How Our Employees Serve the Hispanic Community

September 15 marks the beginning of the month-long celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. This celebration recognizes and honors the contributions, culture and history of Hispanic and Latinx individuals and communities.

Hispanic homeownership rate increased to 48.6% in 2022 marking eight years of consistent homeownership growth and underlining the ever-expanding footprint of the Hispanic community in the real estate landscape.

Join us as we gain insights from our team members Johanna Simental and Yanneth Montano who work closely with the Hispanic community in their respective areas.

Johanna Simental is a Business Development Officer based in Tucson Arizona.

• Q: How often do you work with Spanish speaking clients?
  A: I am blessed and fortunate to work with the Spanish speaking community on a daily basis. With Tucson being only 69 miles north of the Mexico border, the Hispanic community has a strong presence here in Tucson and throughout Southern Arizona. Just in Tucson, the Hispanic population was last ranked at 45% so it’s no surprise to see that my cliental is predominately Spanish speaking.
• Q: Are Spanish speaking homebuyers or sellers surprised when they receive our materials in Spanish?
  A: Spanish speaking homebuyers are not only surprised to see Spanish content/materials, but they are also, very appreciative to see that we have taken into consideration the importance for them to feel at ease and fully understand the information we provide them with.
• Q: Why do you think it is important to provide these resources in multiple languages?
  A: We must all be mindful of and embrace culture diversity. Embracing a client’s language shows how important they are. Providing them with resources in their language is a way for them to feel understood, acknowledged and welcomed.
• Q: How does it feel to help these clients in their native language?
  A: It is an amazing feeling! In my case, knowing that I can fully communicate with a Spanish speaker and assist them in the best possible way to offer them guidance brings me a great sense of accomplishment. It truly gives me great pleasure knowing that I will be able to provide them with a comfortable customer experience. An experience where they will feel welcomed and validated. Bringing them ultimately peace of mind and an overall pleasurable experience with Stewart Title.

Yanneth Montano is a Branch Lead and Escrow Officer at our Lakewood Ranch office in Florida.

• Q: How often do you work with Spanish speaking clients?
  A: 30% of my clients are Spanish speaking.
• Q: Are Spanish speaking homebuyers or sellers surprised when they receive our materials in Spanish?
  A: Our Spanish speaking customers feel more confident when they can communicate in their home language. Being able to understand the process and the documentation during the closing is important for them.
• Q: Why do you think it is important to provide these resources in multiple languages?
  A: Providing these resources in their native language helps customers feel connected to us. It makes them confident, shows empathy, and is an incentive to continue working with us. In order to avoid delays, it is important to provide documents and communications in the customer’s main language. Usually, the customer does not reply or complete the required documentation on time when they cannot understand what we are requesting.
• Q: How does it feel to help these clients in their native language?
  A: Providing my customers with support through their native language makes them feel valued. It feels great because the customer’s satisfaction increases, so it makes me feel that I did my job right. I want my customers to feel at home!

We thank Joanna and Yanneth for taking the time to share their experiences. Their commitment to our customers reminds us of the importance of supporting the Hispanic community not only during Hispanic Heritage month, but all year long.

At Stewart we are committed to serving the Spanish-speaking community and have a wealth of resources available in Spanish for real estate agents, buyers and sellers about the homebuying and selling process. Explore our translated website, including our Homebuyers and Sellers Guide in Spanish.

Interested in learning more about our company culture? Visit our Culture of Caring page.