MIAMI Becomes First Realtor Association Awarded NAR Diamond Council Status

MIAMI – (RealEstateRama) — The MIAMI Association of REALTORS® (MIAMI) is the first and only association in America to be awarded the Diamond Global Business Council Award from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). The Diamond award is the highest level of achievement presented by NAR and was awarded to MIAMI on Nov. 5 in Orlando for its unprecedented commitment to excellence in global achievement on behalf of its nearly 45,000 members. MIAMI provides education and services to help its members connect and market their properties worldwide.

MIAMI, which has 160 international partners, is the only Diamond Council among the 115 global business councils nationwide. MIAMI had earned NAR’s Platinum Council award, which was previously the highest level attainable each of the past five years. MIAMI is innovative in helping its members become global led NAR to create the Diamond Global Business Council Award.

“I hope you are as proud of this achievement as we are of the hard work and dedication that your association has contributed to raising members’ awareness of global business in your local market,” said Janet Branton, the senior vice president of NAR’s Commercial and Global Services. “For the past six consecutive years, MIAMI has demonstrated the utmost commitment to helping members capture their share of the global real estate market in the United States.”

Diamond Global Council Awards will only be awarded to councils who qualify for the program after earning five consecutive years of Platinum Council status, NAR announced.

Councils are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by NAR and evaluated in five focus areas: Business Plan, Marketing & Communication, Events/Education, Outreach and Benchmarking. NAR awards status classifications based on their level of activity, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. More than 350,000 Realtors® are represented by global business councils across the country.

MIAMI’s commitment to international business began 20 years ago. MIAMI began signing global partnerships with Realtor associations in 1996. Today, MIAMI has 160 international partnerships. The partnerships help create greater exposure for the South Florida market, increase business opportunities and fuel a stronger local economy.

MIAMI’s extensive International Referral Network links MIAMI association members and their properties to more than 250,000 real estate professionals around the world. MIAMI’s International Referral Network provides MIAMI members with a competitive advantage, which benefits buyers, sellers and the communities they serve.

MIAMI is continually networking, growing and adding to these partnerships. This year, MIAMI has participated and/or exhibited at 14 major real estate conferences in France, Panama, Colombia, China, India, El Salvador, Spain and Dubai. MIAMI promotes Miami real estate at these conferences and provides brokers and Realtors reference materials with important South Florida market facts.

Last year, foreign real estate buyers in the South Florida real estate market accounted for 36 percent or $6.1 billion of total sales volume, according to the 2015 Profile of International Home Buyers in Miami Association of Realtors Business Areas, conducted by MIAMI and NAR. In Florida, Miami and Fort Lauderdale account for 50 percent of foreign sales, according to the 2015 Profile of International Home Buyers in Florida.

In addition to its 160 global partnerships, MIAMI hosts an award-winning annual International Real Estate Congress.

The 22nd annual International Real Estate Congress was held on Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. About 80 foreign delegates from 13 countries and Realtors from South Florida and throughout the United States networked, learned and collaborated.

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun headlined the 2016 MIAMI Congress keynote speakers. MIAMI CEO Teresa King Kinney revealed initial findings from the latest Miami Profile of International Buyers, a survey conducted for MIAMI by NAR. Coral Gables-based data security and privacy attorney Aldo Leiva spoke about Cuba. Other nationally-regarded speakers presented along with panels of top brokers and tech experts.

Foreign delegates from Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Dubai (UAE), El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy and Spain participated at the MIAMI Congress. For more information, visit MiamiCongress.com

NAR presented MIAMI with the Diamond Global Council award on Nov. 5 during the International Awards Ceremony at the NAR REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando.