SOUTH FLORIDA – Jamaicans from across South Florida will once again be converging on the Ramada Hotel in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, May 22, and the Renaissance Hotel in Plantation on Thursday, May 24, 2013, for this year’s Victoria Mutual Real Estate, Mortgage & Trade Expo.
The event will connect potential investors and home buyers with developers, attorneys and other relevant service providers in Jamaica. It is organized and hosted by the Florida Representative Office of the Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), which provides savings and mortgage options to Jamaicans living in the United States.
The annual Florida Community Forum has been steadily increasing in size and popularity over the last three years and this year marks the first staging of a Real Estate Mortgage and Trade Expo.
Suzette Rochester
The goal, explains Suzette Rochester, Manager, VMBS – Florida Representative Office is to put persons residing in the Diaspora in the same room as key service providers in order to establish ties, as well as to get valuable information on various housing projects in Jamaica. “This year our annual community forum has been expanded to a full-blown real estate, mortgage and trade exposition in response to numerous requests from our Members for more information on real estate options in Jamaica.”
The two-day exposition is free of charge to the public, and will take place on Wednesday, May 22, at the Ramada West Palm Beach Hotel (formerly Comfort Inn), 1901 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, (Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. & Robbins Road), West Palm Beach FL 33409, and on Thursday, May 23, at the Renaissance Hotel, 1230 S Pine Island Road, (Pine Island Road & 595), Plantation FL 33324 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on both days.
A special feature this year will be Victoria Mutual’s special prize of US$1,000 towards closing costs assistance for one lucky approved mortgagor seeking to purchase property in Jamaica within the next year.
Suzette Rochester also articulated that now is the opportune time to invest in real estate in Jamaica as the mortgage rates are trending downwards and it is the objective of the Society to make home ownership a reality to many Jamaicans and friends of Jamaicans in the community. Victoria Mutual offers very attractive and competitive interest rates of 9.39%p.a. and 6.85%p.a. on Jamaican and US Dollar mortgages respectively; up to 95% financing; 50% discount on valuations done through VMPS; personal mortgage advisors, as well as there are no commitment fees in the mortgage application process.
Richard Powell, President and CEO of Victoria Mutual and current Chair of the 5th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference said, “The aim of this year’s exposition is to keep the members of the Jamaican Community in Florida informed about developments and current investment opportunities in the Jamaican Real Estate market. The event also plays an integral role in strengthening ties with the international Jamaican network.”
The Victoria Mutual Real Estate Mortgage & Trade Expo boasts an expansive line-up of presenters and exhibitors that includes Gore Developments, National Housing Trust (NHT), West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON), Kencasa Construction & Management Company, the Law Offices of Nunes, Scholefield, Deleon & Company, commissioned land surveyor – Precision Surveying Services, as well as real estate service providers, namely Coldwell Bankers, and Victoria Mutual Property Services (VMPS) – the real estate brokerage arm of the Victoria Mutual Group.
In 2010, Victoria Mutual hosted its inaugural Florida Community Forum titled Your Jamaica: Overcoming the Challenges in 2010 and Beyond,which focused on the impact of the Jamaica Debt Exchange and the 2012 forum, Our Journey … Jamaica’s Next 50, which focused on the country’s current economic situation with special emphasis on crime management initiatives.
The Victoria Mutual Florida Representative Office, now in its 5th year in South Florida is located in the County Square Shopping Center, 21461 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami Gardens FL 33169, and operates with a mandate to provide savings and mortgage options to Jamaicans and friends of Jamaicans who wish to invest in Jamaica.
