Realtors See Strong International Activity, Organize Global Real Estate Conference

Realtors, members of the National Association of Realtors®, will travel to Hanoi, Vietnam to join experts in the real estate industry from all over the world to learn, share, connect and transact during the 2018 International Real Estate Conference. Now in its fourth year, IREC will take place at the National Convention Center in Hanoi from September 6-7, with an expo extending from September 8-10. The annual real estate conference brings together top experts to discuss the industry's most pressing trends and is an opportunity for international attendees to make connections with real estate professionals in one of the world's most dynamic regions. "Nearly a quarter of Realtors® reported that they worked with an international client in the last year, even as low inventory and higher home prices continue to affect the U.S. market. Demand from overseas remains strong; foreign buyers purchased a total of $121.0 billion of residential property last year and at a more expensive price than domestic buyers did, a comparison of $292,200 for a foreign median home price and $249,300 for domestic," said NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall, a sixth-generation Realtor® from Columbia, Missouri and CEO of RE/MAX Boone Realty. This year's event draws upon the success of past events in the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand and includes high-level speakers such as the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam and a representative from the Vietnamese Prime Minister's office. "Realtors understand better than anyone that the U.S. real estate market continues to be seen as a safe, secure and profitable place to invest in property. IREC brings together NAR partner associations from all over the world to discuss cross-border opportunities and the many benefits of investing in the U.S. real estate market," Mendenhall said. The conference kicks off with the NAR Global Leadership Summit, an invitation-only meeting where leaders from NAR's bilateral partners will convene to discuss hot topics and trends influencing the industry worldwide. Conference sessions, which are open to all registered attendees, will cover current industry topics such as artificial intelligence; big data, and data analytics; block chain; building construction and design trends; smart cities; global real estate market trends from each region; and more. Over 1,000 conference attendees are expected, and 60,000 are expected to visit the conference exhibit hall. The host for IREC 2018 is the Vietnam National Real Estate Association; NAR is supporting the conference as a strategic partner. The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.