Local realtors breaking the language barrier

By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

For many Americans, buying a home is the most important decision that they will ever make. Tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars are riding on where you decide that you and your family will make your home for the next several years.

Now imagine having to make that determination while being unable to speak the native language of the country you are living in. Every real estate agent, broker, lender and attorney you deal with speaks only English, and you do not.

That's the situation for the ever-growing number of Hispanic and other persons of different nationalities who are moving to the south side of the metro Atlanta area every week. As these folks look to buy a home, most of them for the first time, they are searching for someone who can easily communicate with them and make them feel at ease while guiding them through the often-complicated homebuying process.

A number of real estate professionals in Fayette and surrounding counties who have multiple language skills have recognized that they can meet a growing need in a unique way, and they are strengthening their own businesses while lending a helping hand to what has become an important part of the local economy.

“Even people that speak Spanish and a little English need some help,” said Teresita Gavora of The Home Source Realtors in Peachtree City. “Every first-time homebuyer needs someone to hold his or her hand.”

Gavora has found that the Hispanic community can be a challenging avenue to work in, but with its own special compensation.

“I enjoy working with them,” she said. “They're very motivated. Most Spanish-speaking homebuyers are first-timers, hard workers, ready to buy, but need their hand held. It's very rewarding.”

That feeling is shared by Emy Quinones, who joined ERA Preferred Realty in Peachtree City earlier this year for the express purpose of opening a Spanish division. She estimates that about 80 percent of her clients are Hispanic.

A lot of Spanish-speaking people are moving to this side of Atlanta because they are family-oriented, Quinones said, and quality of life is very important to them.

“Most Americans buy a house and then move in 3-5 years,” she said. “Hispanics buy a home to live there much longer than that. And they like some land. It's their American dream.”

When those kinds of customers enter Quinones' office, from the moment they see the sign over the front door they know that they will have no problem with the language barrier. Of course, they only have to call her voice mail to hear a friendly voice in their native tongue.

Inside her office is a wealth of helpful written materials printed specifically to help these special clients, such as a Hispanic Yellow Pages and brochures from companies like State Farm and Allstate.

Quinones also credits Lisa King at Chase Manhattan Mortgage in Peachtree City for her help since the Spanish division has been open. Although she does not speak the language, “she's learned to put her pulse on the Hispanic community,” according to Quinones.

That means a few surprises from time to time, like when a Hispanic buyer came to King's office ready to complete his transaction but produced a pile of cash instead of the standard cashier's check. “She was taken aback,” Quinones said with a chuckle.

A native of Puerto Rico, Quinones grew up all over the world as a U.S. Army brat. Now married to a former U.S. Navy officer also from Puerto Rico, she has lived in Peachtree City for the past ten years.

Most of her clientele has reached her through word of mouth, as her language skills have become more of an asset in her work. She has even reached out to the business community in Peachtree City, as one large company has recruited her to help bring more Hispanic workers to the area.

“They [Hispanics] are good workers. They are dependable,” she said. “Companies like that.”

This particular company sent Quinones to New York to conduct a first-time homebuyer seminar. By reaching out to Spanish-speaking employees of the company in the northeast, she was able to help many of them decide to relocate to this area, which meant good news for the company as well as more clients for her.

Gavora is also finding more Spanish-speaking clients through word of mouth. She is the only bilingual realtor at The Home Source. She has used lenders from across the metro Atlanta area while dealing with the language barrier at various times.

“There is a need for bilingual agents,” she said, “especially for bilingual lenders.”

She came to the United States from Cuba with her parents at about 18 months of age as one of the last families allowed to leave peaceably before Castro came to power. She then grew up in a home where both languages were spoken equally.

Her first experience speaking Spanish in the real estate field was translating the seller's disclosure, which was only written in English, to a client.

At home, Gavora sticks to English with her husband and two sons. Her husband knows “maybe a couple of words” in Spanish, she said, although her sons understand a bit more than that.

Fortunately, a number of homeowners in the area understand her just fine, as they do Quinones and the handful of other real estate professionals in Fayette County who are meeting this unique need.