RISMEDIA, June 26, 2008-National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) has signed a two-year agreement with VivaReal, operated by Bilingual Marketing Group, an online real estate media company, that will give its 15,500 members prominent placement on the recently launched Spanish and English – language website VivaReal.us. The online portal, which is in beta, provides Hispanic home buyers with home buying how-to videos, podcasts and educational content all in Spanish and links them with bilingual local real estate professionals and property listings they are interested in.
“VivaReal.us offers a perfect online meeting space for NAHREP members and Hispanic buyers that want to learn about the home-buying process, connect with experts and search for properties,” said Timothy Sandos, NAHREP president & CEO. “This is a great benefit for members because it also gives them a forum to share their expertise in their local markets through social media networking tools.”
Under the agreement, NAHREP members will be able to create a professional profile, upload property listings and generate a blog on the Hispanic home-buyer network that is gaining popularity with potential home buyers.
“The sub-prime crisis has highlighted the need to educate Latinos at every step of the home-buying process,” said Brian Requarth, CEO of Bilingual Marketing. “We understand the growing need to have one reliable place online where Hispanics can start pursuing their dream of owning a home. VivaReal’s partnership with NAHREP brings together information specifically for Hispanic home-buyers, property listings and local professionals to help them make educated decisions to make that dream come true.”
VivaReal.us features user-friendly audio and video content in Spanish that communicates clearly with Hispanic home-buyers who want to learn more about the home-buying process. Topics such as “Choosing an Agent,” “Getting Prequalified for a Loan,” “Looking for and Finding the Right Home,” “Negotiating an Offer,” are just a few of the subjects covered.
The Spanish language website currently has listings in major markets and, with recently agreed partnerships, will increase its database by over 100,000 listings in the coming months.
Under its partnership with NAHREP, Requarth and his company will teach bilingual agents how to create an effective blog that builds their profile in the online real estate community with other Spanish speakers. The service is free for NAHREP members.
According to a study issued earlier this year by the Pew Hispanic Center, more than one-in-two Latinos goes online and 76% of bilingual Hispanics use the Internet.
For more information, visit www.VivaReal.us.