In response to a growing Brazilian community in the town of Barnstable, the Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors has created a program designed to aid Brazilian homebuyers and tap into that burgeoning market by attracting to the profession new real estate brokers who speak Portuguese and understand Brazilian culture.

“One of the principles of the association is to uphold diversity. We want to recognize [Brazilians in the area and] not only encourage them to enjoy the benefits of homeownership, but invite them to become real estate professionals,” said Henry DiGiacomo, chief executive officer of the Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors.

The association’s budget for fiscal year 2006 has allocated funds for 12 full scholarships for prelicensing classes, which usually cost $250 and are a prerequisite to obtaining a real estate sales license from the state. Current Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors President Jim Crocker conceived the initiative with the local Brazilian population in mind. An active member of the Barnstable community, Crocker said he created the program to offer representation to a group that has a great deal of presence in Barnstable, particularly in the village of Hyannis, but may not yet have a great deal of influence.

“I’m involved in the town of Barnstable as a town councilor among other things and the stats there are showing a true growth in the Brazilian population. Right now we’re estimating that Brazilians constitute about 12 percent of the town’s approximately 60,000 residents,” said Crocker. The 12 percent estimate is a conservative one, he said, and the actual number of Brazilian immigrants and others of Brazilian heritage may be higher.

“It’s a group we’d like to see have homeownership [opportunities], so we thought we’d put something together to attract them to our trade and continue their investment in the Cape,” said Crocker.

The ever-evolving ethnic makeup of the area has left the real estate community striving to play catch-up in terms of representation.

“The idea of the prelicensing scholarships would be to give aspiring real estate professionals the opportunity at no cost to get the required training. To give them a free education so they can sit for their licensing exam, become licensed practitioners and basically have our own membership reflect the demographics of our community,” said DiGiacomo.

The selection of the 12 potential real estate professionals ultimately will be up to the association. In order to attract as many candidates as possible, advertisements have been placed everywhere from Portuguese-language media outlets to restaurants, where a great deal of Brazilian immigrants work on Cape Cod. Once individuals have expressed interest, a scholarship committee appointed by Crocker will choose the most promising candidates.

‘Rewarding’ Work

But the planned program is designed to be helpful to more than simply those who win a scholarship. The benefits may extend even further to aid Portuguese-speaking residents seeking to purchase homes. As more of elements of the international community become a part of local society, the thousands of residents who have their original roots in Brazil and are looking to branch out may struggle with certain obstacles when looking to buy a home in the area. Issues such as the language barrier and cultural differences that may arise between a person indigenous to the United States and a native of Brazil could potentially hinder the homebuying process. The association hopes that the scholarship will offer a solution to that problem by attracting to the Realtor ranks more Portuguese- and English-speaking Brazilians who can communicate effectively with homebuyers.

While Brazilian real estate professionals certainly do currently exist on the Cape, the association hopes that the scholarship and outreach program will help to foster and increase commerce.

“We have Brazilians very active in all aspects of the real estate industry along the Cape. Buyers, sellers, Realtors and finance communities as well,” said Crocker, who notes that the scholarship program will act to increase the already-established industry presence. “I think it should be a reinforcement to the Brazilian community. We look at them as a very viable group of potential homebuyers who are trying to Â… attain everyone’s dream of homeownership. And any time we can offer scholarships to try to attain the level of professionalism we aspire to as an association is a positive thing, both for our membership and the community at large.”

In an attempt to offer both comprehensive services as well as capitalize on the full possibilities of the market, some real estate companies are actively seeking out Brazilians to become members of their team.

“The number of transactions involving the Brazilian community is increasing all the time. It’s now probably 10 percent of our business,” said Dick Martin, owner and principal of ERA Martin Surette Realty, which serves all of Cape Cod including Barnstable and Hyannis. “Our company has been actively trying to recruit Brazilian agents because they’ve become a large factor in our marketplace. An awful lot of members of the Brazilian community come to the Cape and a lot enter the workforce in all aspects of the market, and because of that they’re doing a lot of buying and selling. We’d love to capture more of that market, which you can only really do if you have someone who speaks their language and knows their culture. Because of that I think [scholarships for prelicensing classes] is a great idea. The more different language and ethnic groups we can get involved in this profession, the better, as far as I’m concerned,”

The notion of having Brazilians represent other Brazilians in a real estate transaction is the exact impetus behind the establishment of Hyannis-based Brazil Real Estate, founded by a Brazilian immigrant. The company, a member of the Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors, has been representing predominantly Brazilian clientele since its inception a few years ago simply because it perceived a market need.

“I think Brazilian agents are necessary because there is some tricky terminology in real estate and sometimes people don’t understand certain terms and some words are very difficult for someone who is not working in the industry every day,” said Viviane Dasilva, an agent with Brazil Real Estate. “Even something like if I’m at a home inspection, some people may not know the word ‘termites.’ It’s a plus to have Brazilian agents because some people living here understand English but don’t understand completely and can easily get confused. If someone speaks their native language that just won’t happen,” said Dasilva.

Although Dasilva is already a part of the Cape Cod real estate community, she does see the potential for further exposure within the Brazilian community to her chosen profession, both for those looking to join it and those looking to purchase a home.

“I think [the prelicensing class scholarships are] a very important thing to do. The Brazilian community needs that and sometimes they don’t even know there’s an association or that they offer such programs,” said Dasilva, who also offered some suggestions to those looking to get into the business by way of the association’s opportunities. “Real estate is not only about the money Â… I think you work more [with Brazilian homebuyers] because of the language barrier, but it’s more rewarding because you help people who couldn’t understand without you. It’s not only about your commission. It’s about helping people, getting out the information and letting people know their options.”

To further increase the options available to members, the association is contemplating offering or enrolling members in outside Certified International Property Specialist classes, which in essence provide sensitivity training for those real estate agents who encounter clients and customers from other cultures.

“This is just one step for us. We want to find out more about Brazil Â… to reach out to all ethnic groups and provide education to our members to sensitize them to working with people from different cultures and backgrounds,” said DiGiacomo, who has himself attained a CIPS designation.

It seems that learning is not just for association students. National Association of Realtors President Al Mansel recently extended an invitation to Crocker in recognition for his Brazilian outreach efforts and perhaps in the hopes of continuing his education.

“The NAR president takes a trip every year and has asked me to go to Sao Paolo, Brazil, with him this time around. It will give us a great insight into how business is handled in the Brazilian community,” said Crocker.

Having a grasp on how business is handled in Brazil may be increasingly important in future years, as the influence of international immigrants on the real estate market is predicted to rise dramatically.