06 Real Estate News
AMPI, NAR® and Tradex Stage Successful Real Estate Event
by John Glaab
The National Association of Realtors® joined forces with The Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI) and Tradex Expositions International, Mexico’s leading trade show company, to stage the largest real estate trade show in Latin America. The MINT Second Homes Conference and Expo was held April 19-20, 2007, in Cancun, Mexico. The conference included a trade show as well as an educational component with both Mexican and foreign speakers. The theme was tourism and second home developments in the Yucatan and other regions of Mexico, and was well attended, with an attendance record of 700 set.
In her opening comments at the third annual edition of Mercado Inmobiliaro Turistica (The Tourism Real Estate Market, MINT) Tradex President Wendy Hesketh referred to a “Declaration” made by Mexican President Felipe Calderon, that said his government is committed to making the next six years, a period of serious tourism growth. Of which, Hesketh made the following comments:
What are the implications for the real estate market? Because we have also heard declarations about sustainability and respect of the environmental and zoning laws, it has been said that growth will be carefully planned and will guarantee long term investment, that new destinations will be developed with a focus on nature, culture, business and health. What do national and international investors and developers need to assure a good return on their capital? Who are the legal and fiscal advisors who can guide them and minimize the financial risks? MINT is the place where businesses, government and services meet to analyze, discuss and resolve the issues related to the innovations, policies and tendencies of the tourism/real estate development in Mexico. MINT is designed to bring together the different links of the productive chain of the real estate market: the developers, investors, the financial services, the builders, suppliers and realtors® The results will be good for Mexico as these projects reflect investments, jobs and long term economic and social growth for destinations with a vocation for tourism.
She concluded by welcoming the participation of the National Association of Realtors® for the first time in the three year history of MINT.
Highlights of MINT: About 75 Realtors® attended from the United States, with 26 taking the Transnational Referral Certification course, receiving accreditation that is recognized world-wide. The course “Doing Business in Mexico” was presented by two of its co-authors, Adrian Arriaga of AAA Real Estate and Investments in McAllen, Texas, who is the NAR Ambassador to AMPI, and Linda Neil, a member of AMPI’s National Advisory Council and founder of The Settlement Company in Baja California Sur, and 10 new instructors were trained for the course. An update of the Mar de Cortes Project Nautica (formerly known as the Escalera) was presented by Miguel Angel Gomez, Director General, FONATUR. At a Texas meet and greet hour a new project was presented by the government of Tamaulipas, Mexico. This will be a development less than 200 miles from the Texas, United States, border. It will be similar to Puerto Peñasco, (Rocky Point) in the State of Sonora and a massive residential tourism project. Peter Clark, Director of Sustainability at Loreto Bay in Baja California Sur, explained the systems and processes at his project aimed at preserving the environment The “MINT Beach Party,” attended by exhibitors, Realtors®, investors, and AMPI professionals, was an upscale party held on the beach in Cancun and allowed for networking and camaraderie. Overall MINT Cancun attracted over 700 attendees and generated lots of excitement about second homes, real estate, tourism and investments in the Yucatan region, where several new projects are being built, and across Mexico. For more information about MINT go to www.mintcancun.com
About the author: John Glaab has been a member of NAR’s International Section for over a decade. He has earned the Certified International Property Specialist designation and is a founding member of AMPI Los Cabos. He spends half the year in La Paz, Baja California Sur and the other half in Uruapan, Michoacan. For further information: John.glaab@settlement-co.com
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