Hispanic real estate firm targets B.R. market

Casa Latino, a real estate firm that caters to the fast growing Hispanic home buying market, hopes to open at least two or three offices in Baton Rouge by the end of the year. The company, based in Celebration, Fla., is looking for franchisees in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and other Southern cities. “We want someone local to help develop the area,” says Kristin Taylor, a spokeswoman for Casa Latino. The company is looking for local people with knowledge of real estate and the local market; the ability to speak Spanish is a plus. Studies show that Hispanics will make up half of the first-time homebuyers in the U.S. next year; Casa Latino was formed four years ago to give that growing market special attention. “Hispanic families are very close-knit,” says Taylor. “They might have grandparents or older children living with them.” Baton Rouge seems like a good fit for Casa Latino, because the housing market is still fairly strong and the Hispanic population has dramatically increased since Hurricane Katrina. But Taylor says her company hasn’t done an analysis of Baton Rouge’s demographics. “All over the Southeast, there are metro areas we felt a need to go into,” she says.—Timothy Boone