Chicago REALTOR® Betty Milam was elected 2020 vice president of the FIABCI (International Real Estate Federation) Americas in December during the 38^th FIABCI Global Business Summit in Ghent, Belgium.

Milam’s two-year term of office will begin at the 71^st FIABCI World Real Estate Congress in Manila, Philippines, from May 25-30.

“I will have several areas of responsibility,” said Milam, a broker for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Chicago. “I will promote the organization of new chapters in the Americas Region. I will offer support to the chapters and stay in constant communication with them. I will work to expand the knowledge of FIABCI in the region and increase membership. Basically, I serve all chapters and principal members of the region.”

Valuable experiences

Milam developed an international commercial referral business in her native country of Ecuador, she says. She lived in Colombia and then moved to Venezuela and managed her own real estate company before moving to Chicago. She has experience in selling, leasing and managing property, and she also has experience consulting for residential, commercial and international real estate. She speaks Spanish and English.

“I have been interested in international real estate since the 1990s when I had the opportunity to work with foreign oil companies from around the world,” she said. “Once I moved to the United States from Venezuela, I earned my Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation. It felt natural for me to continue working with foreign clients. I became convinced that the international market was the future for me.”

She says technology has made it easier to participate in emerging overseas markets. She’s helped consumers living in the United States and overseas.

Passion for real estate leads to involvement on local, state and national REALTOR® levels

Milam became a REALTOR® in October 2001 and she became involved with several committees for the Chicago Association of REALTORS®, including its Global Business Council. Currently she’s chair of the 2020 Real Estate Conference & Expo.

With the National Association of REALTORS®, she was the President’s Liaison for Honduras. She’s served the Illinois REALTORS® as a member of its Global Business Council and as its Consulate General Liaison to Ecuador.

She’s served as chair of the Chicago International Real Estate Council (CIREC), vice president of the FIABCI International Exchange Committee and treasurer of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.