Seeing the power of “location, location, location” first-hand gave new insights to participants in the Doral Bus Tour, a recent activity of the Real Estate Alumni Affinity Council (REAAC) of Florida International University (FIU).
From mansions to midtown, the bus toured through and stopped at innovative Doral residential and commercial sites. Participants heard the latest news and opinions from speakers from Doral developers such as Century Homebuilders Group, Lennar Homes, Optimus and Terra Group.
REAAC, part of the College of Business, provides networking opportunities for real estate professionals, including FIU alumni and supporters. The all-morning tour on October 28, 2014 started with breakfast in downtown Doral and a presentation by Ivan Ochoa of Codina, a Doral developer. After 32 participants boarded the bus, Rita Carbonell, the city’s transportation engineer, and Julian Perez, Doral’s planning and zoning director, narrated points of interest as the bus made its way through the city.
Panel breakfast offers insight on alternative sources of financing.
Early morning breakfasts before the workday starts are an excellent way to network as well as acquire new information about a hot topic. A panel breakfast on Nov. 8, 2014, the latest in a series presented by REAAC, tackled an important subject: “Crowdfunding and SBA Financing for Commercial and Investment Properties.”
Omar Ojeda Sr., vice president of Total Bank, and Heather Schwarz-Lopes, co-founder and CSO of EarlyShares, discussed the practice of crowdfunding (financing a project by raising monetary contributions from a sizable number of people, usually via the internet) and also gave updates on Small Business Administration financing.
The panel breakfast, organized by REAAC member Fernando Arencibia Jr., a real estate consultant, was held at FIU Downtown on Brickell.
“The Real Estate Alumni Affinity Council is our oldest and one of the most active alumni groups,” said Yanyn San Luis, (BA ’10), assistant director, Alumni Relations, Office of Advancement. “We are proud that they’ve taken ownership of organizing engaging events that address the current issues within our community, issues that directly impact the real estate industry.”
Philanthropic efforts benefit children.
REAAC members are also engaged in philanthropy. The organization is hosting a toy drive to benefit the children of Abriendo Puertas. Members are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy to REAAC’s holiday networking event, Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 6 p.m. at the Cubaocho Art and Research Center.
