Miamism

When Miami Beach Condo owners listen

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:19:09 +0000

It is so refreshing to find Miami Beach condo owners that listen and trust our expertise. When you think of the alternative, it makes no sense, let me explain. If you hire a Realtor for their expertise and knowledge and their experience with current market trends, why would you not listen to basic recommendations? When you pay a professional, no matter the field, isn’t it important for you to follow instructions and do as they say, since they are supposed to be “experts”?.

We are in a down real estate market, it’s not rocket science, so selling your Miami Beach home or condo will take more than just running some comps and putting on the Multiple Listing Service. Some do it yourselfers are realizing that every day knowledge and expertise is key when it comes to selling a property today. From pricing, staging and preparing a property for showings, professional photography, to on-line and off-line marketing …. it can get tricky, and you may find that every little bit of help counts.

Showing condition is key

When we list an older condo for sale, the first thing we recommend is that the residence is presented in its best possible condition. We do a lot of estate sales where some of the places may be far from updated and may not even come close to measuring up to their competition, and that’s where we put our foot down and request certain things from our clients. (Let me add that this applies to every price range, from a $100,000 North Miami Beach Condo to a $3,000,000 Fisher Island Condo).

Think about it, there are tons of condos for sale right now, doesn’t it make sense that you show the best side of your property without distractions and without turning off potential buyers? I can say this over and over again until I’m blue in the face.

Staging <<< read this article

Please keep this in mind – you may have only one opportunity to impress, don’t blow it! Here are some before and after photos of a condo that demonstrates exactly what I’m talking about. By cleaning up the place and putting away personal belongings and clutter, this seller increased the chances of selling their condo. You want to encourage people to buy your place instead of scaring them away.

It’s our job to market the property and get people to actually see it, but without your help and cooperation, it can be extremely difficult. Don’t think about it twice, clean it up and declutter it, we’ll take care of the rest.

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Super Bowl in Miami

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:00:27 +0000

I am beyond excited that Miami is hosting Super Bowl. I confess that it’s not so much because of the actual game, but because of all the parties and celebrity sightings. It’s not unusual to spot a celeb any given day in Miami, but now it seems that everywhere you look, there’s someone you think you should know.

It’s like playing celebrity trivia with real life subjects. I just got this photo from a friend’s blackberry,

The conversation went as follows: Was he in Backstreet boys? …. I know it was one of the boy bands…. let’s Google him ….. ahhh! It’s 98 Degrees!

Then I received this other photo with the following excerpt – how about the cast of “The Hills” (this one makes me feel inadequate, now I have to go watch some MTV).

So here’s my request – send me photos from this weekend to include in this post. Miamisms, celebrities, sports figures, whatever! Let’s have some fun documenting the energy in Miami. I will keep you anonymous if you want, or give you full credit with links back to your site/twitter/facebook….whatever you want.

Shouldn’t be so tough – Eva Longoria was spotted at The Eden Roc, Emeril is in town to support The Saints, J Lo and Snoop Dog have also been spotted in South Beach, and let’s not forget P Diddy and Jamie Foxx. Plus, you will now have an excuse to actually pull out your camera and take that photo without feeling that star struck pressure … just tell them it’s for Miamism.com.

New Celebrity Sightings

@MikeLaMonica just shared this photo on Twitter (although he though it may not be worthy since Gloria Estefan is a local) – a friend sent it to him. THANKS MIKE!

And here’s Wyclef Jean with his sexy on – the person that took this is becoming my favorite celebrity spy …. may even have to bring her on the Miamism payroll. (wink)

More photos from the cast of The Hills in their hotel Suite in South Beach

And of course High Five Superbowl sent in by a reader (I’m so glad or I could have missed it)

Panoramic photo of Sun Life stadium before Super Bowl by @Specker

Behind the Scenes on Super Bowl Sunday: Here’s CBS’ pregame/postgame #SB44 field set. #49ers by the official San Francisco 49ers Twitter @SF_49ers

Taylor Lautner y Rob Lowe juntos en el Super Bowl de Miami. Sólo BROMANCE!!! by @JonathanBlum
(TRANSLATION: Taylor Lautner and Rob Lowe together at the Super Bowl in Miami. Just Bromance!!!)

Usher holds it down at Bud Bowl event in South Beach hosted by Jamie Foxx. 2/6/10 by Full Circle New York @fcny

Drew Brees arriving at the stadium today for the Super Bowl by @FJayHall

Pretty damn epic Super Bowl photo, Drew Brees and Drew Brees’ kid

– by Matt Porter or @mattyports on Twitter

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Mojito Review – Flamma Steakhouse, North Miami Beach

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:30:13 +0000

Mojito Review

Flamma Brazilian Steakhouse
North Miami Beach / Eastern Shores
3913 NE 163rd Street
North Miami Beach, FL 33160
(305) 957-9900

www.FlammaSteakHouse.com

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Miamism Fridays – Super Bowl XLIV

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:43:28 +0000

Of course Miami is privileged to be the host of Super Bowl XLIV, but seriously, what better place is there? We have the weather, the parties, the style and let’s not leave out the “swagger” (oh sorry, that belong to THE U). So here’s an absolutely stunning capture of Joe-Robbie Stadium, Pro-Player Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Lankshark Stadium, Sun Life Stadium (phewww….hopefully there won’t be another name change from here to Sunday), from Chris Acuña, aka Sienar on Flickr.

The photo was taken on October 25th, 2009 – Miami Dolphins Vs. New Orleans Saints and ironically enough, maybe Chris knew that the Saints would be at the Super Bowl because he notes on the photo:

This is where the 2010 Superbowl will be hosted.

talk about ….another Miamism !!

Enjoy Super Bowl weekend everyone! And please make sure you check out Chris’ website www.MangosandPeaches.com

** Here at Miamism we love to post your Miami Photos. If you have a shot you want to share please join the Miamism Group at Flickr.com – or you can e-mail the photos directly to us at info@miamism.com *

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January 2010 Real Estate Market Reports for Miami Shores, Bay Harbor Islands, Surfside, Fisher Island and Aventura

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:54:02 +0000

This is a Miami Real Estate Market Report for January 2010 – Good overall feeling for this year. Although many expect a collapse, you can see an obvious decrease in inventory and increase in sales which can only mean good news. If you study areas with a large number of pending contracts, the majority of those contracts are short sales which take a while to close. (Hoping to see some new laws soon to limit the response time from banks on these).

Distressed inventory in all of these areas is decreasing and sellers are gaining confidence. It doesn’t hurt that most are pricing their properties correctly and those are the ones that sell quickly. Sellers need to be realistic and base their prices on closed sales, not imaginary numbers born from emotional attachment to their homes.

All of the numbers are a good reflection for 2010 – let’s just wait and see.

Miami Shores Real Estate Market Report

There are currently 99 Miami Shores homes for sale:
(first time under 100 in a few years!)

Highest priced listing is $2.699 million (bayfront home located at 1430 NE 101 Street –listed since September 2007 for $3.9 million )
Lowest priced listing is $189,500 (approved short sale located at 17 NW 107th St)
Pending Sales (Properties under contract):45 (26 of these are short sales which historically take a long time to close)
Closed sales in January: 4

The 4 Miami Shores homes sold last month were the following:

246 NE 92 Street – listed for $499,000 and selling for $450,000 (listed since September 2009 for $525,000)
8890 NE 10th Avenue – listed for $495,000 and selling for $435,000 (Bank Owned property and although listed as Miami Shores, it’s City of Miami)
33 NW 93 Street – listed for $319,000 and selling for $310,000 (originally listed for $369,900 in January 2008)
1 NW 110th Street – listed for $258,000 and selling for $235,000 (purchased for $78,000 May 90, Listed for $258,000 October 09 – flipper?)

I did a comprehensive Real Estate Market Report for Miami Shores Homes sold in 2009 – go to: Miami Shores Real Estate Market Report for 2009

Bay Harbor Islands Real Estate Market Report

There are currently 21 Bay Harbor Island Homes for sale:

Highest priced listings is for $4,950,000 (10200 W Broadview Drive – listed since December of 2008 for $5,200,000)
Lowest priced listing is $499,000 (9970 E. Bay Harbor Drive – Villa – listed since Feb. 07 – starting price of $659,000)
Pending Sales (properties under contract):3 (1 of them a short sale at 1288 NE 101 Street)
Closed sales in January: 0

Please note that there were only 6 Bay Harbor Island home sales in 2009 ranging from $570,000 to $3,400,000. Four of those sales were above $1M which is sort of good news for the Bay Harbor Island Luxury Home Market (I say sort of because there were only 2 sales the whole year in 2008, which means the sales are improving). There is some new construction in the areas and interesting things happening with the community, this may encourage people to actually want to pay the price to live in the area with the lowest crime rate per capita in South Florida.

Surfside Real Estate Market Report

There are currently 59 Surfside homes for sale:

Highest priced listing is $4,990,000 (for 7,000 square foot “master peace” **thinking listing agent meant “master piece” – with 100 feet of water frontage – being sold as a short sale).
Lowest priced listing is $279,000 for the home located at 9133 Froude Ave (short sale in “surdside” –wishing agent would proof read their remarks)
Pending Sales (properties under contract): 6 (4 of these short sales, one a bank owned property)
Closed sales in January: 1

The Surfside home sold in January was located at 9381 Abbott Avenue – a 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom, 1,566 square foot home listed for $369,000 and selling for $340,000. This house had been originally listed for $389,000 in September 2009.

As for 2009 – There were a total of 44 surfside homes sold the whole year, compared to only 32 in 2008. Slow recovery, but recovery nevertheless. Things are looking up in Surfside with less distressed home inventory.

There are currently 135 Surfside Condos for sale:

Highest priced listing: $2,500,000 a 3/3 at Azure Condo unit 707

Lowest priced listing: $64,900 a studio at Seaside Terrace Condo

Pending Sales (properties under contract):28 (15 of these are short sales which historically take some time to close)

Closed sales in January: 7

The 7 Surfside condo sales in January were the following:

9499 Collins Ave #502 – Spiaggia Condo – listed at $440,000 and selling for $440,000 (short sale)
8777 Collins Ave #1006 – Champlain Towers South – listed at $329,000 and selling for $230,500
9511 Collins Ave #808 – 9500 Oceans Condo – listed for $265,000 and selling for $260,000
9499 Collins Ave #606 – Spiaggia Condo – listed at $225,000 and selling for $240,000 (foreclosure)
9499 Collins Ave #1011 – Spiaggia Condo – listed for $215,000 and selling for $210,000 (short sale)
8816 Collins Ave #206 – Atlantic Rose Condo – listed for $158,700 and selling for $150,000 (foreclosure)
9595 Collins Ave #N104 – Solimar Condo – listed for $139,000 and selling for $122,500

Most of the condo sales in Surfside have been distressed sales – something to pay attention to if you are buying – check the building’s financial statements and make sure their condo maintenance fees are being covered and if they have reserves. Spiaggia is slowly getting rid of its distressed condos which should be a relief for the residents (although price range has been seriously affected).

There were 76 Surfside condo sales in 2009 ranging from $130,000 to $1,500,000 as compared to only 47 sales in 2008. The surfside condo market reflects the surfside home market which is a good sign for the area.

Fisher Island Real Estate Market Report

There are currently 132 Fisher Island Condos for sale:

Highest priced listing: $30,000,000 for an exclusive Oceanside 5/5.5 home with artwork and all!
Lowest priced listing: $190,000 for a studio at Marina Village
Pending Sales: 8 (3 of these are short sales)
Closed sales in January: 1

The one single Fisher Island condo sale in the month of January was for the residence at Oceanside at Fisher Island Condo, unit 7241 – a 3 bedroom / 3 bathroom / 1 half-bath, 3,140 square feet listed for $3,100,000 and selling for $2,100,000 (A one million dollar reduction … OUCH!)

There were 32 Fisher Island Condo sales in 2008 ranging in price between $700,000 and $5,457,000 compared to 25 sales in 2008.

Aventura Real Estate Market Report

There are currently 1418 Aventura condos for sale:

Highest priced listing: $5,300,000 for a 4/6 at Porto Vita
Lowest priced listing: $53,900 for a 1/1 at Point East Condos (a 55+ community)
Pending sales: 296
Closed sales in January: 60

Aventura is moving! – with progressively less inventory, more pending sales and more closings – The highest closed sale in January was at Hamptons South, 20201 E Country Club Drive #2409 -3 bedroom/3.5 bathroom unit for $1,000,000 and the lowest was for $62,000 for a 1 bedroom / 1.5 bathroom residence at Biscayne Lake Garden.

There were a total of 1020 Aventura Condos sold in 2009 ranging in price between $50,000 and $2,950,000 (we always say that there is something for everyone in Aventura) – as compared to 824 sales in 2008 – obvious change for the better and expect this to keep improving in 2010.

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Effective and unlike most Miami Beach Realtors

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:41:39 +0000

Nothing like a client selling our services for us! We just love loyal customers that keep spreading the good word about the way we handle Miami Beach Real Estate. Looking back at difficult transactions and the obstacles we have to go through to get things accomplished is all worth while when you get an email like this:

I’ve copied real estate agent Rick Garcia who was a tremendous help with my condo. He’s effective and unlike most Realtors who will tell you anything just to get the listing, he is realistic and straightforward. I know the Miami market is still depressed, but if you are open to his ideas and pricing, then he will make every effort to get it sold or leased.

THAT’s what I’m talking about!! We tell you time and time again that we don’t sugar-coat information, we don’t paint pretty pictures of current real estate conditions and we tell it like it is. It’s the number one reason our clients recommend us and come back again and again.

We are dedicated to your success, whether buying or selling Miami Beach homes or condos and will go above and beyond so you keep coming back for more.

Thanks Chris for the awesome referral, totally made our day!

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Mojito Review – Sushi Samba, South Beach

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:05:29 +0000

Mojito Review

Sushi Samba
South Beach
600 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 673-5337

www.sushisamba.com

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Miamism Fridays – Miami Beach

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:10:43 +0000

Every photographer’s perspective is different. To think that a photograph captures a single moment in time and reflects feelings that will can be documented forever. What I love about this photograph by Juicyverve on Flickr is the simplicity of the captured moment. It’s not just another Miami Beach photo, it’s about the warmth of the sand against the cool wave and the way the sun lit the sky that particular moment, ocean foam disappearing right before your eyes – if you look intensely, you can even hear the sound of the sea.

….another Miamism !!

Please take a moment to look through Juicyverve’s photostream, I sat there for hours admiring all the shots.

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Home Sellers Can’t Handle The Truth

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:45:44 +0000

If you are in the market to sell your Miami Beach home, how do you interview Miami Beach Realtors? What questions do you ask and ultimately, what’s the most important factor when choosing a Realtor?

When we asked random people what qualities are important when choosing a Miami Beach Realtor, the response was: Ethical, Loyal, Truthful, Professional, Aggressive, and Experienced.

But when we ask home sellers how they choose their Realtor, it comes down to one single factor: PRICE.

Here are different scenarios we wanted to present. In the 3 scenarios, sellers interview 3 well known Realtors in their area who appear in local advertising and seem to have a wide array of listings.

FIRST SCENARIO

Agent 1 tells them the truth about miami beach real estate market and how they will sell the home for a lot less than they had planned.
Agent 2 tells them they will list the property at whatever price they think is right and will recommend reductions as time progresses.
Agent 3 tells the buyers that they can get $200,000 more than what Agent 1 said.

What surprises us is that 9 times out of 10, the sellers will choose agent number 3 – even if that agent is not being realistic, even if that agent will NEVER achieve their goal. The house ends up sitting on the market for months, it may have a couple of contracts that fall apart because the house simply will not appraise, and the house will end up selling bellow Agent 1’s price.

We have seen this happen so many times that we just roll our eyes and cannot believe that people can be that naïve. We realize that being ethical and truthful is not important to a lot of sellers.

SECOND SCENARIO

Agent 1 tells them that they should offer a higher commission to cooperating agents to have more exposure and a better chance of selling.
Agent 2 says commission makes no difference and they should list at the standard.
Agent 3 explains how they have tons of buyers, they only show their own listings and if they sell the property themselves, they will give a major discount on the commission.

Again, 9 out of 10 times, sellers will choose Agent 3. What they don’t realize is that because agent 3 only pushes their listings, other agents are not interested in showing Agent 3’s listings. Because Agent 3 is committed to making both sides of the deal, he is representing neither the seller’s nor the buyer’s best interest, but is only interested in the mighty dollar and volume sales. Those sellers will reduce the chances of selling their house in a buyer’s market, because they are limiting their market.

Because PRICE is once again at the top of the “qualifications list”, sellers fail to see the negative aspect of listing with Agent 3.

THIRD SCENARIO

Agent 1 explains that over 85% of buyers start their search in the Internet and it is important to Google the Realtor’s name to see their search ranking.
Agent 2 sees no advantage in on-line advertising because real estate is “local”.
Agent 3 is in every local publication possible, his face appears in the local chamber of commerce, has a beautiful magazine ad, appears in the local paper and promises that the listing will appear in all those print-ads and local publications…….he has no Internet presence.

9 out of 10 times, sellers will again choose agent 3. Did you know that all those local print ads are good for getting listings? A study was done by the National Association of Realtors that local print ads and publications are recommended because they “expose” the Realtor…..not the listing…….it helps REALTORS!

Take off the blind fold!

So there you have it– a listing agent chosen because he suggests the highest price (not being truthful), he pushes his own listings to his buyers and reduces commission and on top of that produces beautiful print ads that don’t sell listings.

We are seeing buyers educating themselves on the real estate market, on advertising, on local trends. We see buyers going in depth when choosing an agent to represent their best interest, so why aren’t sellers doing the same thing?

If you are a seller, do your homework, check your options, and don’t fall in the PRICE trap. We ALL want to get the most money possible in the least amount of time (that’s a no brainer). Google the Realtor, see what their Internet Presence is like, ask particular questions on marketing your individual property. Ask about latest advertising tools like video and blogging, how many different tools do they use? Make sure your interests are well represented.

You want the truth?….you can’t handle the truth!

**This post was originally published on November 4th, 2007 and works just as well today**

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The Temple House – Miami Beach Luxury Home

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:57:09 +0000

I’ve written about The Temple House before and have given you all the relevant real estate information you need about the house. From the typical description:

The Temple House is South Beach’s largest private residence. Steps to the beach, Lincoln Road and Lummus Park. Over 16,000 SQ FT as per previous tax records. This former synagogue was transformed into an ultra contemporary residential compound over a two year period. Living quarters abound on both levels, 6,000+ SQ FT grand LOFT with approx. 30 foot high ceilings, 2.500+ SQ FT outdoor terrace, two car garage + parking for 3 additional vehicles. Newly finished rooftop swimming pool!

to my own take on the house:

The Temple House in South Beach is one of those “wow” houses you don’t see every day. The largest single family home in South Beach with over 16,000 square feet of living space. This house is amazing all on its own but when you hear its history, then you realize it is so much more than a big house. Originally designed in 1933 by none other than famed architect L. Murray Dixon, converted into a temple in the 40’s, expanded in the 60’s by renowned architect Lester Avery and then converted back into a home in 2003 by the current owner, Dan Davidson. This home defines South Beach Living with no expense spared – 30 foot ceilings in the 6,600 square foot great room, theater room, 1,200 square foot kitchen, state of the art lighting and audio system, new terrace pool with iridescent mosaics and waterfalls…..imposing and majestic.

But as Bea Garcia puts it in her housingwatch.com article for AOL real estate, Temple To High-End Zen For Sale in Miami,

For a house with a self-professed “wow” factor-its website address is www.ownthewow.com-it seems that no amount of promotion is too much.

The Temple House, in the heart of Miami Beach, has a Facebook fan page, a Twitter account, its own blog with postings of all the celebs-Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, BowWow and Playboy model Vicky Vodar, to name a few- who have crossed its threshold, and a stream of photos of its Flickr page.

So check out OwnTheWow.com to see the latest documented celeb visit to The Temple House:

The Temple House is not just a property for sale – it’s a house with a story, a story that cannot be told in just a few words. This blog will narrate an uber rich story, it will serve as a chronicle of The Temple House’s past present and future.

The Temple House has housed top celebrities in all kinds of different capacities, it has been published and re-published, has served as backdrop in popular music videos, movie scenes, megastar parties, weddings, charitable events…..and so much more

The Temple House

“if WOW is what you’re looking for”

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Miamism

When Miami Beach Condo owners listen

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Staging <<< read this article

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