Citing the opportunity to work with more international clients, the Hanne Sagalowsky Group recently joined Coldwell Banker.
“Having grown up in Denmark and being trilingual (English, Danish, and German), global international work is what I love to do,” Hanne Sagalowsky said.
Sagalowsky currently serves as the National Association or Realtors (NAR) global coordinator to Western Europe, Israel, and Turkey. She is also the incoming chair of the Texas Association of Realtor’s International Committee and was one Dallas’s first Certified International Property Specialists (CIPS).
International clients now make up more that half of Sagalowsky’s business. She said that it’s important for them to have an advocate who can relate to their culture and help them better understand American real estate. One of the biggest challenges many global clients face is navigating the complex set of rules governing Green Cards and various visa types. These classifications often dictate if they will have to procure special financing.
Sagalowsky knows first-had just how tricky these issues can be. She moved to Dallas in the late 1970’s and had permanent resident status for years. She officially became a United States citizen three years ago after changes in Danish law allowed her to still retain citizenship in her native land.
“I think the fact that I’ve gone through this myself creates a natural connection there,” she said.
This is not Sagalowsky’s first time at Coldwell Banker. She previously worked with William Rigg, which Coldwell Banker later acquired.
Joining Sagalowsky will be veteran Dallas agent Betsy Weber Hurst. The Highland Park High School and SMU alum boasts 35 years of real estate experience, the last five with Sagalowsky. Weber Hurst has worked for several brokerages, and achieved multi-million dollar production at all of them.
Sagalowsky said she hopes to eventually expand her firm, focusing primarily on agents who are multi-lingual and looking to attract more global clients.
“Dallas has just changed beyond belief. It has become a very good international city that draws a lot of very talented people,” she said. “In today’s climate, it’s really important to work with different nationalities and have some insight into the culture, and an understanding of how to explain the business to them.”
