John Yen Wong may be the only Asian Yale grad with a biology degree to build a successful residential real estate career. But the degree hasn’t gone to waste: Wong has been successful in growing an organization that has brought a higher level of recognition and influence to the thousands of Asian Americans with careers in residential real estate sales.
Wong began his real estate career in 1981, six years after graduating from Yale. He used his Chinese language ability and cultural background to build up his real estate sales career and to become the owner of real estate offices.
Throughout his career Wong has been active in championing the cause of home ownership for Asian Americans and other minorities through his membership in NAR, the nation’s leading association of minority real estate professionals, and its affiliated CRBCouncil. In 2002 Wong became founding chairman of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA). Since then the organization has grown to 14,000 members in 38 states.
In 2004 Wong was national President of the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers (CRB). A year later he became President of the San Francisco Association of Realtors. In 2006 AREAA named him Real Estate Person of the Year.
Wong is currently a broker associate of a Prudential Reality branch in San Francisco. In 2009 he began serving as AREAA’s president.
