In early November, I once again attended the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) annual Conference and EXPO held this year in New Orleans, Louisiana.  I have attended the past four years representing REALTORS from Mexico, and this year I was an invited speaker, and the moderator of a high powered international panel entitled Innovative Marketing Strategies from Around the World.  As always, I learned a lot.

Lesson One:  Some things are worth working for. 

This year has been an historic one for our Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI) with the double ceremonies signing a Joint Venture agreement between the National Association of Realtors and AMPI, first in Mexico City at the 50th Anniversary Congreso of AMPI in October, and again at the NAR in New Orleans.  Mexican President Vicente Fox was the keynote speaker in Mexico City.
 

This Joint Venture will ensure safer and simpler transactions and more professional real estate standards for international real estate customers when working with REALTOR professionals in both countries.  In Mexico, a REALTOR is a member of AMPI and NAR.  Be safe and request credentials!

Lesson Two:  There are reasons for optimism despite indications to the contrary.
 
The NAR Annual Conference featured a combined keynote address by former United States Presidents, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.  They spoke on Saturday, November 11th, only 4 days after the historic U.S. mid-term elections.

Since the founding of the Tsunami Fund following the 2005 disaster in the South Pacific, Presidents Clinton and Bush have been working together to help relieve the horrible suffering of people affected by such catastrophes, which now includes the Katrina Fund to assist the victims of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.  To date, the Katrina Fund has raised more than $120million dollars for the benefit of communities devastated by the hurricane.

Their combined message to more than 25,000 REALTORS gathered at the newly re-opened convention center, was one of hope, optimism, and reconciliation for a country and a world torn apart by partisanship, corruption, violent conflicts, and the need for leadership and accountability at the highest levels.  They spoke with humor, and they have obviously developed a genuine affection and deep respect for one another despite well known political differences.  Their example can serve as a model for those politicians who desire to elevate the citizens interests above their own.

One can also find inspiration in the fact that REALTOR volunteers in attendance at the Conference raised millions of dollars and spent thousands of hours in physical labor to help Habitat for Humanity build 54 new homes for families who had lost everything during Katrina.  I am very proud to be an International REALTOR professional.

Lesson Three:  The Globalization of world commerce continues.

As I have said a number of times during the past years that I have been writing this column, real estate is now global.

This was particularly apparent at NAR with the explosion of sponsorship in the International section of the NAR EXPO, emphasizing the tremendous interest in the Resort and Second-Home markets taking center stage in countries representing Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.  This growth of transnational cooperation and investment among international real estate professionals is nothing short of phenomenal! 

Los Cabos has been a star among REALTORS and world resort destinations, particularly since the first AMPI & NAR Resort Symposium held here, and hosted by Villa La Estancia, in February of 2004.  This Symposium helped to establish the NAR special training and international credential for Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist (RSPS) which has become the fastest growing market sector in real estate.
 

Lesson Four:  Have a Plan.  Make it a Good Plan.

It goes without saying that government has, in the past, been deficient in planning for large scale events.  A lesson learned from Hurricane Katrina, which also destroyed much of Cancun and the Yucatan, was demonstrated here in the Baja in the aftermath of Hurricane John in September. 

Here in Los Cabos, more than 500 emergency workers specializing in the restoration of essential services, including electricity, water and telephone communications were sent here to Los Cabos in time to establish a state of readiness.  And, in the East Cape where the destruction of infrastructure was most acute, these men and women had most services on-line within a matter of days.  Trucks, heavy equipment, power poles, and most important, highly trained personnel were sent here from the mainland states of Sonora, Sinaloa and Jalisco in anticipation of the disaster, and these skilled and committed workers were on the job within a few hours after the devastating hurricane.
 
After the NAR Conference, my friend and associate Charlie Hill and I drove through parts of the now famous St. Bernards Parrish and the Ninth Ward of New Orleans on our way towards his grandmothers house in Long Beach, Mississippi.  We viewed first hand the horrible neglect and human suffering that has occurred, and is evidence still of a lack of leadership and planning on all levels of government.  Large areas of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are still devastated from an almost total lack of intelligent planning and a callous attitude of finger pointing and zero accountability by those most responsible.
 
By contrast, the Mexican vacation destination of Cancun is back, and most of the resorts are operating at or near pre-Katrina levels, due in large part to people at all levels taking personal responsibility for doing their small part in the cleanup with support from government and the private sector. 

And closer to home, take a short drive up to Los Barriles/Buena Vista and see first-hand how the people at the Van Wormer Resorts like Palmas de Cortez & Villas de Cortez, as well as others like Rancho Buena Vista, have cleaned-up, and rebuilt, and are already offering their warm hospitality and unique vacation experience to guests from near and far only weeks after the disaster of Hurricane John.

I am so very proud to represent such people and to be a part of their commitment and can-do spirit.
 

Lesson Five:  We grow from our mistakes, AND our successes.

I am still working on this one.

Jay West is a Los Cabos Realtor and Co-owner/Broker of CaboRealty with his wife, Teena Jones.  He serves as the Regional Coordinator of Baja California Sur and Sonora for the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI) and is a member of the National Association of Realtors (USA) having earned the designations of Certified International Property Specialist and Resort and Second-home Property Specialist as well as the Transnational Referral Certification from the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations.  He is Past President of AMPI Los Cabos and past Chair of the Executive Committee of Los Cabos MLS.  Jay specializes in land acquisition and marketing services to developers and also serves as Director of Sales at Villas de Cortez (a Van Wormer Resort) in Los Barriles.  He welcomes your comments and can be reached at:  West@CaboRealty.com and www.TheEastCape.com