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South Florida Real Estate
Miami Real Estate – Selling Your Home? List It In January
Most agents will tell you that the best time to list your home for sale is in the late spring and early summer to take advantage of the “summer move”. The summer tends to be the time when most families move as it does not disrupt school schedules. This year, however, I would recommend that you list your house as soon as the new year sets in. The extension and expansion of the First-Time Homebuyer’s tax credit as well as the inching up of interest rates is going to keep the market trudging along, but in order to qualify for the tax credit a property must be under contract by the end of April, 2010.
If your property is already on the market and you are not getting a lot of showings by the end of January, take another look at the market in your area and make sure your property is priced right. You may also want to spruce up the exterior to create better curb appeal.
Related Articles:
Selling Your Home? You Need To Price It Right
First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit Extended and Improved
Don’t Under Estimate The Value of Curb Appeal
Healthy Eating Is Easy, Just Visit Your Local Farmer’s Market
If eating healthier is one of your new year’s resolutions, start out now! Sundays are when most Farmer’s Markets occur. In addition to supporting local farmers, you will get fresh fruits and vegetables. The taste is so much better when they are fresh!
Peppers
New Year’s Resolutions For South Floridians
Okay, I know every year we make resolutions only to break them or not live up to them, but these are pretty easy and will help you get better acquainted or reacquainted with your own back yard.
- Get in shape! This is South Florida, where the heat, beach, water activities and year-round outdoor lifestyle make this easy to do. Gables Fitness has bootcamps, which take place in the beautiful outdoors, in Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne and Bayfront Park. They also have personal training classes for men and women. I started about a month and a half ago at the Pinecrest location and am having a great time while I am getting in shape.
- Visit one of our museums. Many of the Miami museums have free events. The Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science will take more than one visit to explore. It has over 200 exhibits plus an IMAX theater. The Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale is currently exhibiting the works of Norman Rockwell (through February 7, 2010)
- Go on one of the art walks. In Miami: Calle Ocho, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Design District, Miami Beach, Wynwood all have art walks on different days of the week. Broward County has a twice yearly walk.
- Take a historical tour with Paul George.
- Volunteer at one of the many one-day volunteer activities such as Hands-On-Miami, Habitat For Humanity, Biscayne Bay Cleanup (Baynanza).
- Attend a performance at one of our many venues.
- Go to the horse races.
- Visit the Miami-Metro Zoo, Lion Country Safari, Butterfly Garden.
- Take a bike ride in the Everglades and/or Oleta State Park and/or Markham Park.
- Go to one of our local Farmer’s Markets, which are open through April, to purchase fresh local produce.
- Tour the Redland.
- Take a canoe or kayak ride. Most of the State Parks have hourly rentals and tours.
- Go to a full moon outdoor concert.
- If you are remodeling or landscaping, include energy efficient and sustainable products and go native with your landscaping.
If you have completed any of these resolutions recently (2009), please add your comments and feedback on this post. Do you have a resolution you would like to add to the list?
Hello 2010, Good Riddance 2009.
Not all of 2009 was bad, though you couldn’t tell from most of the news stories. As we ended 2009, we started to hear a little more upbeat news about the housing market (sales are up due to low prices), the national unemployment rate (appears to be steadying in most places, though not in Florida), consumer confidence is higher, the stock market is up, interest rates remain low, though are starting to creep up. Most economists are saying the recession is ending and, even though the future remains a bit bumpy, the overall economy is improving.
So as we enter 2010, let’s remember lessons learned in 2009, especially about bubbles, following the herd, and biting off more than we can chew (personally, professionally and financially). Most importantly remember priorities: health, family and friendships is what carry us through rough times and make the good times better. I know that sounds sooo corny, but it is true 
!
Blue Moon In Miami Rings in 2010
Blue Moon Miami, New Years Eve 2009. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
New Year’s Weekend 2010
In case you are planning to party the entire New Year’s weekend, you may want to consider taking in The Coconut Grove Art Stroll on January 2, 2010 from 7-11 p.m. It promises to be fun but not too high key if you are still recovering from the 31st.
Miami Office Space – Huge Inventories Are Around The Corner
Just when we start making a dent in the huge inventories of residential condo units in downtown Miami, we are about to be flooded by commercial office space. Several projects are coming on line next year, resulting in approximately 2 million square feet of office space. Under good economic circumstances, the normal absorption rate of office space is around 250,000 square feet. Needless to say, tenants are going to have a favorable advantage for negotiating leases for a very long time.
Miami Real Estate – Marina Blue Condominium
Port of Miami
This is one of the many beautiful views from the 516-unit Marina Blue Condominium on Biscayne Boulevard. This brand new building sits directly across the street from the Port of Miami, Miami Arena, and site of the future Miami Art Museum. It is walking distance to Bayfront Park, Bayside Marketplace and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Perfoming Arts. Convenient to South Beach (see it the the background to the left), Miami International Airport (15-20 minutes), and Brickell. Easy access to public transportation.
There are currently 39 units listed on the MLS ranging in price from $299,00o for a 950 square foot, one bedroom one-and-a-half bath unit up to $3.3 million for a 4,198 square foot three bedroom three-and-a-half bath unit on the 57 floor.
Pinecrest Farmer’s Market Is Full of Color
The Pinecrest Farmer’s Market at Pinecrest Gardens has been open every Sunday since December and I finally got by this weekend. It is open every Sunday from 9-2 p.m. through April, and I plan on being a regular. In addition to the fresh fruit and vegetables that are grown locally, there are food vendors with everything from conch to tropical ice cream, herb and vegetable plants for the home gardener, spices, and green products to clean your home or make it more energy efficient. My favorite part was the burst of color all around me. I know where I will be shopping for my produce for the next several months.
Robert Shiller Discusses Housing Market Volatility
An interesting article by Robert Shiller, Yale Economics Professor and one of the creators of the Case-Shiller home price index, discusses the idea that perceptions as to land value is what has driven a lot of the housing market increases. He argues that a growing global economy and increasingly transient population that values economic freedom versus the perceived land value will create a more volatile housing market.
What do you think about the issues raised in the article?
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