllicent Hamilton, board director of the Westwind 4-H Handicapped Riding Program, a 2011 grant recipient, at this morning's Palo Alto District tour meeting.
The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR), donated $53,500 in the form of grants and scholarships in 2011. The Charitable Foundation is a trust which makes grants available to organizations from donations by members and friends of the local trade association.
The 2011 grant recipients are non-profit organizations that help homeless and low-income individuals and families in Silicon Valley. They include Assistant League of Los Gatos/Saratoga, Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC), Edgewood Center for Children & Families, Friends of Deer Hollow Farm, Housing Industry Foundation, JW House, JustREAD (on campus of Mountain View/Los Altos Union High School District), Partners for New Generations, Peninsula Association for Retarded Children & Adults (PARCA), ProjectREAD – Menlo Park, West Valley Community Services, Westwind 4-H Handicapped Riding Institute and YWCA of Silicon Valley.
As part of its annual Scholarship Program, the Charitable Foundation likewise presented a $1,000 grant to each of 18 graduating seniors from public high schools in Silicon Valley. The Foundation has been assisting students with the scholarship grants for the past 12 years. The Charitable Foundation grants included donations from SILVAR’s districts to their local community nonprofit organizations.
“Like last year, our local nonprofits have been hit hard by the weak economy and continue to need our help. We thank our members and friends for being so generous in their support of the Foundation this year,” said John Tripp, 2012 president of the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation. “We urge our members to continue their support this year, so we can continue our commitment to the welfare and prosperity of communities where we live and work.”
The Charitable Foundation trustees meet quarterly to evaluate grant applications. Serving on the 2012 Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation Board of Trustees are Tripp, Lehua Greenman, Jimmy Kang, Lydia Kou, Carolyn Miller and Susan Sweeley.
Non-profit organizations operating within the areas served by the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® are eligible for grant consideration provided they meet the evaluation criteria below. Grant applicants are evaluated on the following guidelines:
• The community need for the expenditure, as well as the number of people who will be served;
• The impact on the recipient organization;
• The location of the community served; (Although requests for state, national and international projects are considered, preference is given to projects with a more local base.)
• The financial soundness and efficiency of the organization;
• Accuracy and completeness of the application;
• The structure of volunteer organization and level of volunteer support; and
• Appropriate use of the Foundation’s previous grants (if applicable).
For more information and details about the Charitable Foundation grants, visit www.silvar.org or call SILVAR at (408) 200-0100.