My experience in Seoul, South Korea has been amazing thus far, and continues to get better and better every day. I am grateful for the opportunity to share and learn alongside so many inspiring people in the real estate industry from around the world.
We had a wonderful third day of the AREAA Korean Trade Mission, which included a follow-up meeting with Harry Shin, Regional Owner of RE/MAX Korea, and his partner, Yunseok Choi, CEO of RE/MAX Widepartners who is also in charge of running their commercial division. It’s hard to believe that this all began in Las Vegas in March and has come so far so fast. LeAnn Yang, International Business Coordinator for RE/MAX Korea, actually did the translation for my Korean business cards, which I continue to receive compliments on daily.
It’s been an exciting experience working together to bond the Asia-Pacific Region and having the opportunity to bring RE/MAX Singapore, RE/MAX China, RE/MAX Thailand and RE/MAX Japan offices together. It just goes to show that when you set your mind to doing something, you really can create your own destiny, which is what we’re doing in Korea through all the relationships we’re building and by adding value to other organizations. In fact, we’re thinking of coming back and doing training for some of the agents as they grow their company! With my 30 years of experience in the business, I’ve been able to share some of my most successful marketing tactics and materials, including listing presentations and the blog you’re currently reading. It would be great to start a school to help new agents come into the business with an edge by teaching them correct tactics from the start.
The food has been absolutely exceptional so far, including the local Korean BBQ, the new craze of coffee shops and a dish that’s similar to shave ice with ice cream at the bottom and a variety of fruit topping choices. Dinner was held at a traditional Korean BBQ restaurant, where service was impeccable and meat and vegetables were cut with scissors, which I had never seen done with so much precision before. The marbled beef cooked on ember pine coals was delicious!
I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Marlin, President of Lennar International, who is currently in the process of building a 770 acre piece of land called Hunter’s Point in San Francisco, which includes over 12,000 homes and is an EB-5 area, meaning foreign investors can come in and invest to help fund the project. I was able to share the news of the new Hokulani Golf Villas area on Maui, which he gave me some great ideas about.
I was also able to speak with Ryan Lee, a major player in the real estate market in Seoul, who is a wealth of knowledge and helped expand my mind about things I can do to make my business even more successful, including commercial real estate on Maui, which I look forward to learning more about when I return home. It is truly incredible to see everyone’s willingness to help each other be as successful as possible.
Everyone has joined together in a common interest in doing business between two great countries, and it has been very moving to see the spirit of cooperation amongst the nations. We continue to reach new heights every day, and I look forward to what will be an even better day tomorrow, I’m sure.
Mahalo for reading, and stay tuned for more from the AREAA Korean Trade Mission!