Chicago's Dream Town Realty was part of a gathering of more than 200 LGBT and gay-friendly real estate sales professionals from across the United States and Canada which met in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in mid-October. The forum focused on meeting the needs of the LGBT real estate market, and others issues that impact home sale services to these buyers and sellers.
One of the highlights of the conference was the opening keynote address, which showcased the pioneering work done by Chicago's Dream Town Realty in creating a formal LGBT Client Services Division. Todd Szwajkowski, President of Dream Town's LGBT Client Services Division, also presented the results of their first-of-its-kind formal study of the LGBT real estate market to the crowd.
"The LGBT community has come a long way in an incredibly short span of time, especially with all the recent advances in marriage equality" said Szwajkowski. "These advances will continue to drive the housing market, as more LGBT couples form families and move from renting to buying homes together. That's where firm's like Dream Town can be a tremendous resource in their local communities."
The inaugural symposium was hosted by the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals ( NAGLREP ) and featured a broad spectrum of subject-matter experts, top speakers and industry leaders — including perspectives on home finance issues from Freddie Mac Deputy Chief Economist, Leonard Keifer, and a special videotaped address by HUD Secretary, Julian Castro.
"We were incredibly thrilled with the enthusiastic and heart-felt response that we received to the conference from all of our attendees, speakers and Founding Partner sponsors. Everyone gave so generously of their time and in their sharing of knowledge and years of expertise," said Jeff Berger, NAGLREP Founder. "NAGLREP has been a leading advocate and voice for the LGBT real estate market and real estate sales practitioners since it's founding in 2007, and the idea for having a conference seemed like the prefect extension of our work."
Among the other major developments of the conference was the substantial financial and marketing support that the gathering received from a broad-base of Fortune 500 and mainstream companies who were looking to broaden their appeal to the LGBT client base. Major sponsors of the event have been titled the Founding Partners of the conference and include Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Bank of America, Union Bank, Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Century 21 Real Estate, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate, PrimeLending, McCalla Raymer, LLC, and Emerald Title Group. And Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is already committed as a 2015 Partner.
For more information on the agenda and a complete list of speakers and sponors:
naglrep.com/conference2014/ .
Results of Dream Town's LGBT Market Study at the link: Article Link Here .
About NAGLREP:
NAGLREP is a mission-driven trade association that combines business and advocacy for equality to advance sustainable homeownership and wealth creation in the LGBT community. With members in nearly every state and more than 35 local chapters nationwide, NAGLREP is the voice of the LGBT real estate market. Article Link Here .
About Dream Town Realty:
Recognized as an innovative leader on the Chicago real estate scene — Dream Town Realty's culture is anchored in integrity, professionalism, personal growth, learning and community service. A recognized pioneer in the interactive real estate marketing space, Dream Town offers proprietary technologies and expansive online capabilities that enable buyers with the most advanced Internet home search in Chicagoland. The vision of a forward-thinking entrepreneur with a passion for all things real estate, family and community — today Dream Town is the go-to source for those in the market for residential or commercial real estate. Yuval Degani leads the company's strategy and business with an eye toward technology, diversity, and exceptional customer service. Article Link Here .
