The original homes were built in the late 1930′s and throughout the 1940′s and have been extensively enlarged and renovated over the years. Today there are two stunning homes for sale which is a rare occurrence.

The 66 Foot Lap Pool Leads to the Three Room Guest Cottage

Currently listed for $2,825,000, 4040 Kiaora is a 6 bedroom/6 bathroom two-story home built in 1949 and listed by EWM.

The Screened Patio Across the Back of 4060 Kiaora Street

Truly breathtaking is the only way to describe the tropical gardens of 4060 Kiaora listed by One Sotheby’s for $4,650,000.

See all Coconut Grove listings with extremely large lots

Coconut Grove is a unique village, and you need a hyper-local specialist working for you here. Whether you are selling, buying, renting or investing I can help you make the right decisions. Call me at 305 794.6570 or leave me a note.  If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to receive the next one? Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

At the center of everything downstairs is the kitchen where family and guests can enjoy watching the cook from across a butcher-block topped work area open to everything. There’s a formal dining area as well as alfresco dining on the covered patio by the pool.

Arriving upstairs the first thing you reach is a large family room where the kids can do homework or watch television, or the family can simply be together without going downstairs. There are 3 large bedrooms plus the master suite on this floor. The master has a vaulted ceiling and a wraparound terrace overlooking the very private walled-in yard with a sparkling 20 X 40 pool.

The price is $1,520,000. Other details include

• Four bedrooms / 4 bathrooms
• Living Area: 3,792 square feet
• Land Size: 10,201 square feet
• 2 car garage
• Impact windows and doors
• Wood and marble floors
• Crown moldings

This home is listed by Gwen Taylor of EWM. If this is the home you’ve been longing for call me at 305 794.6570 to arrange an appointment!

Coconut Grove is a unique village, and you need a hyper-local specialist working for you here. Whether you are selling, buying, renting or investing I can help you make the right decisions. If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to receive the next one? Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

The Pool by the Bay at 1600 South Bayshore Lane Condos

I’ve written several posts about my favorite small waterfront building at 1600 S. Bayshore Lane, located on the bay just across from Grove Isle. With only 32 apartments on 9 floors it’s not often that there’s anything available for sale. The residents tend to stay and some own more than one unit.

I wrote about the 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment that was listed by Marilyn Tatman of Coldwell-Banker in June this year when it came on the market for $349,000. It has just closed for $332,500, or $313 per square foot. The average price per square foot for real waterfront condos, not those across S. Bayshore Drive looking at the water, is $355 per square foot, which gives me another reason to prefer this building to all others!

I’ve sold many of these apartments over the years and know it and most of the owners well. If you are interested in learning more about this boutique building give me a call at 305 794.6570 or leave me a note.

Stay updated with real estate in Coconut Grove by subscribing to my posts. Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

Be ready to make an offer when the right home shows up. If you’ll be financing your purchase you need a pre-approval letter for a mortgage from a reputable lender. This will be included in your original offer, and shows you are a serious buyer.

In the upcoming charts you’ll see the history of single family homes in Coconut Grove going back 15 months. It shows that there are less homes selling more quickly for closer to asking price than before.

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES FOR SALE, UNDER CONTRACT AND CLOSED

The chart above shows the trend of less properties on the market and more sales from August this year compared to the same time last year. The number of single family homes is down 32% and the number sold is up 28%.

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES: DAYS ON THE MARKET AND SALE PRICE TO LIST PRICE %

At the same time, houses are selling in less days for purchase prices closer to listed prices. This is great news for sellers, and not so much for those looking for new homes.

I recommend that if you find a house you like, make a strong offer as quickly as you can. There is quite a bit of competition for every home and you don’t want to lose it to someone else.

If you would like to know the value of your home I am available for a no-pressure consultation. Just give me a call at 305 794.6570 to arrange a convenient time.

Coconut Grove is a unique village, and you need a hyper-local specialist working for you here. Whether you are selling, buying, renting or investing I can help you make the right decisions. If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to receive the next one? Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms with a lovely screened-in front porch typical of the time this was built, 1926. It’s updated and has a brand new master bath, but nothing has been done to lose the character of this classic bungalow.

A magnificent fruit-bearing mango tree shares the back yard with a good-sized storage shed. The front garden is low maintenance, and the entire property is gated for privacy and security.

This home is offered for $335,000 and can be shown with minimal notice.

Open Rooms Make the House Feel Even Larger

Master Suite

The Sunny Front Porch is Also Screened to Catch the Bay Breezes

The Second Bedroom Can Also Make a Perfect Home Office

See all the details and more pictures of this classic home here. To schedule an appointment or for more information, call or text me at 305 794.6570.

To stay updated with all local real estate information, receive my blog posts via email by subscribing here.  Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

If you or someone you know is looking for a rental these days I highly recommend you use a Realtor. Competition is fierce for just about everything and the really good places last no more than a few days.

You can’t rely on the sites available to the public as their information is so often out of date that they are quite misleading. I’ve had customers send me listings they found on Zillow and Craigslist, especially, and they are continually disappointed to find what they saw is already rented, sometimes months in the past.

Here are 6 reasons to use a Realtor when looking for a rental.

• Realtors will tailor the search for your place to your exact needs, so you don’t have to make who knows how many calls to find out if some detail is available.

• There’s no need to spend time on third-party sites that aren’t up to date.  The only real-time provider is the multiple listing service we Realtors use.

• Realtors will coordinate showing the places you want to see at your convenience, so you see several rentals at one time.

• Avoid the scams that proliferate these days by having someone working for you who knows the signs of deceit and can validate ownership in a property.

• Realtors are familiar with rental values and have access to the histories of each property. We can negotiate on your behalf with experience and confidence.

• There is no cost to you to engage the services of a realtor. We are paid a prearranged amount by the owner of the property.

With the above points in mind I can’t imagine why anyone would DIY it when looking for a rental. Leave the footwork to your Realtor. If you’re looking in the Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, or neighborhoods nearby I am a local specialist. Give me a call or text me at 305 794-6570 or leave me a note here.

To stay updated with all local real estate information, receive my blog posts via email by subscribing here.  Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

It’s not often that anything is available at my favorite small condo in Coconut Grove. Located right on the bay in north Coconut Grove, 1600 South Bayshore Lane Condos is a boutique building with only 4 apartments per floor on nine floors. It’s not new or loaded with today’s amenities but has the character of the Grove in days gone by.

There’s not a doorman but you must be let through the security gate to have the resident buzz you into the building. There is no valet parking, but there’s enough parking inside the gate for your friends to park in a secure area. No gym either, but there’s a heated bay-side pool, a bike storage shed, and it’s 3 minutes on a dedicated path to the vita course at Kennedy Park.

Marilyn Tatman at Coldwell-Banker has listed unit 5-C for $395,000. This 2 bedroom 2 bathroom updated apartment has a bay view, as does every apartment in the building. Details can be seen here.

There are docks available for rent from the Association at the unbelievable price of $100 per month for residents only. Boats up to 10″ beam, 40 foot length and 6″ depth will fit into the available well-protected spaces. Pets are also allowed, with no restrictions or limitations. Besides that heated pool there is a sauna and a covered barbecue area

If you or someone you know has been yearning for that little place on the bay, this is it! These don’t change owners often and it should sell quickly.

Coconut Grove is a unique village, and you need a hyper-local specialist working for you here. Whether you are selling, buying, renting or investing I can help you make the right decisions.For more information or an appointment to see this apartment call me at 305 794.6570 or leave me a message.

If you enjoyed this article you can receive them in your own email by subscribing. Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

With reservations not surprisingly ahead of schedule, Grove at Grand Bay seems on track to become the new standard of excellence for condo living. The project will sit on the site of the old Grand Bay Hotel on South Bayshore Drive, with only 96 elegant apartments in the two 20-story towers. The first tower is expected to open in 2014.

Apartments will have between 2 and 5 bedrooms depending on the floor plan. Amenities include private elevators, 12 foot ceilings, gas cooking inside and electric cooking on the terrace, 2 car garage spaces, and chef and butler services. Corner and penthouse apartments will have air-conditioned garage space and staff quarters included. The views will be spectacular with the first floor of residences starting 50 feet above the ground.

I was totally impressed with the project during a recent private presentation. The architect is world-renowned Bjarke Ingels Group of Copenhagen, Denmark in conjunction with Terra Group, developer.

If you would like more information, including floor plans and prices call me at 305 794.6570 of drop me a note. If this looks like the next place you want to live I’ll invite you to a private presentation.

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to receive the next one. Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

Looking at figures for the North Grove the average sale price is $755,071, up from $702,515 in 2010. The per square foot average is up from 2010′s $249 to $263 . There were 51 sales in 2010 and 65 last year.

South Grove also had healthy increases in average sale price and per square foot average. In 2010 the average sale price was $938,698 ($282 per square foot) compared to last year’s $993,000 ($293 per square foot). There were 104 sales in 2011 and just 66 the year before.

So far this year there have been 10 sales in the South Grove with an average square foot price of $297, and in the North Grove 7 sales at an average of $243 per square foot.

Coconut Grove is a unique village, and you need a hyper-local specialist working for you here. Whether you are selling, buying, renting or investing I can help you make the right decisions. Call me at 305 794.6570 or leave me a note.

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to receive the next one? Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

Don’t forget that new homeowners have until March 1 to apply for Homestead Exemption, which lowers the assessed tax value by up to $50,000. The main qualifications are that the property must be your primary residence and you must have moved in by January 1.

Application is easy and done only one time as long as it remains in the original owner’s name(s). Complete guidelines and forms are available at the Property Appraiser’s Site.

Take a few minutes now and get this out of the way. The money you save is well worth it and March 1 will be here before you know it!

If you have questions about applying or want to discuss your next real estate move, call me at 305 794.6570 or  leave me a note .

If you or someone you know is thinking about buying or selling a home any time in the next year, please call to let me know. It would be my pleasure to contact and work with your referral. My commitment to you is to treat them with the utmost care as they work towards buying or selling a home.  Referrals are the core of my business and are always appreciated.