January 28, 2002
Star Tribune Real Estate Extra
Premier Home Buying Magazine
Vol. 7, NO. 9

Ray and Nimi Office: 651-486-5628 Cell: 651-398-6261 Res: 763-795-8979 Fax: 651-483-3681

Ray Singhal,Coldwell Banker Burnet, Shoreview shares his experiences working with the multicultural market in the Twin Cities.

As ethnic diversity grows, so does the number of area realtors who serve these communities. For Ray Singhal, who was born in India and speaks Hindi, about half of his business is done with Asian communities. The major benefits for clients, Singhal says are that " I have the advantage of the language, of knowing their culture and of the decision-making process in the household. I basically know what they like and don't like"

Singhal attended British schools in India, lived in Canada and came to the U.S. in 1962. He has a Ph.D in Pharmacology, taught in medical schools and has a background in multinational companies before he went into real estate three years ago. One of the biggest challenges in working with the multicultural market, he says, is building the trust of clients. "So I invested my time and effort getting every conceivable designation (in real estate) you can get," including the most prestigious CRS and the new E-Pro certification in technology expertise. And he felt the need to "prove myself with people outside of my community." That accomplished, his own people knew that they too could put their trust in him.

"By and large, Asians, especially Indians, are well educated," he says. "We have a very successful community. Their needs are no different from those of other households. They have to understand the financing part (of the transaction). Because of the fact that they are educated and informed, they go on the internet and know what's available. So I have to be on their page in terms of being able to offer them the service they need"

By Barbara Braun Hanson
Real Estate Market Group Writer
Star Tribune

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Ray and Nimi Singhal  (651) 486-5628 direct  Coldwell Banker Burnet 100 Village Center Drive St. Paul, MN 55127 (651) 398-6261 cell CRS, ABR, GRI, e-Pro 500, ESA, SRES Platinum Producer (top 1% nationally)