Welcome back to Innovation Tri-Valley's Housing for All podcast.

In this, our third episode, host Tim Sbranti, and guest, Otto Catrina, owner of Catrina Real Estate & Investments and the California Association of Realtors 2022 president, dive into the economics of California and Tri-Valley real estate, the issues facing first-time home buyers and the communities in which they wish to live, and the initiatives, programs, and opportunities being created locally and nationally to address issues of housing affordability.

GUEST BIO:
Otto Catrina, Catrina Real Estate & Investments
Otto Catrina, broker/owner of Catrina Real Estate in Castro Valley, Calif., formerly served as 2022 CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) President.

In addition to serving his clients, Catrina also is active with his local, state, and national associations of REALTORS®.

At the local level, Catrina was 2011 president of the Bay East Association of REALTORS®, where he served on various committees, including Strategic Planning, Board of Directors, Marketing, Professional Standards, and Local Government Relations.

Distinguished in the real estate industry, Catrina has been recognized by the Bay East Association of REALTORS® with numerous honors. He received the Association’s prestigious “REALTOR® of The Year” in 2007, the John A. Deadrich Distinguished Service Awards in 2009 and the Outstanding Leadership Award in 2019.

Catrina also serves as a State Director for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, where he has served as C.A.R.’s Federal Chairman and Chairman for C.A.R.’s Legislative Committee. He has served as Public Policy Liaison to C.A.R. Leadership, overseeing federal and state legislation.

Catrina also has served in various leadership positions at the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) including NAR Director, member of the Issues Mobilization Committee, and REALTOR® Party Member Involvement Committee. He currently serves as chair of the Leading Edge Committee and was recently inducted into NAR’s Hall of Fame. Catrina is a graduate of NAR’s Leadership Academy and past chairman of the Leadership Academy. He also is the Federal Political Coordinator for Congressman Eric Swalwell, (CA, 15th District) and is a key contact for Assembly member Bill Quirk (CA, 0th Assembly District).

As a full-time real estate broker/REALTOR® since 2002, Catrina has earned numerous industry designations including GREEN, Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Graduate REALTORS® Institute (GRI), Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource (SFR), Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) Specialist, Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE), Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES), & e-PRO.

Catrina is a graduate of the University of San Francisco with a bachelor’s degree in government. He has been married to his wife, Gigi, for 26 years and has three children and four grandchildren.