Above, Jamie Tian on the cover of ARE magazine
I was working on some listings a couple months back when I read an email from Hope Atuel, the CEO of Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) laying out her idea for the cover of our ARE magazine to be published for the recently completed AREAA conference.
Hope wrote: “You and the story of your mom and dad coming to the United States as Chinese immigrants is inspiring. I keep thinking that you define the phrase, ‘Liberty, Justice and Housing for All.’ I would love you to portray the Statue of Liberty for the cover photo. What do you think?”
While I admit to thinking the idea was a bit corny, the more I thought about it I realized that my family does embody the American Dream. Plus, I’ve never been in a real photo shoot! So, I said yes.
As I’ve shared before, I was born in China. My mom and dad came to the U.S. to pursue PhDs. at Pitt and Oklahoma, respectively. I eventually joined my dad in Norman and we finally became a family again renting in California. But it never felt like home until my parents eventually bought a home in Irvine that changed my life. Not only did I feel safe and secure, in a place of our own, but that home shaped my future as my parents were able to re-finance allowing me to go to UCLA.
So here I was at the photo shoot pretending to be Lady Liberty. And while it was a fun few hours filled with laughter, cool lighting and makeup, behind it all was, and remains, an extremely underlying seriousness.
The Statue of Liberty has long symbolized freedom, opportunity and the promise of a better future in the United States. Like many immigrants and the children of immigrants, I can’t look at her without feeling an immense amount of gratitude and a reminder of my own family’s story as Chinese immigrants looking to start a new life in America.
But immigrants can no longer take the American Dream of Homeownership for granted. Obviously, the anti-immigrant rhetoric has heightened. This includes the passage of SB264 in Florida, a law that restricts citizens from China, and six other nations deemed threats to national security, from buying property, even though they are here legally. It’s infuriating to realize we now live in a reality where government leaders are putting homeownership out of reach for AANHPI people in Florida.
AREAA had to act, and we joined with the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence, Inc., and the Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches to file a fair housing discrimination lawsuit against Florida in May. It was the first lawsuit filed by AREAA in our 21-year history. As you can imagine the wheels of justice move slowly, but we had our first win recently as the judge in the Southern District of Miami ruled to keep the case there rather than the state’s hope to move it to the Northern District which has fewer potential foreign buyers.
It is important to recognize that foreign buyers still matter. They are still coming here. NAR’s 2024 International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate report shows there were 54,300 foreign buyer purchases of existing homes in the U.S. between April 2023 and March 2024, with 57% of these buyers either being recent immigrants or non-immigrant visa holders. Chinese buyers make up the second largest amount of these buyers at 11%, amounting to $7.5 billion in buying power. Interestingly, the number one destination immigrants are moving to is Florida, at 20%. SB 264 is a major roadblock for Chinese immigrants.
As I reflect on the magazine cover and what it means to be a symbol of freedom, I’m reminded that the American Dream isn’t just a dream, it’s a living promise to those who have settled here. Whether it’s buying your first home or finding a place where our culture and community can thrive, each step immigrants take toward their goals strengthens this nation.
So let’s keep the torch of hope and opportunity burning brightly, welcoming every new wave of immigrants to America. Together, we will continue breaking down barriers and making sure everyone gets a fair shot at homeownership.
