NEFAR signs Memorandum of Understanding with India 

For Immediate Release 

NEFAR signs Memorandum of Understanding with India 

Captions:   

GBC India Trade Mission:_From left to right: Members of the NEFAR Trade Mission to India, Christine Baranofsky, Ann Marie Wiggins, Rory Dubin, Sharon McNeal, Trisha Roy and Lesley Davidson, dress like the natives during a visit to Goa, India in March.  

NEFAR-India_01: 2024 NEFAR President Rory Dubin shakes hands with members of the NAR-India delegation after signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the two REALTOR® Associations. 

NEFAR-India_02: 2024 NEFAR President Rory Dubin joins members of the NAR-India REALTOR® Association in signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the two associations in Goa, India in March.  

NEFAR-India_03: 2024 NEFAR President Rory Dubin joins and Indian colleague in signing a Memorandum of Understanding between NAR-India and the Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS in Goa, India on March 3. 

Jacksonville, Fla. March 14, 2024 – A delegation from the Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS® (NEFAR) traveled to Goa, India to attend NAR-India’s 16^th annual convention, NARVIGATE and the simultaneous Industrial Estate and Warehousing Conclave in Goa from February 29 to March 2. 

During the last day of the convention, NEFAR 2024 President Rory Dubin signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NAR-India.  

“Members of NEFAR and other invited REALTORS from the United States were on hand for our historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NAR India,” said Dubin. “Over 700 attendees at the NARVIGATE 2024 Conference and trade show witnessed the onstage signing between the two REALTOR® associations, which promised to be a starting point for increased real estate activity between Northeast Florida and India. This was an exciting step for NEFAR as it was both our association’s first MOU signing and our first real estate trade mission. Vice Chairman of the 2024 NEFAR Global Business Council Christine Baranofsky stated that she hopes and plans to make a trade mission an annual proposition for NEFAR,” he said. 

The two-week trade mission was led by Dubin and Baranofsky and organized by Trisha Roy of Gainesville, a National Association of REALTORS® faculty instructor and the founder of Open Spaces International School of Real Estate. The group left on February 20 and returned to the United States on March 3.  

In addition to Dubin, who is a managing broker for United Real Estate Gallery, and Baranofsky, who is a REALTOR® with The Legends of Real Estate, three other NEFAR members participated in the trade mission: Ann Marie Wiggins of EXIT Inspired Real Estate, Sharon McNeal of EXIT Inspired Real Estate, and Lesley Davidson of Manifest Realty. The trade mission also included real estate agents from North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Gainesville, and Broward in Florida. 

“We learned a lot about how to properly do business with agents and developers in India,” said Dubin, adding that the group observed several large development projects by Smart World Developers. One DXP by Smart World will be the first development on the Dwarta Expressway, which is expected to cut the amount of time in half that it takes to travel from Delhi to other locations, he said. 

The group also visited Trump Towers, a large double tower that was under construction. “The finished condo project will be a golf-themed modern condominium project,” Dubin said. 

The NEFAR delegation, which set up a booth showcasing Jacksonville at the EXPO, was identified as “international delegates,” at both the NARVIGATE Conference and the Industrial Estate and Warehousing Conclave, which represents India’s commercial sector. The walls of NEFAR’s booth depicted Jacksonville’s colorful downtown skyline as seen near the St. Johns River and several signs identifying the Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS®. During the EXPO, the five NEFAR REALTORS® distributed brochures about NEFAR’s Global Business Council, business cards, REBI (Real Estate Business Institute) course programs for foreign countries. 

“We were a highlight of about 700 attendees,” Dubin said.  

During the conference, NAR-India also signed a MOU with a delegation from Thailand. REALTORS® from the Chicago area also attended the conference.  

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The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR,) serves as the voice of real estate in Northeast Florida. It is the region’s largest professional association, representing more than 12,000 members who work in all facets of the real estate industry including residential and commercial sales and property management. It serves the public through support of community affairs programs and seeks to protect private property rights. The region’s multiple listing service, realMLS, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NEFAR. NEFAR is headquartered in Jacksonville, with satellite Service Centers in Orange Park, Jacksonville Beach, and Palatka.