This post was inspired by a post of Maureen Staccato's.
No, I am not being facetious. I really want to know.
Why am I asking something that may seem obvious to most? Well, here in Florida you don't need to speak English to get your real estate license. You can take the class in Spanish. You can take the test in Spanish. You can speak Spanish to your customers. You can use a Spanish sale and purchase contract. But is this beneficial to the consumer?
Before I get someone thinking that I am bashing Spanish, let me spell it out clearly: I am not. I am Latina, born in Cuba. I speak Spanish fluently. Hablo Español perfectamente bien. I have customers who prefer to speak Spanish and we do. But I use the English documents since not everyone involved in the transaction may understand them in Spanish.
Can someone who speaks no English represent the best interest of their customers? I am not doubting that the job can get done. Yes, real estate is local. But it is also a profession fraught with laws that change and the networking is limited if you don't speak the local language. Even calling another agent to set up a showing appointment can pose a problem if they can't understand you. Appraisals and Inspections are reported in English as well. How to read them and best present them to your customer if you don't understand them?
I guess I'm thinking that if I went to another country and wanted to buy real estate I would feel much better knowing that the person helping me spoke not only English, but the local language as well. Oh, but this is Miami. Maybe the local language is Spanish after all?
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