Illinois REALTORS® announced the publication of two of its most popular RVoice Consumer Documents in Chinese and Vietnamese.

The publications, Homeownership: Understanding the Cost and Don’t Go it Alone: Choose a REALTOR® as Your Real Estate Partner, help consumers on their path to homeownership and explain how a REALTOR® can assist them on that journey. The documents are available, free for download at www.IllinoisRealtors.org/RVoice, to Illinois REALTOR® members to help educate consumers on these topics.  

Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) Greater Chicago President Peter de Jong remarked, “People often think Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities may not need support or that they are somehow mistakenly labeled as a model minority. However, the reality is many people within the AAPI community still face housing discrimination. Thus, we believe it is important to continually enable homeownership readiness and sustainability programming in order to overcome language, comprehension, and financial preparedness issues.” 

The translated documents are the result of a partnership between Illinois REALTORS® and the AREAA Greater Chicago Chapter. In frequent consultation, language barriers were discussed as one of the main barriers to homeownership for members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. To bridge that gap, Illinois REALTORS® offered up the idea of translating the consumer guides and AREAA suggested the initial languages of Chinese and Vietnamese.  

Illinois REALTORS® President Sue Miller, summarized the collaboration saying, “AREAA has identified that language can be a key barrier to homeownership for the AAPI communities. To begin to address that need, Illinois REALTORS® worked with AREAA Greater Chicago to identify which documents and languages were needed most urgently.” 

In May, Illinois REALTORS® celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by honoring past, present and future AAPI leaders in the real estate industry. Illinois REALTORS® will share perspective on the history of this Heritage Month and AREAA Greater Chicago’s advocacy and influence. Check our website, blog and social channels frequently for updates and information about how you can be involved in the celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  

Video: Illinois REALTOR® President Sue Miller announces the publication of RVoice Consumer Documents in Chinese and Vietnamese in collaboration with AREAA.