An article in today’s Miami Herald discusses the importance of first impressions when you are selling your home.
According to the article, you have 8 seconds to make a first impression, whether good or bad. Three quick and relatively inexpensive fixes for the front of your house include:
1. Mulch existing landscaping
2. Put colorful potted plants on front porch
3. Place attractive porch furniture on the porch
Known as South Florida’s garden party, the 71st Annual Fairchild Ramble is this weekend.
The entrance to the Liberty Caffe, located in the historic Country Club of Coral Gables, is last week’s Where’s J Wo answer.
The Country Club, recently restored by the Liberty Group out of Toronto, was originally the Merrick family’s vegetable garden. Designed by Hampton and Reimert, it was the first public building in Coral Gables. When it opened on January 15, 1923, it rapidly became an important part of the social scene as well as in promoting Coral Gables as a place to buy real estate. It was often used by George Merrick to entertain prospective buyers for his single family homes.
Don’t miss Liberty Caffe’s half off gelato Tuesdays!
Where am I? Stay tuned for a future history lesson and cafe hot spot!
The new building is not limited to the affluent Ponce/Davis area either. Drive around just about any where and you will see signs of new construction. Real estate prices have plunged and buyers who can’t find what they are looking for, or builders trying to meet new demand, have gotten back into the market. Another sign the real estate market is starting to turn.
I received two phone calls from buyers last week. They were calling me on a sign in front of a South Miami townhouse I have listed for sale. Both of them wanted to see it, neither was working with a Realtor. I explained to them that the townhouse was under contract but that I would be happy to show it. One of them wanted to see it. When I asked her how she found it, she said “driving around”. After I showed it to her, she said it was exactly what she had been looking for, too bad it was under contract and could I let her know if the deal fell through. I told her I would be happy to and asked her if she wanted me to help her find a home. She said no, she would rather continue to drive around and use her Trulia app.
The second buyer was also a “drive by”. He said he had been looking in the area for over a year (!) and still hadn’t found anything. I tried to explain to him that by driving around, he is missing opportunities and will probably always be late to the good deals. The South Miami townhouse had seven offers on it in the first week. I told him Realtors have applications on their phones that notify them as soon as a property comes on the market, which allows their buyers to get a jump start on seeing and presenting offers. He said he would rather keep driving around…. Now these “buyers” may just be habitual real estate shoppers who just like to drive around and look at real estate. If you are a serious buyer, you really need to be working with a Realtor. In addition to being notified as soon as a property that meets your criteria comes on the market, you will be saving a lot of time and gas!
I know some of us Realtors make what we do seem so easy that a monkey can do it, but believe it or not we go to a lot of work just to arrange showings. When you want to go see homes it takes coordinating various schedules (the listing agent, selling agent, and seller) in order to set up a time that is convenient for you, the buyer. Today I went to show one of my listings. The buyer’s agent had requested that I show it at 12:30 and we had confirmed she was on time at 11:30. I got to the house a little early to turn on lights and make sure everything was in order so it would be shown in it’s best light. By 12:50 the buyers still hadn’t arrived, so I called the agent. There was no answer so I left a message saying that Iwas leaving. I started turning off lights and locking up the house. When I was walking out the door at 1:00, I got a call saying they were running late (Really?!) and could I wait until 1:30. Since I had a home inspection down the street at 2, I told her I could but that I had to leave by 1:45. They got to the house “on-time” and as the buyers were walking around the house, their agent was on the phone scrambling to salvage the rest of the showings. When another agent responded that he would not wait for them, they were more than 45 minutes late for his showing, the buyers looked at their agent and said, “Well, I guess some people just aren’t interested in making money”. Again, REALLY?! Sitting around waiting for people has never made anybody any money….. and this was for a rental!
There is always something to do in Miami, but with busy schedules and so many different options, it is easy to get into a rut or have Friday creep up on you. Here is a short list to kick off the weekend. Some of these events are free and others have a charge.
Wine tasting at Atelier Monnier in Pinecrest 6-9 p.m. FREE
Scenes of Modern America Exhibition at Wolfsonian Museum 6-9 FREE
Cultural Season Kick-Off at Vizcaya Coconut Grove 6:30 – 9 FREE
Movie and Martini’s at Pinecrest Gardens 6:30 p.m.
Champagne Tasting at Wolfe’s Wines in Coral Gables 7-9 p.m
Opening of Miami City Ballet at Arsht Center 8 p.m.
Miami Environmental Film Festival various times and locations
The Incredible Dog Show Bicentennial Park
House of Horror 6:30 t0 midnight