This past October, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the LeadingRE Global Real Estate Symposium alongside Katey McGrath, Vice President of Elfant Wissahickon Realtors. It was inspiring, energizing, and perspective-shifting—one of those rare professional experiences that reminds you exactly why you love what you do.
I left feeling deeply proud of Philly Home Girls, Elfant Wissahickon Realtors, and the global community we’re part of.
What is Leading RE?
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE) is a global network of the highest-quality independent real estate brokerages in over 70 countries. Unlike franchise brands, which require uniformity and corporate oversight, LeadingRE brings together locally owned, deeply rooted, community-focused brokerages that meet elite performance standards.
Membership is by invitation only, based on market leadership, service excellence, professional reputation, and proven results. As a small Philadelphia real estate business, being part of LeadingRE means PHG has access to trusted partner brokerages around the world that function as a global referral network with real accountability
For our clients, being part of LeadingRE means that Philly Home Girls is connected to trusted, accountable real estate experts everywhere in the world. We have partners we can confidently refer our clients, friends, and families to—whether they’re moving to Miami, Madrid, Mauritius, or Milan.
What is the Global Real Estate Symposium?
The LeadingRE Global Symposium is an annual gathering of the world’s top independent brokerages—owners, executives, managers, and select agents—who come together to exchange ideas, study global market trends, innovations, and emerging economic forces, cross-border investment patterns, cultural and legal differences in real estate, all while building and developing international relationships.
This year’s event brought attendees from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. The symposium included deep dives from economists and industry leaders, presentations from international brokerages on business models and marketing, property tours, and cultural excursions.
It is one of the only places where you can sit at a table with leaders from Switzerland, Italy, Dubai, the UK, Portugal, and Tokyo—and openly compare functionality, opportunities, and challenges in a variety of markets around the globe.
Why I’m Sharing My Experience
Attending the symposium wasn’t just a professional milestone; it was an opportunity to elevate my team. My goal was to bring a global perspective home to enhance the already-exceptional representation PHG provides.
Being part of one of the strongest real estate networks in the world sets us apart. But what matters most is how we apply that global insight to serve local buyers, sellers, and investors better than ever.
What I Learned that Benefits Our Clients
1. Switzerland’s real estate structure offers ideas for stabilizing major cities
One of the most fascinating conversations I had centered around Switzerland’s approach to regulating foreign ownership, governed by the Lex Koller law. The goal is to protect the integrity and stability of domestic housing stock—not unlike the concerns cities like New York face today.
The Lex Koller law intends to protect domestic housing stock from being dominated by foreign owners, which could drive up prices and reduce housing availability for residents. The Swiss use it to promote sustainable development in tourist areas by limiting holiday homes to help avoid overdevelopment in sensitive alpine/tourist regions, preserve community character, avoid overtourism, and ensure a balance between locals and seasonal/foreign investors.
The Lex Koller law allows foreigners to purchase commercial or industrial property — office buildings, retail spaces, hotels, warehouses, factories, etc., to encourage investment of foreign capital in business that can contribute to the economy (offices, hotels, retail, industrial use), not just live-in homes or second homes.
This made me think about how parts of Philadelphia could benefit from smart policy that balances investment opportunity with long-term housing stability.
2. Ground Lease / Leasehold Systems could increase revenue for Philadelphia while lowering upfront costs for buyers
Throughout the symposium, the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong repeatedly came up as examples of governments using ground leases to generate extraordinary long-term revenue. Variations of this system also exist in parts of the U.S. (Honolulu, Washington D.C., university campuses, and tribal lands).
In these structures, the government, as a public authority, owns the land and leases it to a private buyer who owns the improvements (buildings). Instead of paying for land upfront or mortgaging it, the buyer pays an annual land rent—similar to interest. The land value never has to be repaid; the payment is interest-only.
My idea for Philadelphia:
The city could offer a voluntary program where buyers opt for the City of Philadelphia to hold title to the land under their home. At settlement, the city pays the assessed land value into the transaction. The buyer receives a ground lease instead of taking on a mortgage for the land. The buyer pays the city a small annual fee (e.g., 3% of land value). Future buyers may either assume the lease or buy out the land at its assessed value.
This idea may seem radical today but in fact, according to a fascinating read “The City of Philadelphia as it Appears in the Year 1894”, prospective homeowners could rent-to-own the land they were building on. “The former owner simply reserving himself a rent out of the property. The buyer became in fact the owner of the lot, but, in consideration of not paying for it in cash, agreed to pay so much rent per annum, and this rent was almost invariably 6 percent interest on the assumed value of the lot”. This meant that even family with modest means could rent a plot of land and build a home, “even of humble structure”. As long as they paid that rent they could stay in their home.
Example
Land value: $10,000
Interest rate: 3%
Annual payment: $300
It benefits our homeowners and the City in which we live. This system creates a permanent revenue stream (similar to a perpetual bond), keeps land in public ownership, and generates revenue for the city without raising taxes. Supports long-term fiscal stability.
For Buyers, it lowers upfront costs and shrinks the size of our mortgages. It brings greater affordability to neighborhoods that might otherwise be unattainable. It swaps large mortgages, big down payments, cash up front, and/or closing costs with predictable, structured payments. It’s a system that prioritizes affordability, flexibility, and community benefit—without sacrificing economic growth. The people and the place they live profit instead of the banks lending the mortgages.
3. I met incredible professionals—and toured their dreamy listings in Prague and virtually beyond
Networking at this event isn’t a stiff handshake-and-business-card exercise. It’s sharing meals, swapping stories, laughing, and learning alongside people who genuinely love what they do.
During guided property tours, I got to see firsthand the stunning listings in Prague 1 and Prague 6, where I learned, like Philadelphia historically, Prague has been experiencing 6% annual appreciation, sustained over multiple years. Yet, despite this significant growth, renting remains dramatically more affordable because mortgage products there function differently—fixed terms, lending ratios, and approval structures all vary widely from the U.S. system.
Walking through these neighborhoods—historic, beautifully preserved, and meticulously cared for—reminded me how local policy shapes everything from affordability to architecture. It also showed how agents worldwide tell the story of a home: through culture, history, design, and lifestyle.
These experiences broaden the way we think about storytelling in real estate—and remind me that Philadelphia has beauty, history, and lifestyle worth spotlighting just as boldly.
Bringing Global Insight Back to Philadelphia
Every session, every conversation, every tour reinforced a single truth: real estate is local, but knowledge is global.
By staying connected to global market intelligence, PHG is able to bring fresh ideas, innovative marketing, and international best practices directly to the clients we serve here at home.
Our clients don’t just hire an agent—they hire a global network, a forward-thinking marketing team, and a brokerage that invests in continuing education and innovation.
Your Real Estate Needs Are Global—And So Are We
Whether you're planning a move across Philadelphia, across the country, or across the world, you deserve an agent who is vetted, trusted, and genuinely excellent. Through LeadingRE, Philly Home Girls and Elfant Wissahickon Realtors have direct access to the top-performing independent brokerages in over 70 countries—firms that uphold the same standards of service, ethics, and local expertise that we do.
If you—or someone you know—needs a real estate professional anywhere on the globe, call us first. We’ll personally connect you with a proven, high-quality agent in any market through our international referral network. It’s one of the most valuable services we provide, and it ensures you’re in the best hands no matter where life takes you.
From Philly to Prague to anywhere your next chapter unfolds—we’ve got you.
When the weather starts to turn many of us are running on low and need a pick-me-up. The weather can get confusing; cold, sunny, snowy, and wet all at the same time. How does one get out of the house and, more importantly, WHERE do we go?