Realtor.com/International offers tools to assist in global transactions

A surge of global interest in U.S. real estate and increased numbers of clients whose first language is not English have made Realtor.com/International increasingly popular with Realtors®.

“Realtor.com/International’s traffic statistics indicate there is a surge in global interest,” said Eleonore Rojas, project manager for Realtor.com International. “Realtor.com searches from other countries were up by more than 40 percent when comparing June 2011 to June 2012.”

Many Realtors® may not be aware of the international features to Realtor.com. The site offers translation capabilities in 11 languages including Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. “Using the translation capabilities from Realtor.com/International can help Realtors® with the language barrier,” Rojas explained.

While the most popular feature of Realtor.com/International is language translation, other site features include:

• Currency converters for more than 20 currencies as well as a dimension converter (square footage vs. square meters)
• Explanations for nuances that vary by country, for instance some countries include the total number of rooms on listings instead of bedrooms and bathrooms like the US. Realtor.com/International has a question mark symbol next to the “Rooms” tab on the homepage; users can hover over it for a full description.
• Country-specific property types such as castle or chalet
• Searches both in list form and overlaid on a map.

Helping international buyers purchase a home in the U.S. can be rewarding. Rojas said, “Realtors® need to understand visa and finance implications of the other country when working with an international buyer. It also helps to understand the buyer’s culture and speak their language, if not, find a translator who can help with the process.”