"Yo hablo español.”
For Realtors like Sylvia Prata, that phrase could signal the return of life to her business, even in Orange County, a region where the perception of a typical homebuyer doesn’t mesh with the demographic that makes up the bulk of Prata’s business.
But the Hispanic population, especially Spanish-speakers, in Orange County may be poised for a return the market, despite the treatment many non-English speakers received at the hands of unscrupulous lenders pushing exotic loan products during the housing market run-up, particularly to those who had trouble understanding the massive piles of loan documentation that gets heaped up homebuyers before a deal can close.
As home prices continue to fall, Prata sees more Spanish-speaking buyers returning to the market, a major boost for her, as she estimates roughly 75% of her Orange County business comes from Spanish-speaking clientele — not the typical image that’s conjured around the rest of Southern California when one thinks of an O.C. resident.
“Not everyone in Orange County is a blonde with a surfboard,” quipped Prata, an agent with Evergreen Realty in Irvine.
The Spanish-speaking buyers’ anticipated return to the market goes beyond Orange County. The state’s leading real estate group, the California Assn. of Realtors, seems to be prepping for a Spanish-speaking boost to home sales.
The group recently launched Sucasa.net, a new Spanish-language property search website in an effort to meet the needs of the growing demographic of Spanish-speaking homebuyers in California.
It shares the same multiple listing service data as its sister website, California Living Network, but Sucasa.net lets Spanish-speaking homebuyers search for homes using common sorting characteristics such as city, price range, and number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Results appear in a list or on a map, with driving directions available in Spanish. Additionally, Realtors can forward property links to their clients in Spanish.
“With Spanish ranking as the second most widely spoken language in the U.S.