The financially focused publication issues several special reports annually, this particular issue focused on the real estate and construction industry in the Cayman Islands. With 30 years of service under our belt, CIREBA continues to support the brokers and agents of Cayman. We invite you to read the article here to learn more about what CIREBA is and our role within the Cayman Islands Real Estate Industry. The Cayman Islands real estate industry is a strong pillar of the local economy and plays a significant part in the annual GDP, being one of the top four industries to contribute to our local economy according to the Economics and Statistics office of The Cayman Islands. There are currently 34 leading Cayman real estate brokerages governed by the Cayman Islands Real Estate Brokers Association (CIREBA) with approximately 180 local real estate agents. The vast majority of realty transactions in The Cayman Islands every year are brokered via this well established and respected association. Currently there are approximately 1500 properties for sale in CIREBA valued around 1.6 Billion. But what is CIREBA? It’s a not-for-profit association that provides a professional and ethical network to the leading independent real estate companies of the Cayman Islands. It acts as a central source of licensing and information for its members and plays a vital role in the local real estate industry. The Board (currently nine members) serve on a voluntary basis. Royalties are paid on every CIREBA sale to contribute to the running of the Association’s mandate of governing their membership. CIREBA also provide a website, social media and a print magazine that showcases to the public the extensive selection of properties for sale. To qualify as a CIREBA member, course attendance and on-going examinations are mandatory requirements. Brokers and agents must follow the Association’s strict code of business standards, rules and regulations. A high level of competence and ethics is expected from all members, at the same time CIREBA guides fair business practice to ensure honest and professional dealings in real estate transactions. With this in mind, CIREBA conducts on-going educational courses, professional development and shares annual and mandatory training on Anti Money Laundering, compliance and due diligence in order that agents understand the myriad of tasks involved with helping clients buy and sell homes. CIREBA recently celebrated their 30 year milestone of growth across the Cayman Islands and, as such, we took a step back in time to take a topical look at other notable events from 1987, the year CIREBA was founded; Additionally, the association established a set of commission rates which meant all CIREBA companies were operating at the same fee structure, affording a level playing field. The addition of the Multiple Listing System (MLS) took the Cayman Islands Real Estate Industry to the next level. It was the first of its kind in the Caribbean region and it created an actual inventory of all members’ property listings which was easily accessible to each member of the Association creating a mutual space to connect real estate members to bring buyers and sellers together. The MLS is based on the North American System and allows agents to locate any available properties that suit their purchasers’ requirements quickly and effciently in a standardized format that is transparent and detailed. The marketplace is more dynamic and effcient for it. One often hears commentary around our small islands that the real estate fees regulated by CIREBA are excessive. Research shows that this indeed a fallacy, as compared to North American and Latin American rates, CIREBA fees are on par or less than industry standard given the cost of conducting business in The Cayman Islands. Jeanette Totten, President of CIREBA states; As we proudly look back at 30+ years of accomplishments, hard work and success within CIREBA and the Cayman Islands Real Estate Industry, I would like to congratulate each of the individuals who had the foresight to start CIREBA. Today we can proudly say that, thanks to hard work, dedication and passion for the real estate industry, CIREBA has strong ethical, well trained and thriving members of which we are very proud. I am honoured to be President of CIREBA. Today, CIREBA can look back over the past 30 years and be confident that it has established unwavering stability and a high standard of real estate practice which is the envy of the region. Interesting to note is that several other islands including Turks and Caicos and The Bahamas have taken principles and guidance from CIREBA when setting up their Real Estate Associations & MLS systems in recent years. CIREBA is a community minded body, with annual donations to several local charities including a significant contribution of $100,000 to benefit our new Hospice Care building. To learn more about the Cayman Islands Real Estate Brokers Association, please visit: www.cireba.com
The Real Estate Industry was already showing great potential, the offshore financial markets were growing exponentially, and it was in 1987 that a small group of already well-established realtors decided to start the Cayman Islands Real Estate Brokers Association (CIREBA). It was their desire to unify the industry and create a higher standard of practice in the local real estate business. They realised that sharing available property listings was beneficial for all parties involved, as it meant they could consult with one agent who had access to all listings with the ability to co-operate or co-broke with other companies and agents, and thus the CIREBA Multiple Listing System (MLS) was born.