Boston realtors take a global view; as 1992 nears, the search for European partners is on. (Boston real estate firms see growth opportunities in post Common Market Europe) (Real Estate Supplement)

Boston Realtors take a global view

As 1992 nears, the search for European partners is on

On the brink of a unified Common Market, an increasing number of Boston real estate firms--including Hunneman Real Estate Corp., Cushman & Wakefield, as well as Leggat McCall/Grubb & Ellis and Meredith & Grew--are banking on the international business arena as a source of growth, giving rise to rivalry of a new breed.

Two commercial real estate firms are establishing ties with foreign interests: Hunneman by selling a share of the company to a Swiss real estate firm, and Cushman & Wakefield through a joint venture with a British brokerage company.

"Certainly this is becoming more competitive. Real estate is becoming a global commodity," said Al Townsend, senior vice president and director of a national division at Meredith & Grew, which has been inching its way into markets abroad since 1977.

Hunneman Real Estate Corp. and Iten Immobilien Treuhand, a Swiss real …