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Who Counts the Bubbles in Champagne?

I attended the champagne and caviar tasting at the Whole Foods in Coral Gables last night and learned a lot! I already knew I love caviar and am extremely picky about my champagne, so I was thinking I would just go and have fun.

Little did I know I would actually learn that champagne has 56 million bubbles per bottle, that the reason for checking the cork from a champagne bottle is to make sure it matches the label, and that proper champagne opening etiquette is to make the cork “kiss” instead of “pop”!

More Than Just Shopping at Coral Gables Whole Foods

Well, I went to my first event at the Coral Gables Whole Foods since the grand opening last week. On Thursday they had a sangria tasting and it was a good excuse to hang out in their Whole Lifestyle Center (LC) and chat with friends and neighbors who stopped by. The Tarantas Sangria, an organic bottled sangria, was the better of the two and could serve as a starting point to doctor your own, but nothing beats homemade sangria.

Patrick, one of the sommeliers at Whole Foods, was extremely friendly and helpful, and took time out to chat about wines and sangria. I an organic wine tasting on Friday, but will be there tonight for a champagne and caviar tasting.

My only critique of the store is that the LC is inconveniently located on the opposite side of the store and can only be accessed from the outside. This was poor planning since it discourages shoppers from meandering through the store prior to an event or from returning to the store to purchase items after an event. I am sure they will be working on fixing this oversight so they can maximize the marketing potential of their tastings, cooking classes, and demonstrations.

Whole Foods Coral Gables Wine Tasting Calendar

Gotta admit that I am a food geek who has been anxiously awaiting the opening of Whole Foods in Coral Gables. I loved shopping at Whole Foods in California and though I wouldn’t trek to the Aventura store, I did trek all the way to Fairfax, Virginia to visit the store there. Actually, I was visiting family and we just made this a side trip to plan dinner.

Geek that I am I signed up for the pre-opening behind the scenes tour today and enjoyed eating my way through the isles. In addition to fresh squeezed orange juice, bananas, cookies, cake, a turkey empanada with mango chutney, and Parmesan cheese, we were treated to a wine tasting in their Whole Lifestyle Center, a community-hall style room for cooking demonstrations and wine tastings.

They have several tastings coming up: Sangria on Thursday, September 27 from 7-8:30, Intro to Organic Wined Friday, September 28 from 7-8:30, Caviar and Moet Champagne Tasting on Saturday, September 29 from 7-8 and a Cheese and Wine Pairing on Sunday, September 30 from 4-5. The Cheese and Wine Pairing is a fundraiser for The Pet Project, which helps individuals with disabling illnesses keep their pets.

I am looking forward to the lifestyle center offerings as much as I am to the store opening. I don’t like to shop and find grocery shopping especially tedious, but I like cruising (and tasting my way) through the isles at Whole Foods. It can bring out the cook in anyone. And if you don’t like to cook, take home their delicious meals. A nice change from rotisserie chicken!

Vampires and Werewolves, Oh My!

No, this is not an early Halloween blog but rather one about Books and Books, our Manhattan-style bookstore. Mitch Kaplan, Books and Books owner and a co-founder of Miami Book Fair International, has done an incredible job bringing distinguished authors to speak, read, and sign books over the years, but none got my teen daughter’s attention until Stephenie Meyer showed up on September 15 to talk about Eclipse, the latest in the Twilight Series.

I was lucky, or crazy, enough to attend the Books and Books sponsored Vampire Ball, guest starring Stephenie Meyer, with my 13 year old daughter and hundreds of other fans. The Coral Gables War Memorial was packed but the event was extremely well organized. Fans waited in line for asked questions of the author and then waited to get their books signed.

It was wonderful to see so many young readers and would-be authors enjoying a Saturday afternoon with their parents, friends, and books. Thanks, Mitch!

Miami Palmetto High School Turns 50!

Miami-Palmetto Senior High School is celebrating its Golden Anniversary and the PTSA is having a special membership drive to commemorate it.

Ranked in the top 100 public schools in the country by Newsweek Magazine, the school is one of the reasons so many families move to Pinecrest. I remember the first time I attended a new student orientation with my now senior student. The principal asked all of the parents who had graduated from Palmetto High to stand up and an extremely large percentage of the people in the auditorium stood up.

I wouldn’t have been surprised at the numbers if we were in a small town, but Miami has a very large and transient population. I was thrilled that so many adults felt the school and Pinecrest community had been such a positive experience in their upbringing that they chose to return and raise their families here.

The school will be holding their open house on Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m.

8 Adjustments to Village of Pinecrest Results in 9% Decrease in Millage

The Village of Pinecrest reduced its millage from approximately 2.4 mills to 1.95 mills by cutting $1,600,000 from its 2007-2008 budget. This was attained by:

1. Increasing the admission fee at the Splash and Play at Pinecrest Gardens.
2. Charging memberships at the future community center.
3. Increasing rental rates at Village facilities.
4. Decreasing expenditures on out-of-state travel and staff education.
5. Not filling vacant positions.
6. Reduce park hours.
7. Postponing replacement of vehicles.
8. Reducing the amount of funds spent on promotional activities.

$50,000 For Schools Remains in Village of Pinecrest Budget

At the first public hearing on the budget for 2007-2008, the Village of Pinecrest City Council voted to reinstate the $50,000 that they allocate in the form of $10,000 to each of the schools withing the Village limits.

In the past, this money has been used for landscaping the front of the schools, increasing or updating technology, and expanding Accelerated Reader (AR) programs.

In voting for reinstating the $50,000, which will come from the Village’s reserves, the Village Council acknowledged the importance of the quality schools in bringing families to Pinecrest and increasing property values.

Kuddos to the Village Council! The next budget hearing will be on September 18 at 7:00 p.m.

So Much To Do, So Little Time!

No, this blog does not pertain to the hundred and one things we all must do on a daily basis to empty our honey do lists, work lists or any other lists. This has to do with all of the fun things there are to do in South Florida, but many of us never get around to doing. Whether you live in Florida year round, visit us when it gets cold up north, or own a second home or investment property here take advantage of some of the awesome events that go on in our town.

Currently, probably to help with the summer lull and increase business, there is the Miami Spice event. One of my favorite restaurants on the list is the Setai. Not only is the outside “zen” area a wonderful place for pre-clubbing drinks (great Lychee Martini), it is a nice place to wind down and relax. During Miami Spice, which runs through September, you can get a 3- course meal for $35.

The Miami International Wine Fair , which benefits the American Red Cross, starts this weekend and runs through the 10th.

If wining and dining isn’t your thing, you can tour Vizcaya Museum and Gardens; Sundays in September are free! In the evening, you can take in a movie at University of Miami’s Bill Cosford Theatre. Want to take your children to a museum without them rolling their eyes? Check out the Dr. Seuss exhibit at the Miami Children’s Museum.

Of course this list isn’t even the tip of the iceberg and does not include the obvious activities, such as going to one of our great beaches, renting a boat, or taking in a Dolphins or Marlins game. Whatever you do, take time to enjoy the variety of activities South Florida has to offer and thank your lucky stars that you live in such a wonderful place!

Local Effects of Property Tax Reform

Well, I received my property tax notice last week and surprise! my property tax bills are not going down significantly (neither did my insurance by the way). I can’t complain as I am one of the lucky homesteaded property owners who defied the “average-time -in-a-house-is 5-7 years-rule” and have been in mine for over 16, so my taxes are low compared to many others in my neighborhood.I live in the Village of Pinecrest, which has been an ardent supporter of the public schools within its boundaries since it incorporated in 1996. Due to the tax reform passed last legislative session, Pinecrest has to rollback their millage rate by 9% and, as a result, cut $50,000 out of its budget that used to go to the schools in the form of $10,000 grants. Obviously this isn’t the only cut they made, parks among other items also got hit, but with three students in the public schools here, it is a cut that will directly affect me.How does this relate to real estate? Easy.

1. Companies need an educated workforce to want to do business in a state.
2. Employees relocating with their companies want high quality public schools.
3. Properties in areas with quality public schools are in higher demand than other areas.

So, while we are all clamoring for property tax cuts and super-sized exemptions to make housing more affordable in the state, let’s remember that cuts will have to be made and we may not be happy with the long term results if those cuts are made in the wrong places.

4 Reasons Buyer’s Aren’t Rejoicing Over High Inventory Levels

All we have been hearing for the past several months is how bad the housing market is. High inventory, high foreclosure rate, slow sales. All of that is true, especially in Florida, California, and Nevada where speculation ran high. In 2006, Business Week did a story on absorption rates and came up with the following cute summary of inventory absorption rates. In addition to their four categories, I have added two of my own based on Miami-Dade’s inventory levels: 18+ months “ugly”; over 30 months “downright depressing”. I came up with these catagories after learning that as of July, 2007 there were a total of 38,672 condos and single family homes listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) compared to 1,100 closed sales during that same time period. Based on those numbers, we have a 32.9 month supply of condos and single family homes! Now that is depressing, if you are a seller.So why aren’t buyers rejoicing and buying since interest rates are still low?

1. Some sellers are still in denial and have not dropped their prices significantly enough to bring buyers off of the fence (basic economics tells you that if supply is high and demand is low, prices need to come down, right?).
2. Property taxes have not come down enough and are still a huge chunk of a buyer’s monthly housing expense.
3. Insurance rates are still high.
4. Since lenders require insurance and tax reserves up front at closing, the amount of money required at closing is significantly higher than it has been.
5. Who would want to buy when all of the news in the media is negative (okay, that’s a freebie and wasn’t on my original list).

That being said, since real estate is all about location, location, location, individual local markets can be doing better than others or the county’s in general. Coral Gables currently has a 22.4 month inventory based on closed sales which represents 582 homes for sale vs. 26 sold. 22.4 months isn’t great, but its better than 32.9 months, especially since that inventory is for the entire Coral Gables market. The inventory level for homes between $600,00-$899,000 is 18.5 months.Pinecrest has an 18.1 month inventory with 253 homes on the market in July of 2007 vs 14 sold. Again, still depressing if you are a seller but better than the county as a whole.Whether you are a buyer or a seller, find out what the inventory level is in your local market and price range to help assist you in buying or selling your home.