Bill was invited to speak on the impact of foreign buyers on real estate in the Sarasota and Florida areas. In addition to attending the Real Estate Congress, Bill met with real estate professionals in Berlin and Amsterdam, Netherlands in order to establish strategic partnerships with companies that will handle all phases of home purchase and property management services. “A foreign national, interested in buying a home in Florida, will be able to initially meet with a real estate professional in Berlin or Amsterdam who will be able provide the necessary resources for all aspects of a transaction, before they even visit Florida”, Bill explained. “When a foreign national first visits Florida, they will be comfortable with all aspects of their purchase and will be able make informed decisions”, he added. “It is also important that the real estate professionals involved have protected referral arrangements already established”.

He emphasized that foreign real estate buyers have become a key source of demand for an industry eager for buyers. This is particularly true for condominiums in the Sarasota area.

According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune’s analysis of property records, foreign ownership in the Sarasota has jumped 10 percent last year and is up more than one third since 2007. Property owners listing foreign addresses bought more than 1,000 parcels in the Sarasota area last year totaling $100 million in value.

In all, foreign nationals, mainly Canadians and Europeans own more than 11,000 parcels with values totaling $1.7 billion in the Sarasota area. The National Association of Realtors pegged the foreign buyer market at $82 billion per year with Florida’s share skyrocketing from 9 percent, three years ago to 31 percent in 2011.