Not too long ago, Koren Dafni, an associate broker with RE/MAX in Queens, N.Y., sat down with a potential customer, an immigrant couple. She went through her standard questions: What type of funds do you have? Is your money in a checking, savings or some other type of account? How much money do you have saved? Like many of the immigrant families that Dafni works with, the couple didn't speak English. Dafni, who comes from a Korean background, finds translators for immigrants who are trying to navigate the real-estate market. She took this couple to the bank personally, sat down with them and a bank representative, and helped them open a checking account so they could establish credit and save for the $200,000 home they hoped to purchase. "A lot of immigrants don't have a bank account," Dafni says. "They just buy a money order to pay their bills." Being apprehensive of American banks has long been a phenomenon among immigrants coming from countries with unstable economies. What's unusual is Dafni's commitment to them, demonstrated when she takes them to banks in the New York area, translates the services for them, and helps them establish credit to purchase a home.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
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