Information on real estate, schools, events and establishments in your area
If you have never been to the Deering Estate, or if it has been a while since your last visit, take advantage of tomorrow’s free admittance to get acquainted or re-acquainted with this beautiful historic estate. Enjoy a variety of activities and programs, stroll through the house and grounds, and visit the Artist Village and see their works of art in progress. As you leave the Deering Estate, stroll down to the people’s dock and enjoy the wildlife.
Wow! If all of the articles in the newspaper haven’t convinced you that the market is changing maybe this will: 12 listings went pending between 6/13 and today, 6/21. Seven of them had been listed for less than 3 months. The list prices ranged from a high of $1,695,000 for the home pictured below to a low of $449,000.
At the height of the typical summer selling season, there are only 10 homes, out of 147 currently listed, for less than $500,000 in the Village of Pinecrest. None are foreclosures, two are short sales.
Pinecrest, long coveted by families because of great schools, large lots, and plenty of parks and family activities, has an average list price of over $1.6 million for 2012. The average sales price through May of this year is $882,000.
The house pictured below is listed for $360,000 and is the only one under $500,000 in the Pinecrest Elementary School District.
Most schools in Miami Dade County have been out for over a week. Now that cleaning out book bags, desks and drawers of last year’s school stuff is done and sleeping in and laying around the pool is becoming old hat, what is there to do in the hot, humid Miami summer? Lots!
Aside from the obvious of visiting beaches and Matheson Hammock, there are lots of activities offered for children of all ages. Since it is still early in the summer, I am focusing on outdoor activities first.
Pinecrest Gardens has a Splash and Play, Petting Zoo and fish feeding pond.
Miami Dade Parks Eco-Adventures offers kayaking, canoeing, bike riding, and snorkeling at a many different parks. They also offer a wide variety of summer camps throughout the summer.
Amelia Earhart Park has a wakeboarding/waterskiing facility as well as a the Bill Graham Farm Village with livestock and all sorts of activities revolving around farm life.
If you have a favorite outdoor summer activity, please share it in the comments section.
Indoor summer activities will be featured in a later post.
Most schools in Miami Dade County have been out for over a week. Now that cleaning out book bags, desks and drawers of last year’s school stuff is done and sleeping in and laying around the pool is becoming old hat, what is there to do in the hot, humid Miami summer? Lots!
Aside from the obvious of visiting beaches and Matheson Hammock, there are lots of activities offered for children of all ages. Since it is still early in the summer, I am focusing on outdoor activities first.
Pinecrest Gardens has a Splash and Play, Petting Zoo and fish feeding pond.
Miami Dade Parks Eco-Adventures offers kayaking, canoeing, bike riding, and snorkeling at a many different parks. They also offer a wide variety of summer camps throughout the summer.
Amelia Earhart Park has a wakeboarding/waterskiing facility as well as a the Bill Graham Farm Village with livestock and all sorts of activities revolving around farm life.
If you have a favorite outdoor summer activity, please share it in the comments section.
Indoor summer activities will be featured in a later post.
KaBoom, a national non-profit whose “mission is to create great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities”, will be awarding Pinecrest its Playful City USA Recognition at the Village Council’s June 12 meeting.
Other cities in Miami-Dade County that were recognized include Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay, Doral and Miami Lakes. KaBoom’s recognition makes these cities eligible for grants that will support parks and recreation areas. The more parks we have in South Florida the better! Congratulations to all cities who made Kaboom’s 2012 List of Playful Cities.
Make sure to visit the parks in these cities over the summer.
Today I toured homes for sale in a variety of price ranges in Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay. This 4 bedroom 3.5 bath pool home at 6822 SW 144 Terrace gets my “Best Open” vote for today.
It is on a quiet street in Palmetto Bay and the clean lines and tastefully, understated decorating throughout the house made it a pleasure to view. The kitchen and family room, separated by the wet bar below, were my favorite aspects of the house.
It is listed by Ashley Cusack with EWM’s Coral Gables office.
This beautiful bar is one of the many fine details in this 11,533 square foot home by Portoundo Perotti. The home is currently listed for $5.3 million by Lourdes Alatriste with Engel & Voelkers.
Yesterday I attended a Tier 1 workshop put on by MDX to explain the US 1 express lane project development and environment study. Considering how large this proposed project is and how many residents and businesses it will have an effect on if it goes through, there were not a lot of people in attendance.
Based on the current study, the express lanes will have potential overpasses at each intersection on the busway where there is currently a traffic light. The maximum height of these overpasses will be 24-25 feet high, which is the height of the Metrorail track.
The impact on the abutting neighborhoods of having this expressway will be significant. While trying to ease congestion on US 1 and decrease travel times from the southern end of the county to the Metrorail stations are laudable goals, as currently conceived, I think the project is going to create havoc on the neighboring communities and create more traffic, not less, along the corridor. Having an extra 2-3 lanes of “express” cars exiting at the end point will create a logjam. Add to that the plans to link the expressway to the Turnpike and the Palmetto and you get the picture.
This project will have a significant impact on the surrounding neighborhoods as well, with the potential to affect property values, mostly downward in my opinion.
If the whole goal is to get people out of their cars and onto Metrorail, wouldn’t it be a smarter use of taxpayer dollars to build Metrorail down to the southern part of the county as originally proposed. If they add express buses to the bus lanes, that could also help.
If you live in any of the neighborhoods that abut the busway, please contact Tere Garcia, Public Information Officer at MDX. Her number is 786-277-9292.
I drive Riviera every day on my way to and from work and love all of the renovations that have been going on on that street between Hardee and U.S.1.
Whether on a waterfront lot, like the house below, or a dry lot, over 6 homes have recently had major remodeling done.
I love the new look!