Brian Woods, CIPS
Team Realty and Investment Solutions, LLC
Royal Palm Beach, FL

I’ve been very enthusiastic about global real estate opportunities, taking three or four international trips a year, typically making presentations to agents and investor groups. Whether I’m visiting Canada, Colombia, Panama, China, or other countries, my goal is always the same—to establish point people in various destinations through whom I can gain access to an even broader set of relationships.

Success is never simple, but I’ve seen these qualities as among the most important:

Leverage your CIPS – The training really helped me understand how real estate practices vary across countries. Since completing the coursework, I’ve also relied heavily on the CIPS Network. It’s an exceptionally strong and growing group of professionals who’ve invested in their business and “get” global real estate. Whenever I travel internationally, I rely on CIPS connections to build my global network.

Deliver top-notch client service - When working with international clients, you have to offer “white glove” service. These clients won’t be familiar with many aspects of how things are done in a foreign market and will rely heavily on your assistance. We’re fortunate in that we have a very diverse team of agents and value added partners who can help solve various challenges.

Get involved — There are many ways to do this. I’ve chosen travel and REALTOR® leadership, but that’s not essential. What’s more important is simply getting involved locally (especially if your association has a
Global Business Council) and at various international networking events. If you don’t get out and talk to people, you won’t hear what they’re doing, which can be your best source of new ideas and business opportunities.

Be persistent — Global business won’t happen overnight, but if you stick with it, it will come. And once you do land an international buyer, you can pretty much count on several additional referral-based transactions when they pass your name along to others back home.

I firmly believe global is the future direction of the real estate industry, especially in the U.S., which attracts buyers from all over the world.

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