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Buying Neighborhood News Pinecrest Selling

Do You Know Who Your Realtor Is? Make Sure You Aren’t Dealing With A Highjacker

I want to preface this blog with the statement that I did not wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.   As a matter of fact, I had a perfect morning.  Woke up before the sun was up, had coffee, read the paper,  had a nice long walk with the dog,  chatted with other neighborhood walkers and came back home to start work.  While I was leafing through my daily Google alerts, I came across a listing in Pinecrest.  I clicked on the link and was immediately familiar with one of Josie Wang’s listings.  It happens to be a modern home in Pinecrest at 9500 SW 60 Ct., and is just around the corner from my house.

9500 SW 60 Ct., Pinecrest

As I scrolled through the link, I did not see anything that mentioned Josie or AVATAR, her broker.  I know that a lot of agents and brokers have a myriad of websites, blogs, and aggregators (such as Trulia and Zillow) in order to promote their listings and maximize a seller’s internet exposure.  However, I also know that most agents and brokers clearly advertise themselves on these pages as well, so I immediately realized that this was someone hijacking Josie’s listing as their own.  Sure enough, when I scrolled to the very bottom of the page, the last line read that the listing was AVATAR’s.  I can assure you, I am going to be one of the few who reads that very last line.  I immediately sent an e-mail to Josie and contacted leaders in the Miami Realtors Association.  This is an increasingly common occurrence that needs to be stopped.

This exact thing happened to Carole Smith, a Realtor in my same EWM office.  Carole took action on the hijacking of her listing and I applaud her and urge all Realtors and sellers do the same.  Even though she is extremely busy, she took the time out to file a complaint, blog about the issue and post the blog on her Facebook page.  The feedback and frustration she heard back from other agents and individuals  shows how rapidly this unscrupulous practice is spreading.

Why should you care?

1) If you are a Realtor, it should be obvious.  As a listing agent, we spend hundreds to thousands of dollars to develop a marketing strategy as unique as each property.  This includes pictures, videos, and verbiage to highlight the property.  We also take time to get to know other features about the property and the neighborhood it is in.  When someone takes that information and passes it off as their own, it should be the same as plagiarism or copyright infringement.

2) If you are a seller, number one above applies to you as does the following:  the listing agent has information that may need to be shared with a buyer or buyer’s agent but that isn’t specified in the marketing literature.  If the hijacker is passing your property off as being their listing, you have no control over what they are saying to hook the buyer.  The listing agent also has spent the time getting to know you, your home, neighborhood and the specific properties that make your home special.  This added knowledge helps you get the most money for your home and allows for disclosure of issues that may affect the buyer upon their purchase, thereby avoiding potential problems after the sale.

3)  If you are a buyer BEWARE.  The main reason these agents/brokers hijack other agent/broker listings is to find you!  Some of them may be new in the business, focus on buyer representation vs listings, or simply not have enough of their own listings.  If they clearly acknowledge that this listing is another agent’s/broker’s, most agent’s have no problem with the practice of having their listings posted on another agent’s  website or blog.  Most of us want the maximum exposure for our listings and are happy to “share” (that is basically what IDX is about) our listings to get them sold faster and at market price, which is the price you and the seller agree to.

If these hijackers act unethically with their own peers, is this someone you want representing you in your purchase, when your money is on the line?

 

Categories
Buying Neighborhood News Pinecrest Selling

Do You Know Who Your Realtor Is? Make Sure You Aren't Dealing With A Highjacker

I want to preface this blog with the statement that I did not wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.   As a matter of fact, I had a perfect morning.  Woke up before the sun was up, had coffee, read the paper,  had a nice long walk with the dog,  chatted with other neighborhood walkers and came back home to start work.  While I was leafing through my daily Google alerts, I came across a listing in Pinecrest.  I clicked on the link and was immediately familiar with one of Josie Wang’s listings.  It happens to be a modern home in Pinecrest at 9500 SW 60 Ct., and is just around the corner from my house.

9500 SW 60 Ct., Pinecrest

As I scrolled through the link, I did not see anything that mentioned Josie or AVATAR, her broker.  I know that a lot of agents and brokers have a myriad of websites, blogs, and aggregators (such as Trulia and Zillow) in order to promote their listings and maximize a seller’s internet exposure.  However, I also know that most agents and brokers clearly advertise themselves on these pages as well, so I immediately realized that this was someone hijacking Josie’s listing as their own.  Sure enough, when I scrolled to the very bottom of the page, the last line read that the listing was AVATAR’s.  I can assure you, I am going to be one of the few who reads that very last line.  I immediately sent an e-mail to Josie and contacted leaders in the Miami Realtors Association.  This is an increasingly common occurrence that needs to be stopped.

This exact thing happened to Carole Smith, a Realtor in my same EWM office.  Carole took action on the hijacking of her listing and I applaud her and urge all Realtors and sellers do the same.  Even though she is extremely busy, she took the time out to file a complaint, blog about the issue and post the blog on her Facebook page.  The feedback and frustration she heard back from other agents and individuals  shows how rapidly this unscrupulous practice is spreading.

Why should you care?

1) If you are a Realtor, it should be obvious.  As a listing agent, we spend hundreds to thousands of dollars to develop a marketing strategy as unique as each property.  This includes pictures, videos, and verbiage to highlight the property.  We also take time to get to know other features about the property and the neighborhood it is in.  When someone takes that information and passes it off as their own, it should be the same as plagiarism or copyright infringement.

2) If you are a seller, number one above applies to you as does the following:  the listing agent has information that may need to be shared with a buyer or buyer’s agent but that isn’t specified in the marketing literature.  If the hijacker is passing your property off as being their listing, you have no control over what they are saying to hook the buyer.  The listing agent also has spent the time getting to know you, your home, neighborhood and the specific properties that make your home special.  This added knowledge helps you get the most money for your home and allows for disclosure of issues that may affect the buyer upon their purchase, thereby avoiding potential problems after the sale.

3)  If you are a buyer BEWARE.  The main reason these agents/brokers hijack other agent/broker listings is to find you!  Some of them may be new in the business, focus on buyer representation vs listings, or simply not have enough of their own listings.  If they clearly acknowledge that this listing is another agent’s/broker’s, most agent’s have no problem with the practice of having their listings posted on another agent’s  website or blog.  Most of us want the maximum exposure for our listings and are happy to “share” (that is basically what IDX is about) our listings to get them sold faster and at market price, which is the price you and the seller agree to.

If these hijackers act unethically with their own peers, is this someone you want representing you in your purchase, when your money is on the line?

 

Categories
Buying Pinecrest Selling

Gated Communities In Pinecrest: Pinecrest Grove

Pinecrest Grove Entrance

The entrance to Pincrest Grove is located on 60 Avenue, a short walk or bike ride to the Community Center, library, Pinecrest Gardens, Pinecrest Elementary School, and Wayside Market.  This gated community in Pinecrest consists of 9 single family homes built on one acre lots.  Most of the homes were built in the early 1980’s and range in size from 5,300 – 6,900 square feet.  There is an annual maintenance fee of $1,050 per year.

There is currently only one house available for sale in Pinecrest Grove.  It is listed by Josie Wang of Avatar.

Beautiful pool and patio area - 5942 SW 105 ST

This house was also the last closed sale.  It closed in June of 2011 for $1,330,000.

Categories
Pinecrest Things To Do Where's JWo?

Pinecrest Gardens – Answer to Last Week's Where's J Wo?

Pinecrest Gardens, the site of the old Parrot Jungle on Red Road in the Village of Pinecrest, is more than a beautiful tropical garden.  It could also be considered the Village’s downtown.  Since the Village’s borders are US 1, Red Road, 136 Street and 88 Street, there weren’t many areas to create a Village Center when the Village first incorporated in 1996.  Today, Pinecrest Gardens hosts a weekly farmer’s market, a jazz series, classical concerts, art exhibits, plays, a horticultural series, movie nights, food tastings, and so much more.  Couple it with the Village Community Center and the Library and it is definitely the place to hang out in Pinecrest.

Categories
Florida Life Pinecrest Things To Do Where's JWo?

Pinecrest Gardens – Answer to Last Week’s Where’s J Wo?

Pinecrest Gardens, the site of the old Parrot Jungle on Red Road in the Village of Pinecrest, is more than a beautiful tropical garden.  It could also be considered the Village’s downtown.  Since the Village’s borders are US 1, Red Road, 136 Street and 88 Street, there weren’t many areas to create a Village Center when the Village first incorporated in 1996.  Today, Pinecrest Gardens hosts a weekly farmer’s market, a jazz series, classical concerts, art exhibits, plays, a horticultural series, movie nights, food tastings, and so much more.  Couple it with the Village Community Center and the Library and it is definitely the place to hang out in Pinecrest.

Categories
Buying Pinecrest Selling

Gated Communities in Pinecrest: Criterion Estates

Criterion Estates in Pinecrest

Located on Red Road between Coral Oaks Tennis Club and Pinecrest Gardens, Criterion Estates was developed between 1996 and 2001.   There are a total of 7 two-story homes that range in size from 5,200 square feet to over 8,000.  The lots are 22,000-32,500 square feet and have beautiful landscaping.  The last sale was in 2009 for $1,555,000 or $263.47 per square foot.

Categories
Neighborhood News Pinecrest

Village of Pinecrest US 1 Vision Plan

If you drive US 1, you may have noticed that there is a lot of new construction going on.  The Village of Pinecrest Council hired a consulting firm, C3TS,  and formed a steering committee to come up with a vision for the future of Pinecrest Parkway, the section US 1 that makes up the Village’s western border.  The steering committee, made up of a cross-section of Pinecrest residents and business owners, met 4 times and participated in the Pinecrest Parkway Visioning Session that was open to the public and took place on June 9, 2012.  The results of those meetings are in the  final draft of the Vision Plan, which will be presented at Village Council’s meeting on Tuesday, September 11 at 7 p.m.

Categories
Buying Neighborhood News Pinecrest Selling

Gated Communities in Pinecrest: Palms Estates

Directly across the street from Red Oaks and behind Arboretum Estates is the ultra private Palms Estates.  This gated enclave of six homes, ranging in size from 4,000-7,500 square feet on half acre lots, has not seen a single turnover since the homes were built, between 1995-1998.

Categories
Buying Neighborhood News Pinecrest Selling

Gated Communities in Pinecrest – Red Oaks

Red Oaks Community in North Pinecrest

There are several gated communities in the Village of Pinecrest.  Most of them consist of only a handful of houses.   I will be featuring these communities over the next two months.

The first one is Red Oaks.  Located off of  Red Road, Red Oaks is walking distance to Hirni’s Wayside Garden FloristPinecrest Wayside Market, Pinecrest Elementary School, Pinecrest Gardens, Pinecrest Library and Community Center.

Built between 1999 and 2002, Red Oaks consists of 5 single family homes that are approximately 5,500 square feet and sit on 15,000-20,000 square foot lots.  There has only been one sale in Red Oaks in 2012.  It sold for $1,550,000, which was $284 per square foot.  Maintenance fees are $800 per quarter and include  lawn maintenance.

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Brickell/Downtown Miami Coconut Grove Florida Life Miami Beach Neighborhood News Pinecrest Restaurants Things To Do

Miami Spice Is Back – Two Months of Great Restaurants

Miami Spice is worth staying in, or visiting, Miami during the hot months of August and September.  In addition to the daily lunch and dinner specials offered at many of  our best restaurants, some of the participants are offering happy hour specials.

There are so many participating restaurants this year, it is going to be hard to choose.  If you live here, be adventurous and try a new restaurant, maybe even outside of your immediate neighborhood.  If you are visiting, try Pubbelly and Barceloneta Bistro on Miami Beach; Atrio Zuma and db Bistro Moderne in Downtown/Brickell; Ortanique and Graziano’s in the Gables; and one of my absolute favorites, Two Chefs in Pinecrest.  Their desert souffles alone are worth the visit.