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MORe hosts first Chicago and Mexico foreign investment event

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Today, May 16, Mainstreet Organization of Realtors is hosting the Asociación Mexicana de Profesionales Inmobiliarios (AMPI), Mexico’s national real estate association, for a collaborative event to discuss economic development and international investment for both organizations.

“Global is the new local,” Lynn Madison, MORe Board president and owner of Lynn Madison Seminars, said in a statement. “Illinois and Mexico have a strong mutual interest in investing in each other’s markets, and we have a commitment to educating our members on best practices for meeting that demand. The relationships that will be formed during this mission will last a lifetime.”

Foreign investment reached a new peak in 2015, according to Real Capital Analytics. In a post reported by Crain’s
Chicago Business
in December 2015, foreign investment in the city’s real estate had hit $3.27 billion, shattering the previous record of $2.18 billion hit in 2013.

According to the report, foreign buyers took up about 16 percent of the total share of $20.2 billion in Chicago real estate sales last year. Chicago’s considerably low prices compared with the big coastal cities has eyes turning to the Midwest, and the city’s sprawl also makes it easier to build new buildings.

Event covers Chicago foreign investment in and out of the city.

The one-day panel is held at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Rosemont, from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Filled with three panel sessions, the day will cover the ins-and-outs of foreign investment, from Mexico in Chicago. Illinois Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti will kick off the day about the importance of a partnership between Illinois and Mexico.

Sanguinetti, the first female Hispanic lieutenant governor in the U.S., is expected to discuss the trade mission’s role in spurring more investment internationally between the state and Mexico.

Erik Brejla of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will discuss Chicago’s modern infrastructure and the overall profile of the Chicagoland marketplace. Aiming to sell the City of Big Shoulders to Mexico foreign investment, the speaker will touch on the local job market, professional talent and why the location is an ideal place for their money.

Another panel will discuss business transactions in real estate. Led by global experts Vicky Sampah, MORe board president-elect Catherine Terpstra and member of MORe’s Global Business Council Joe Cwiklinski, the session is expected to cover how business is transacted and marketed in the Chicagoland region.

The following day, Tuesday, May 17, there will be a four-hour tour of Chicago.

“People who attend this trade mission will walk away having made face-to-face contact with someone from over the border and no other interaction can compare,” Marsha Collins-Mroz of MORe’s Global Business Council said. “What makes this partnership with AMPI so innovative, is that we’re writing the book on how to make cross-border real estate investment happen in ways that are sustainable and replicable.”

Email Kimberly Manning