Do you care if a brand is “global”?

I do and I’ll tell you my story.  I was planning a trip for my family to Mexico and was on YouTube looking at videos of the resorts I was interested in.  Just like real estate, sometimes the basic info on the regular .com site doesn’t really give you a feel for the ins and outs of the resort and all the amenities.  So I’m looking at videos from travelers showing me their trips (so much better than TripAdvisor) and now I really get a great feel for the resort that I finally choose.  I stay on YouTube and search for Tulum, the ruins close to the hotel and I get this GREAT video from Coldwell Banker Blue Dream.   The broker is on the beach, blue sky, swaying palm trees in the background, and he selling me on the great lifestyle of the area.  Well, let me tell you I’m ready to buy a condo on the Mayan Riviera today!  Would I have been so eager to view the video if I didn’t recognize and trust the realty company name on YouTube?  Doubt it.

This week, I’m in Vancouver, BC…one of prettiest cities in the world…and now I’m thinking, “I dunno, the west coast is beautiful and Vancouver is such a cosmopolitan city, but so is Seattle.  Hmmmm….”  So in the course of a week, I’m dreaming of living in three different countries.  My wife will kill me.

It’s easier to dream about 2nd home/retirement real estate outside our borders these days, and having some consistency in the information and a “one stop shopping experience” is pretty cool.  And, as time goes on, I believe it will become more important than ever.

Isolationism is a current political philosophy, not an economic/lifestyle one.  Una mas, por favor…