For many Americans,

buying a home is the most important decision that

they will ever make. Tens of thousands, or even

hundreds of thousands of dollars are riding on

where you decide that you and your family will

make your home for the next several years.

Now imagine having

to make that determination while being unable to

speak the native language of the country you are

living in. Every real estate agent, broker,

lender and attorney you deal with speaks only

English, and you do not.

That's the

situation for the ever-growing number of Hispanic

and other persons of different nationalities who

are moving to the south side of the metro Atlanta

area every week. As these folks look to buy a

home, most of them for the first time, they are

searching for someone who can easily communicate

with them and make them feel at ease while

guiding them through the often-complicated

homebuying process.

A number of real

estate professionals in Fayette and surrounding

counties who have multiple language skills have

recognized that they can meet a growing need in a

unique way, and they are strengthening their own

businesses while lending a helping hand to what

has become an important part of the local

economy.

"Even people

that speak Spanish and a little English need some

help," said Teresita Gavora of The Home

Source Realtors in Peachtree City. "Every

first-time homebuyer needs someone to hold his or

her hand."

Gavora has found

that the Hispanic community can be a challenging

avenue to work in, but with its own special

compensation.

"I enjoy

working with them," she said. "They're

very motivated. Most Spanish-speaking homebuyers

are first-timers, hard workers, ready to buy, but

need their hand held. It's very rewarding."

That feeling is

shared by Emy Quinones, who joined ERA Preferred

Realty in Peachtree City earlier this year for

the express purpose of opening a Spanish

division. She estimates that about 80 percent of

her clients are Hispanic.

A lot of

Spanish-speaking people are moving to this side

of Atlanta because they are family-oriented,

Quinones said, and quality of life is very

important to them.

"Most

Americans buy a house and then move in 3-5

years," she said. "Hispanics buy a home

to live there much longer than that. And they

like some land. It's their American dream."

When those kinds of

customers enter Quinones' office, from the moment

they see the sign over the front door they know

that they will have no problem with the language

barrier. Of course, they only have to call her

voice mail to hear a friendly voice in their

native tongue.

Inside her office

is a wealth of helpful written materials printed

specifically to help these special clients, such

as a Hispanic Yellow Pages and brochures from

companies like State Farm and Allstate.

Quinones also

credits Lisa King at Chase Manhattan Mortgage in

Peachtree City for her help since the Spanish

division has been open. Although she does not

speak the language, "she's learned to put

her pulse on the Hispanic community,"

according to Quinones.

That means a few

surprises from time to time, like when a Hispanic

buyer came to King's office ready to complete his

transaction but produced a pile of cash instead

of the standard cashier's check. "She was

taken aback," Quinones said with a chuckle.

A native of Puerto

Rico, Quinones grew up all over the world as a

U.S. Army brat. Now married to a former U.S. Navy

officer also from Puerto Rico, she has lived in

Peachtree City for the past ten years.

Most of her

clientele has reached her through word of mouth,

as her language skills have become more of an

asset in her work. She has even reached out to

the business community in Peachtree City, as one

large company has recruited her to help bring

more Hispanic workers to the area.

"They

[Hispanics] are good workers. They are

dependable," she said. "Companies like

that."

This particular

company sent Quinones to New York to conduct a

first-time homebuyer seminar. By reaching out to

Spanish-speaking employees of the company in the

northeast, she was able to help many of them

decide to relocate to this area, which meant good

news for the company as well as more clients for

her.

Gavora is also

finding more Spanish-speaking clients through

word of mouth. She is the only bilingual realtor

at The Home Source. She has used lenders from

across the metro Atlanta area while dealing with

the language barrier at various times.

"There is a

need for bilingual agents," she said,

"especially for bilingual lenders."

She came to the

United States from Cuba with her parents at about

18 months of age as one of the last families

allowed to leave peaceably before Castro came to

power. She then grew up in a home where both

languages were spoken equally.

Her first

experience speaking Spanish in the real estate

field was translating the seller's disclosure,

which was only written in English, to a client.

At home, Gavora

sticks to English with her husband and two sons.

Her husband knows "maybe a couple of

words" in Spanish, she said, although her

sons understand a bit more than that.

Fortunately, a

number of homeowners in the area understand her

just fine, as they do Quinones and the handful of

other real estate professionals in Fayette County

who are meeting this unique need.