Author: jenniferwollmann

Categories
Environmental Freebies Home Improvement

Free High-Efficiency Shower Heads and Rebates to Conserve Water and Save $$

Water conservation is extremely important in Florida.  Even though we are surrounded by water, we are in the middle stop-signof a several-year drought and we all need to do our part to save water.  In addition to complying with current watering restrictions, there are steps you can take around your home to cut down water use.

Miami-Dade County has a program to exchange your old shower head and get a free, high-efficiency shower head.  They also offer rebates to homeowners who replace an old toilet with a high-efficiency one.

Categories
Renting in Miami

3 Reasons To Rent At 100 Edgewater Dr., #333, Coral Gables, FL

  1. Location, Location, Location:  I only counted this once even though this apartment is 5 minutes to downtown Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, University of Miami, and South Miami; 10 minutes to the University of Miami, Baptist and Mercy Hospitals, downtown Miami, 20 minutes to Key Biscayne and South Beach, Miami International Airport.
  2. Great layout.  There is no wasted space in this condo.  Good size living/dining area, large bedroom with walk-in closet and second closet.
  3. Relaxing.  Whether sitting on the balcony overlooking the garden or lounging in the huge pool or deck overlooking the Coral Gables Waterway, you feel like you are miles away from the mainland (even though, as mentioned in #1 above, you are close to everything).blog-pool-image

Categories
Buying Investment Real Estate Pinecrest

Unbelievable Land Value in Pinecrest, FL – 7935 SW 134 Street- Builder’s Acre Under $550,000

This beautiful builder’s acre is located on a quiet, low-traffic street in South Pinecrest.  A house sits on the property, bucciero-land-resizedwaiting for you to continue the updates or tear it down and build new.  Take advantage of the current market; it has been a while since land value in Pinecrest was this low.   The Village of Pinecrest is a highly desirable neighborhood with may parks, great schools, a community center and library.

Categories
Buying

Buying a Home? Know What You are Looking For

I know it sounds obvious, but knowing what you are looking for isn’t always as simple as it sounds.  Once you are pre-approved for a mortgage, decide what your ideal neighborhood and home would be.  Are schools important or is it more important that you be close to work?  Determine what the “must haves” are.  These are the specifics of the property or neighborhood that you are not willing to give up but would be willing to sacrifice a “nice, but not necessary” for.  This could be an extra bedroom, pool, specific school district, waterfront criteria etc.  Knowing what you are looking for both in a neighborhood and home  is extremely important as it will help keep you focused.  Once you narrow down your wants, you will realize you don’t have to look at everything on the market, only those specific properties that meet your criteria.

Categories
Buying Mortgage information

Buying a Home? Get Pre-Approved For a Mortgage

The first and most important step in buying a home is to get pre-approved by a lender for a mortgage.  This can be directly from a bank or credit union you do business with or through a mortgage broker.   Getting pre-approved will let you know how much house you can afford or, better yet, how much of a house you feel comfortable with.  The lender or mortgage broker will give you an idea of what your monthly costs will be and will give you a TRID form, which gives you an idea of closing costs to let you know how much money you will need to bring to the closing table to finalize your purchase.

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Categories
Coral Gables Neighborhood News Selling

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration in Coral Gables, FL

Head over to the John Martin’s Irish Pub and Restaurant for the St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, a huge block party with live bands and several food stations. The fun starts at 5 p.m. until midnight at Salzedo Street between Miracle Mile and Giralda Avenue.  REMEMBER to wear green!

Categories
Coral Gables Neighborhood News

Pre-St. Patrick’s Day Festivities at Annual Irish Festival in Coral Gables, FL

Can’t wait for St. Patrick’s Day?  Then plan on spending Saturday, March 14 enjoying Irish music, dance and food, at the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Irish Festival in Coral Gables.

Categories
Coral Gables Freebies Neighborhood News

Free and Fun First Fridays Gallery Walk in Coral Gables, FL

What does a Friday night with free music, wine, cheese and art gallery visits mean?  It must be Gallery Walk Night in Coral Gables!  Visit with the artists and discuss their work or just look at the art, nibble and sip the goodies, and enjoy the evening.  From 7-10 pm the first Friday of every month.

Categories
Buying Mortgage information

5 Criteria You Must Meet to Qualify For a Jumbo Loan in Miami, Florida

So, you have decided to get off the fence, take advantage of the steep price decreases and finally buy your dream home.  You have surfed the Internet, looked at pictures, maybe even settled on a neighborhood.  STOP!  Before you go any further you need to talk to a mortgage broker and find out if you could get a mortgage.  As you have read in the papers, the banks are not handing out money very easily.

Jumbo Loan

  • Any loan mortgage over $417,000 is considered a jumbo loan.
  • The minimum down payment required is 30%.
  • You will be required to provide your last two years tax returns.
  • Your credit score will need to be at least 720.
  • You can lower your rate by 1/4% if you go through EWM mortgage and have a bank account with Wachovia.

Stay tuned for information on other types of mortgages.

Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Coral Gables Miami Beach

The Architecural Diversity of South Florida’s Real Estate

Old Spanish
Old Spanish

One of the many things I enjoy about living in South Florida is it’s cultural diversity, but I never appreciated the architectural diversity until I started driving around taking pictures for this blog.  Thanks to George Merrick, we have the Old Spanish style that graces Coral Gables and is sprinkled throughout South Florida.  Our proximity to the Florida Keys resulted in Key West-style homes, though the ones in Miami-Dade County are significantly larger than the original Key West homes.  In downtown Miami we have amazingly modern skyscrapers such as the Espiritu Santo Plaza/Conrad Hotel building, Four Seasons, and the Jade.  Miami Beach, known for its Art Deco and Mimo architectural styles, also has modern, Miami-chic style homes, some of the most spectacular on  Dilido, Rivo Alto, Palm, Star, or one of the other islands.  What’s your architectural style?  No matter what it is you can probably find it in South Florida.