Category: Selling

Strategies to maximize your sales price and market trends

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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 Florist,  Pinecrest 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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Buying Selling

South Florida Real Estate – Sales Continue to Soar

Beautiful Miami Skyline

EWM’s Coral Gables office had another spectacular week, with over $16 million dollars in sales.  The fact that values are off 48 % from the peak is just one reason.  Add to that improvements to urban areas that took place during the boom, the financial problems in Europe, proximity to Central and South America, gorgeous water, established cultural and art venues, our numerous universities and hospitals, and our international flavor.

With views like this, who wouldn’t want to live here!

 

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Miami Beach Restaurants Selling

Pubbelly Sushi On Miami Beach – Unique and Delicious!

 

I have been spending too much time South of 5th!  The area around Purdy Ave. is enjoying a mini restaurant boom.  I “found” Pubbelly Sushi today, even though it has been open for a while.  A friend and I were looking  for a place to have lunch within walking distance of Belle Isle.   He had suggested Pubbelly, the original restaurant next door, but they are closed for lunch.  Lucky me!  Very different sushi, but delicious.  We shared the Octopus Ceviche Roll, Rockshrimp Roll, and Yellowtail Roll and were pleasantly surprised by the nontraditional presentations and combinations.  Pubbelly’s menu is also not traditional for a sushi place as they have Tostones as appetizers and Pan Con Bistec on their limited sandwich menu.

Although I think I will skip those two items and focus on the sushi and sashimi, I will definitely be back.  There is an item on the Snacks menu that I just have to try!

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Buying Neighborhood News Pinecrest Selling

Twelve Homes In Pinecrest Go Under Contract In One Week!

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.

13500 SW 66 Ave Listed for $1,695,000 by Jo-Ann Forster EWM

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Selling

The Impact of Staging An Empty House

I have seen a lot of staged properties and as a result, I am a huge fan of staging homes for sale.  The most dramatic improvement I have ever seen on a house was for this listing at 6395 SW 120 Street in Pinecrest.

Look at the before and after pictures and let me know what you think.

Family room before
Family room after
Living room before
Living room after

Congratulations to listing agent Carole Smith of EWM’s Coral Gables office and Showhomes Coral Gables for transforming the look and feel of this house.

 

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Buying Selling

How Do You Feel About Third Party Real Estate Sites As A Buyer Or Seller?

Edina Realty, a Minneapolis-St Paul real estate subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., has decided to stop syndicating its listings to non-brokerage sites, such as Realtor.com, Trulia,  and Zillow.   Edina’s arguments are outlined in Inman News and bring up some interesting concerns regarding “advertising” on third party sites.

I work with several buyers and tenants who use third party sites to search for properties or obtain market information and I often do have to explain to them that the information they have gleaned from the site is incorrect, out-of- date, or not exactly reflective of what is happening in the local market.

For my sellers and landlords, I do put my listings on third party sites because I feel like the more eyes that see the listing the better the chances of selling that listing are.

What are your experiences with third party sites?  If you are a seller, would you list with a brokerage that does not participate with third party sites?

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Buying Foreclosures Selling

Miami Real Estate: Inventory Low, Prices Increasing

Further evidence of the improving Miami real estate market can be seen in EWM’s Coral Gables office sales for last week.  The total of sales and leases was $20,484,380.  Residential sales represented 90.5% of those transactions.   The total for all of EWM’s Miami Dade County offices was over $36,000,000.

Today’s Miami Herald article, “South Florida’s real estate market looks hot again” summarizes the market gains.

 

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Buying Selling

The National Association of Realtors Rallies Congress on Real Estate Issues

Today the National Association of Realtors will be in Washington DC to address several real estate issues that Congress is contemplating to address the federal deficit.  Some of the issues being addressed include:

  • Mortgage Interest Deduction: long enjoyed by homeowners, this deduction has been recommeded to be eliminated as part of  large tax reform proposal
  • Capital Gains – Exclusion on Sale of Residence:  reducing or limiting the capital gains exemption ($250,000/$500,000) on the sale of a home is also being discussed.
  • Property Tax Deduction:  possibilty that current deduction would be reduced or eliminated.

NAR is tackling other issues as well via their 2012 Federal Public Policy Priorities.

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Buying Investment Real Estate Selling

Miami Real Estate: Prices on the Rise

Miami and Phoenix are seeing a rise in asking prices, based on a Trulia Price Monitor Report.  There are still a lot of good buys out there, but many buyers are frustrated when a new property comes on the market and goes under contract almost immediately.  Decreasing inventory and aggressive pricing by listing agents, mean you have to act fast if you are serious about making a purchase.  If the property is priced right, don’t try to negotiate it down too much, if at all.  I listed two properties last week that both had multiple offers within the first two days.  The first property had all offers at asking price and we went to a multiple offer situation where we asked for highest and best.  Total time on market was 6 days.

The second property had several offers on the second day.  One agent had his buyer offer slightly over asking and put down 10% as an initial deposit, upon acceptance.  The seller accepted his offer.  Two days later, a higher offer came in from a buyer who was desperate because she had just lost out on a short sale and needs to move fast.

If you are a buyer, be ready to put your best offer forward early on.  If you are a seller and get multiple offers, don’t second guess your pricing or hold out for something even better.  The reality is that you get the most activity on a listing when it first goes on the market.  The longer you wait, the less you are likely to get.

 

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Selling

Pet Friendly Buildings on Brickell

Luckily for pet lovers living in or moving to Miami, there are more buildings than ever that allow pets.  Most of them do have restrictions and sometimes buildings go from pet friendly to not, so make sure to double check with the association before you buy or rent.  Most only allow one pet per unit

Under 20 pounds

500 Brickell

Solaris

Fortune House

Sail

Brickell on the River

One Broadway

Under 30 pounds

Axis

One Broadway

Under 50 pounds

The Mark

No weight limit

The Plaza – allows 2 pets per unit