In Part One of a Two-Part series, top producing Realtor Ken DeLeon shares his tips for getting global business.

Lower home prices and a weaker dollar mean opportunity for international buyers who are interested in investing in U.S. properties. Are you doing everything you can to reach this potentially lucrative market?

According to the 2009 Profile of International Buyers by the National Association of Realtors, the top five countries of origin for international buyers were Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico, India and China.

For Ken DeLeon, a sales associate with Keller Williams Realty in Palo Alto, Calif., that means big business. “In 2009, I had over $8 million in sales from overseas buyers and investors (his total sales in 2009 was over $64 million.) In my area, the two greatest groups of homebuyers and investors are those from India and China/Taiwan. They represent about 75% of my overseas clients, with the remaining quarter being Israeli's or those from Europe, usually here because of Stanford."

Here are his tips for grabbing your share of the global pie:

1. Know why they’re coming.
“In the Silicon Valley region, overseas buyers are moving for jobs at high-tech companies such as Google, Apple, Oracle, Hewlett Packard and smaller start ups,” he says. In southern markets like Florida and North Carolina, international buyers are looking for great deals on vacation homes or investment properties.

2. Focus your marketing.
Since DeLeon knows that many of his international sales will be to buyers moving to the United States for jobs, he works with CEOs of expanding start ups “asking that they connect me with all of the prospective employees so that I can introduce them to local real estate. I’ve had over $10 million in sales from just one small start up,” he says.

3. Get social locally.
Find the local social networking sites relocating buyers are using to find out more about your area. DeLeon spends time building his reputation on local social networking sites.
“I want to be listed as a recommended service provider. For example, there’s a local website called the Palo Alto and Menlo Park Parent's Group where parents share information on the best service providers in the area. Nearly everyone locating to Palo Alto joins this group. I’ve received some $30 million worth of business over the past few years directly from this website.”

4. Provide analysis and data to showcase your expertise.
“Overseas investors and homebuyers are much more focused on value and future investment potential then typical homebuyers,” says DeLeon. “They generally view a property purchase from an analytical perspective and seek to get the investment with the best future appreciation."

"Overseas homebuyers might want to be sure that they can sell their home and do well when the time comes for them to go back home or to trade up in America,” he says.

Because of that, it’s paramount that you provide an insightful analysis so that the homebuyer/investor can determine whether or not a property will be a good investment relative to other options.

“Before law school, I majored in mathematics and economics and provide all of my clients with strong analytical tools so they can evaluate homes as investment options. This includes a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown of the cities they’re looking at, an evaluation of each neighborhood and information that shows which neighborhoods and cities are appreciating more rapidly or less rapidly than others.”

DeLeon also provides clients with detailed articles that touch upon many topics such as common buying mistakes and the facts about closing costs. He writes these articles himself.

DeLeon has several more interesting tips to share. Read about them on the blog next week in Part 2 of Reaching International Buyers and Investors.