Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® Earns Third NAR Platinum Award for Global Achievement

Cupertino, CA – November 27, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — For the third year in a row, the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) has earned the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Platinum Award for Global Achievement. The platinum award is the highest distinction presented by NAR to an association for having demonstrated through its global business council exceptional commitment to building members’ awareness of the global and multicultural business opportunities in their local markets.

SILVAR, a professional trade organization representing over 4,500 REALTORS® and affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, is the only association in Northern California to achieve platinum council status since the program’s inception in 2011. NAR stated SILVAR’s global council “demonstrated the utmost commitment to helping members capture their share of the global real estate market in the United States.” SILVAR leadership received the prestigious award at a special international dinner during the Nov. 13-16 NAR REALTORS® Conference and Expo in San Diego.

“We are honored to receive the National Association of REALTORS® prestigious platinum award for three years in a row. SILVAR is committed to continuing to provide our members with the proper tools that will help them expand and excel in their business here and abroad,” said SILVAR Executive Officer Paul Cardus.

Under the leadership of 2015 Global Business Council chair Mark Wong, a REALTOR® with Alain Pinel REALTORS® Saratoga, SILVAR’s global business council conducted a number of activities and education programs to raise members’ awareness of global business in their local market, including programs on China, Mexico, India and the Philippines, as part of its “Doing Business With” quarterly series. Also this year, SILVAR conducted its fourth Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) Institute, attended by 31 REALTORS® from around the Bay Area, Southern California and Arizona. The CIPS Institute is a full-week program that includes courses analyzing the international business climate, including capital flow, currencies, government regulations and cultures and conducting real estate transactions with clients from Europe, Asia and the Americas.

SILVAR partners with other real estate associations throughout the year to promote awareness and education in global real estate, and continues its role as NAR Ambassador Association to the Philippines. The Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations Inc. (CREBA), SILVAR’s cooperating real estate association in the Philippines and the largest real estate umbrella organization that country, also was honored at the event. SILVAR member Jennifer Tasto is the NAR President’s Liaison to the Philippines.

SILVAR’s commitment to international real estate goes beyond members assisting foreign nationals buying property in Silicon Valley. As a membership benefit, SILVAR REALTOR® members have free access to Proxio, the global networking platform that connects them with real estate agents domestically and abroad and enables them to share their listings, including property developments here and abroad.

Among the 110 REALTOR® global councils operating nationwide, only 17 were named platinum councils. SILVAR is one of three REALTOR® associations that has been awarded the top award for three consecutive years.