Bilingual Skills Necessary?

Working on some product development right now, and I'm wondering, how important do you think bilingual skills are in the leasing process? Do you have anyone on your staff who is bilingual? Do you think it helps those individuals find their next apartment home with you? What regional regional differences are there to consider?

I am Puerto Rican from Puerto Rico, therefore I speak and write both English and Spanish. It has been a blessing being able to be bilingual. Not only am I helping residents communicate with management with issues in their apartment but I'm able to help Hispanics find their future home. I am also called by different properties in my region asking for translations between their residents and applicants. I sometimes wish I was able to speak Indian, Mandarin, French, and even Arabic. Everyone deserves a home and speaking their language makes the process much easier.

I started my career in Miami, which is mostly habited by Latin Americans, so of course being bilingual helped my career expand. However, I’m a strong believer that a true sales man that believes in their product, does not need to speak the language of the client. When I held the position of Leasing Manager in Palm Beach, I successfully leased several communities in a large Haitian population, and I nor did my staff speak their language. What made us successful, was that we believed in our product and found creative ways to communicate that over to our potential clients. So, to answer your questions, YES it would not hurt to be or have bilingual material in areas such as Miami or Palm Beach, BUT is not necessary if you have the right people who believe in their product.

Being bilingual is not necessary but can be extremely helpful. Communication is always key. We have staff that speaks spanish and portuguese, and it has come in handy. I am convinced that a number of units were leased to tenants because they are comfortable conversing in thier own language. I have even translated agreements themselves.