 Laura Zapata, owner of Seaview Properties in Playa del Carmen, is staying ahead in the local real estate market. Laura Zapata, originally from South Texas, moved here 11 years ago from the Dallas area. While owning a real estate business was not her reason for moving to Playa del Carmen, it was something she kept in the back of her mind. With a background in marketing and accounting in the United States she decided to move to the then relatively unknown and undiscovered Rivera Maya. She was hired by a local real estate office and spent the next 3 years in real estate sales and management. During this time she learned the language and embraced the steep learning curve of doing business in a foreign country.
As she progressed in her career and experience, she decided to start her own company and Seaview Properties was born. She wanted to bring customer service and education to the next level in a real estate company, with such simple things as computers and e-mail in the workplace. Seven years later Laura is still a proponent of continuing education and technology in the workplace and has a company that has years of experience under its belt. She recently was elected interim-president of AMPI, Asociación Mexicana de Profesionales Inmobiliarias – (Mexican Association of Professional Real Estate Agents) and will be up for re-election in early spring where she stands to hold the presidency for the following 2 years. AMPI, just celebrated its 50th anniversary in Mexico City and is a key component of future regulations and licensing in the real estate market, both in the Rivera Maya, and throughout Mexico. NAR , the National Association of Realtors, signed at this meeting, a formal agreement with AMPI so that beginning in 2007 AMPI members are now members of NAR. Mexico is the only country with which NAR has this accord and the reason AMPI was chosen was because it’s members abide by a set of ethics similar to NAR’s and because of the past performance of AMPI at a national and local level.The current focus of AMPI Riviera Maya is to offer educational seminars and continuing education to all of its members. The organization recently held a seminar on Urban Development and taxes to ensure that the members of AMPI keep up with the ever-changing rules and regulations that apply to the local and national real estate market. Currently there are over 20 members that are made up of both foreign and national real estate agents and that number is anticipated to double by early 2007.
As the new president, Laura has many innovative ideas for the local Realtors and agents and one of them is to initiate licensing requirements. There are currently no licensing requirements for Realtors and agents in Mexico, but there is a university course program that is offered to all agents who choose to develop and continue their education. The course includes the legalities, marketing, and psychology of the real estate market in Mexico.In addition there is a national certification exam. This two day exam certifies that the agent has an understanding of the real estate process. Laura anticipates that within 2 years it will be required throughout Mexico and it could quite possibly be within the next year that it will be required here in the Riviera Maya.
 In addition Laura is addressing the long-standing question of a formal multiple listing service or *MLS* . At this point there is no formal MLS in place in the Rivera Maya. By initiating a proper MLS system the local and national real estate market will flourish and certainly benefit all Realtors, agents, and clients. As you can see things are constantly changing and evolving in the local and national real estate markets here in Mexico. If you want to have a long-running business here, or if you are looking for a solid real estate agent, keep in mind that continuing education and long term customer satisfaction are key components to succeed. From a local perspective Seaview Properties will certainly be around for years to come while embracing both. |
