Scarsdale, New York

A company founded over 33 years ago in Hamburg, Germany with a large and successful European and multi-national network to draw from, and work with, towards mutually beneficial goals

Almost 400 property shops around the globe with "feet on the ground" residents who live, work and play in their respective localities

All property shops throughout the world have digital access to a central listing and property network providing 24/7 access to market data, customer requirements and properties for all locations

A built-in referral system with incentives to protect agent efforts and client relationships, to facilitate approriate cooperation and sales service to buyers and sellers within and between nations

A worldwide culture and philosophy promoting the concept of retaining buyer and seller clients for life through excellent personal service and providing appropriate and satisfying results for all parties to a transaction

Agent relationships between property shops and between nations, fostered by frequent contact, seminars, training, multi-national gatherings

In-house expertise and relationships with professional services firms to provide important immigration, visa, legal and tax advice and counsel to the foreign buyer and seller transacting real estate business in the U.S. or a U.S. buyer or seller transacting real estate business outside of the U.S.

A few words about the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and co-broke:

In many, if not most, foreign countries, a real estate agent has no formal legal or regulatory structure protecting their interests in facilitating a real estate transaction.   Within the U.S. the common practice is for agents to secure exclusive agreements with sellers, in which the agent may receive compensation for their services by selling their own listed properties, and more often, properties listed by other agents , by means of a cooperative sharing of the commission (co-broke arrangement).  This allows all agents to show any listed properties to their buyer, not just their own listings. In this way, also, if an agent lists a property, even if another agent brings a buyer, both agents share the commission in a cooperative relationship.  This allows the foreign investor/buyer, if they so choose, to develop a relationship with a single agent rather than speak with agents at many different firms.  This generally applies, also, to new homes or pre-construction, in which many builders in New York will pay a commission to agents bringing buyers. 

This is in no way intended to be a legal opinion and is only a cursory review of this topic.