Victor Montalvo Bilingual Realtor Sí, hablo español

Hispanics comprise half of the foreign-born population and are expected to drive housing trends over the next eight to 10 years.

Hispanics will be a driving force in the starter home and move-up purchase market over the next decade. This will be a steady stream of new business for agents that know how to work effectively with the cultural distinctions of these buyers. Learn new tools about how to work more effectively with these buyers

No Other Industry Forum Addresses Your Business Like NAHREP

If you specialize in the Hispanic market, this is THE industry event for you.

Network With Other Industry Professionals Just Like You:

Working with the Hispanic homebuyer segment is a passion for most of our members and nowhere is this more reflected than at NAHREP events. We guarantee this will be the best venue for connecting with like-minded people just like you.

Get Tips That Will Help You Generate Business In the Current Market

This year's program covers all the topics you need to know about to thrive in this market. From FHA, Short Sales and REOs to Blogging for the Hispanic Market - guaranteed you'll take home plenty of tips you can use in your business.

More Business Deals Are Made Every Year at This Convention

Every year we hear from our members how this single event connected them with the right people that led to new business pursuits.

Learn About How the New Housing Bill Will Impact Your Business

The industry's most influential business leaders and appointed officials will share their perspective about how the recent housing bill will work in your local market. We'll help you get past the rhetoric so you can take home the real story to your Latino clients.

• What Every Residential Agent Needs to Know About Commercial Real Estate
• Prevention Strategies: How to Leverage the Foreclosure Market
• FHA Reform & How It Will Increase Your Business
• Obtaining Financing For Your Clients In a Challenging Market
• $800 Million in Deals Closed: The "Secret" to Conquering any Real Estate Market
• Open Doors By Going Green
• Learn How To Do More Business With REOs at the
• Are you prepared to accept these leads?
• Have you received your En Confianza Certification?
• Do you meet the requirements to start receiving REO leads?
• Connect with other practitioners just like yourself that deliver service to the Hispanic community
• Get updates on new legislation and how it will affect Latino buyers
• Learn new tools that will help you use new ways to reach interested Spanish-speaking clients
• Most of all - get a shot in the arm from the buzz of passion that characterizes this event.
• Level one counseling
• Community outreach and education
• First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credits
• The Pilot Underwriting Program for People with Non-Traditional Credit
• This is your last chance to catch the ONLY INDUSTRY EVENT
• That speaks to your business niche.
• Don't Wait That Long to Get Updates & Make Connections
• That May Be Vital to Your Business
• Look at This Line Up of Guest Speakers and Workshops
• This Is Not Your Father's FHA!
• Get Your Listings Priced Right!
• Obtaining Financing in Challenging Markets
• Short Sales: The Long and Short of It!
• • Short Sales and REO Disposition Opportunities to Build Your Business with Key Partners
  • Declining Markets and Sales Concessions
  • Working with Housing & Finance Authorities MORE Opportunities to Boost YOUR Business
  • Get Your Listings...Priced Right
  • Management: Keeping Your Doors Open
  • Featured Speakers:
  • Brian Montgomery, FHA Commissioner
  • Joe Williams, CEO, Keller Williams
  • Cara Heiden, President/Wells Fargo Mortgage
  • Alex Perreillo, CEO, REalogy
  • Barrett Burns, CEO, VantageScore
  • Matthew Ferrara
  • David Knox
  • Hon. Brian D Montgomery: FHA Commissioner & Assistant Secretary, HUD

NAHREP 2008 Hispanic Marketing Convention & Expo

Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa Phoenix, Arizona

Sept. 27 - Oct. 1, 1008

Register Now at
http://www.2008hispanicmarketingconvention.com/register.asp

Meet Some of the Most Successful Practitioners in Today's Hispanic Market and

Learn Their Secrets for Success!

Plus Special Guests: ABC Hit Series Ugly Betty TV Star Tony Plana & Boxer Oscar De La Hoya

Have a Last Minute Change of Heart? Walk, Caravan, Fly or Drive! Do Anything To Get There!

Low Cost Airfares Are Still Available:

From Los Angeles -- $138

From San Francisco -- $198

From Las Vegas -- $126

From Chicago $236

From Dallas -- $273

From NYC -- $299

The Hispanic Homebuyer Market is Still Hot!

Find out everything you need to know to do business with them at the 2008 NAHREP Marketing & Convention Expo

Register Today

Hosted By
The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals

2008 Hispanic Marketing Convention & Expo
Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa
Phoenix, Arizona
Sept. 27 - Oct. 1, 2008

Take a Look at The Amazing Line Up of Workshops

If you do business with Hispanic homebuyers,
this is THE MUST ATTEND Industry Event of the Year!

Register Now at
http://www.2008hispanicmarketingconvention.com/register.asp

Nominee's Stance On Immigration Has Become More Elusive, Hispanic Broadcasters Say

Far from simply translating the Republican National Convention's proceedings for their audiences, members of the Spanish-language media are focusing on the issues of greatest importance to Hispanic voters. But that's no easy task when their viewers' and listeners' top concern, immigration reform, is the one issue that presumptive GOP candidate John McCain wants most to avoid.

Although the economy and the war in Iraq are also high priorities for Hispanics, at the top of their agenda is immigration and the Bush administration's huge increase in immigration raids, which often divide families that have some members who are in the country legally and others who are not, said Samuel Orozco, news and information director for the national Latino public radio network Radio Bilingue. "Those phone calls [from listeners about immigration] are the most dramatic. It's a humanitarian crisis," said Orozco, whose radio network broadcasts on six stations in central California and has affiliates in 55 markets nationwide.

"But McCain doesn't want to talk about it," a frustrated Orozco said, adding that the Hispanic community has a real sense of urgency about the issue that the McCain campaign does not appear to share. Latinos are particularly troubled by "the atmosphere that has surrounded the debate," Orozco said. "They see it as an attack on them."

Pedro Sevcec, anchor of Noticiero Telemundo, the news program that the Spanish-language TV network broadcasts every weekday night, said, "There's a lot of erosion" in McCain's support from the Latino community because of the tougher line he has taken on immigration since the primaries. Instead of backing a comprehensive reform package, McCain has adopted party conservatives' enforcement-first position that no other immigration reforms can be pursued until the borders are secured and the government cracks down on illegal immigrants already in the country.

Little wonder that McCain is doing so poorly with a slice of the electorate that once embraced him for taking the political risk to join with Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts to champion a proposal that included a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. "That gained McCain a great deal of goodwill" with Hispanics, Orozco said. "They saw him as a good friend."

He added, "What I hear now [from listeners] is questions about his current position. Many people see it as a betrayal, and many question his motives for this change of heart." According to a national survey of registered Hispanic voters earlier this summer by the Pew Hispanic Center, 66 percent of respondents supported Democratic candidate Barack Obama for president compared with 23 percent who favored McCain.

McCain's campaign is not doing enough on the local level to connect with Hispanics in their language and on their terms, Orozco said. "If they want to be successful in communicating their message to Latino voters, they need to make a significant effort, an additional effort, to reach out to these voters in a culturally competent way."

Sevcec, whose program reaches half a million viewers in the United States, was more pessimistic. Asked whether the Republican standard-bearer can do anything to win back Latino voters' allegiance, Sevcec responded, "No."

Source: Nationaljournal.com by Lisa Caruso

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic purchasing power in the U.S. is expected to reach more than $1 trillion by 2011 - more than six times as much as it was in 1990 - making the Hispanic consumer market as big or bigger than the gross domestic product of Mexico or Canada. Brands are taking notice; emarketer.com recently reported that advertisers spent more than $4 billion in the U.S. to market products to Hispanics in 2007.

The power of the audience is undeniable, yet marketers often do not have a proper grasp on the tendencies of this market and the impact they should have on strategy. Just as campaigns must be tailored much differently to reach the 18-to 34-year-old segment of the total U.S. population as opposed to the 35-to 49-year-old group, marketers must similarly customize their efforts to reach the unique segments that lie within the Hispanic market.

One of the most important things to consider when marketing to Hispanics is the wide variety of lifestyle preferences and cultural differences that exist within the demographic. Let's take a very high-level look at the different age groups within the Hispanic market and some of their characteristics as compared to the same age groups across the U.S. According to a recent 2008 Vertis Customer Focus: Opiniones study:

• In general, younger Hispanics (age 18-34) are a more relaxed group, travel frequently, are generally single or living with a significant other, are part of a family with three or fewer generations in the U.S., usually rent a home or apartment, and mainly come from Mexico

• The middle-aged group (35-49) is more interested in family activities, conducts more frequent shopping trips, is typically married, owns a home, belongs to a family with more than three generations in the U.S, and hails primarily from Puerto Rico or Spain

• Older Hispanics (age 50 and over) are most likely to watch TV and rent movies, participate in exercise and sports activities more often than their non-Hispanic counterparts, are parts of families with more than four generations in the U.S., and name Spain, Cuba and/or El Salvador as their primary country of origin

As you can see, the differences that present themselves due only to age present numerous opportunities (and challenges) for marketers attempting to "reach the Hispanic audience." Now let's take a deeper dive into some other characteristics of the group; according to the Opiniones study:

• Hispanics rent home entertainment and participate in family activities more often than non-Hispanics. 41% responded they frequently rent movies or music compared to 33% of non-Hispanics; 32% said they enjoy family or social activities commonly, compared with only 24% of the U.S. population

• The Hispanic audience is much more likely to be building a family. Twenty-seven percent indicated they are (or will soon be) having children, compared with 18% of non-Hispanics; this surge is most evident in the 35-49 age group, where the gap extends to 46% and 29%, respectively

• Only 61% of total Hispanics claim Mexico as their country of origin; of the remaining 39% of respondents, the countries most cited were Puerto Rico (11%), Spain (10%) and Cuba (4%)

• Also, 60% of total Hispanics speak Spanish as their primary language; 36% speak English as their first language and 4% speak English and Spanish equally; the younger Hispanic generation is more likely to speak English, with 46% selecting it as their first language

In examining this data, it is clear the unique categories of the Hispanic audience value different things, enjoy specific activities, and offer brands unique opportunities. One of the biggest mistakes marketers make when planning and implementing campaigns is NOT understanding these differences, and approaching Hispanic marketing with a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Some simple rules when tailoring efforts to reach the many strata of this audience include:

Reaching Young Hispanics
Make a connection - As with the majority of people this age, social connections are important to young Hispanics. Media usage statistics indicate this group always stays "connected," which means that marketers should leverage the Internet and email in campaigns.

Reaching Middle-Aged Hispanics
Here, marketers should "put it in writing." Hispanics age 35-49 are strong readers of advertising, including billboards, direct mail, ROP, catalogs and inserts. Further, considering this group's high rate of homeownership, large family size and proclivity towards the English language, home-delivered advertising is sure to generate attention.

Reaching Older Hispanics
Energize and entertain - with active minds and bodies, this is not your average 50-and-over target. Demographically, this audience is made up of many adults in their 50s and fewer people age 60 and over; therefore, marketers would be wise to appeal to the vitality of this group when developing campaigns. The media that best captures this group's attention includes TV, advertising inserts, magazines and ROP.

Marketers are increasingly faced with a diverse demographic landscape, yet few understand the power of the Hispanic market and the differences that exist within each segment of the group. Developing a deeper understanding of how each subset of this audience is unique and leveraging specific techniques to reach them will give marketers a better chance at success when targeting these consumers.

Source: Media Post: By Scott Marden

The tables are gone. The lights are off. And no one can seem to find the Perez sisters.

Las Manitas Avenue Cafe, the much-loved Congress Avenue taqueria, was shuttered on Wednesday with just a "closed" sign in the front window leaving would-be patrons wondering.

There had been no announcement of an imminent closure, and on Wednesday Lidia and Cynthia Perez, the sisters who own the 25-year-old restaurant, could not be reached for comment.

The restaurant was slated to move down the block this year to the space at 227 Congress inhabited by La Pena. The move was necessary to make room for a 1,000-room Marriott hotel that should begin construction next year.

The small restaurant has made headlines over the last two years due to a battle pitting the Perez sisters against White Lodging Services Corp., the group building the hotel, and Marriott itself escalated into a David and Goliath drama.

When it became clear that the site's owner, Tim Finley, would indeed sell the property to the hotel developer, the city stepped in to offer Las Manitas a loan to relocate down the street to another building the sisters own. The Perez's eventually rejected that offer but later accepted another one from Finley for a low-interest loan.

Though it's unknown if Las Manitas will reopen at another location, it seems certain that the restaurant's life at 211 Congress is over. In the window Wednesday afternoon hung a sign that read: "Here was fought the battle for Austin's soul. Austin lost."

Source: Austin Business Journal