real estate: I Can Fix Target - 03/11/24 06:45 PM
You’re probably asking yourself, “What on earth does this have to do with real estate?”  Quite a bit actually.  All Target stores are located in shopping centers in which it is the anchor store for all the little guys.  If a Target store closes it literally brings most of the center with it because they are a big source of the traffic for the shopping center.  
Is Target in trouble?  Absolutely.  And the reason why is poor management in my eyes.  Although they pay their employees a reasonable wage, none of them ever work a forty hour work week, so they … (3 comments)

real estate: Miami Beach Condo Market Looking Gloomy - 01/19/17 07:15 AM
Miami Beach's condo market, and Miami in general for that matter, is not looking so good.  That may depend on who you ask, but strictly from a numbers standpoint supply is beginning to outstript demand.  I realize some may lead you to believe that sale prices are still the same.  In fact, most are still going up.  But remember, a lot of them have not closed yet.  Closed prices tell the real tale here.  
Sales are down over 20% and that is a big number.  The luxury condo market is taking a big hit too.  But, hey, a monkey could have … (0 comments)

real estate: Lincoln Road Miami Beach causing it's own demise - 11/16/16 11:10 PM
Lincoln Road Miami causing it's own demise.
Lincoln Road on Miami Beach has long been known as a wonderful closed outdoor street to stroll, shop, and eat.  But like everything else in real estate life it got way too popular.  So, out with the old and in with the new retailers by way of raised rent.  Today it costs a whopping $325. per square foot to rent retail space there.  At that price it's darn near impossible to make any of profit.  
Once upon a time all of the retailers and restaurants there were local mom and pop stores that paid good … (0 comments)

real estate: Miami is ripe for a riot - 09/22/16 11:54 PM
Miami is ripe for a riot.
I don't say this lightly either.  But in light of recent riots around the country and the slow pushing out of Blacks in the inner city by greedy developers can only lead to one thing.  However, riots need a trigger and it's just a matter of time before some racist, corrupt cop kills another Black man in Miami this time.  
In case you haven't heard this has happened before in the 1980s and it wasn't pretty.  The Liberty City and Overtown were in flames.  Sadly, nothing has changed for these people here.  These two areas remain … (3 comments)

real estate: Could you live in a tiny house? - 08/25/16 12:32 AM
Could you live in a tiny house?  I know I could.  
And judging by the price of housing today and in America's  major cities I think a lot of others may be willing to settle.  A tiny house in San Francisco just recently sold for$400K. That has to tell you something about the state of housing there.  Actually, you have to earn six figures just to even think about buying a bone there, one of highest in the nation.  
The South Florida area is almost as bad with one caveat, however.  I don't think the city of Miami or any other … (4 comments)

real estate: We haven't been this divided since the 1960s - 07/11/16 01:12 AM
I thought for a while there that we as a people have turned a corner in this country and have become more accepting and tolerant of others.  But I guess I was wrong.  I am troubled by what I see now on the news almost every day.  If someone isn't killing a black man then they are killing a blue man and vice versa.  Indians still live on reservations for crying out loud!  Have any of you even met one I wonder?  Jews are still to blame for everything that goes wrong.  Hispanics have been blamed for all of our immigration … (1 comments)

real estate: Make the time to use social media - 07/08/16 11:49 AM
Make the time to use social media.  It's easy and free.  Yes, there are some parts of social media sites that you may have to pay for, but for the most part you do not need them anyway.  As a realtor there is no reason not to because everyone else is, especially millennials.  
From what I can tell most agents out there are baby boomers, so they may be reluctant to get out there and learn something new for whatever reason.  Trust me though.  It's nothing like programming a VCR.  The important sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook require nothing more … (2 comments)

real estate: Don't forget the closing costs - 07/06/16 11:31 PM
Buying a new home in South Florida?  Better not forget the closing costs.  I know when I first moved here 22 years ago I almost had a heart attack when I saw them.  South Carolina's closing costs are in the hundreds, but Florida's is in the thousands! 
If you think you have enough for a down payment of say 20% then you better add $10,000 to that figure in order to close.  If you're not getting a mortgage then the closing costs do go down quite a bit, but there are some things you should be aware of.  Part of your closing … (0 comments)

real estate: Don't forget about Ft. Lauderdale! - 07/06/16 11:16 PM
Miami and Miami Beach may be the center of the tourist universe, but I would not discount the beauty and liveliness of Ft. Lauderdale either.  Vacationers often touch down at the Ft. Lauderdale airport and make a beeline for I-95 South when some of the best tourist destinations are right under their noses.  
Aside from the fact that Ft. Lauderdale is on the whole cheaper than almost anything down south it has plenty to do and see with a heck of a lot less traffic.  The beach is obvious.  It's completely different than South Beach because it is more family oriented … (0 comments)

real estate: Be careful as a landlord with Airbnb - 07/06/16 12:10 PM
I know a lot of you entrepreneurs out there do not want to hear this, but it's only fair that I tell you.  Although Airbnb is a very nice alternative to hiring a real person; i. e., a realtor, it may not always be the safest route for making money legally.  
I am certain that there are many landlords out there who try and successfully skirt around the rules and regulations of your HOA, but rest assured that if and when you get caught the consequences can be quite severe.  Before you get into this read your homeowner's docs to see … (3 comments)

real estate: Yes, a deep cleaning does make a difference - 07/05/16 12:18 AM
There is a difference between a cleaning and a deep cleaning.  If you want your home sold quickly and to appraise for a bit more it is best if you go as deep cleaning as possible.  I would even argue that this is even more important than staging.  
One should attack the job like a spring cleaning and do the things that are probably ignored all year.  I will include in this list the top of your refrigerator, dusty blinds, moldy tubs, filthy grout, stained carpet, window ledges, under the beds, and the water faucets just to name a few.  I … (1 comments)

real estate: How high is your housing cost burden? - 07/04/16 10:58 AM
Your housing cost burden is the percentage of your income you spend on housing.  Bottom line, if it is more than 30% you are in big trouble.  That number is supposed to be the national average, but South Florida stands way above that national average at a whopping 50% for 25% of residents.  As a matter of fact, South Florida is the worst in the country for housing cost burden according to Harvard University researchers.  
Part of the reason for this is simply the fact that housing in South Florida is severely overpriced.  An executive for a housing builder actually blames … (0 comments)

real estate: Definition of highest and best offer - 07/03/16 11:33 PM
In today's market sellers are super eager to accept only the highest offer that comes their way.  It's a bit greedy, but that is human nature.  As a realtor, however, my job is to get the seller the highest and best offer.  Never leave out that second part of the equation.  
So let us suppose that you own a $500,000 home and you have a bidding war on your hands.  That's always a good thing. One buyer comes in at asking price and the other actually goes over by $10,000.  Just about everyone wouldn't think twice about taking the latter.  Before … (1 comments)

real estate: Here's what we can do about climate change in South Florida - 07/03/16 02:33 AM
I am worried about climate change and you should be too if you live in South Florida.  Experts have been painting a very ugly picture of Florida's future if we don't start to change as human beings now because climate change is essentially caused by us. We have the power to make things right, but it will certainly take more than just a village. We now know that like New Orleans, South Florida is sinking at an alarming rate. And unlike Miami, New Orleans has always been sinking. Their problem is soft soil and erosion, not pollution. The city continues to … (21 comments)

real estate: Huge income gap in Miami - 07/02/16 12:14 AM
There is a huge income gap in Miami and the entire South Florida area for that matter.  Yesterday two article appeared in the papers.  The first, which is national, stated that Miami is the worst place in the country to live and the second, a local paper, rebutted with sarcasm.
What the first was talking about is the income gap.  Miami has gotten to the point of haves and have nots.  Of course, it is a beautiful city with lots to do.  Nobody disputes that.  The problem stems from the fact that the majority of people that live here can't even afford … (0 comments)

real estate: Climate change is real in South Florida - 06/26/16 11:47 PM
There's been a lot of talk about climate change lately, especially here in Miami.   But I wonder what is being done about it and how we as a people can do.  I have already seen what happens to Miami-Dade and Miami Beach after an afternoon shower, so I can't even imagine what a hurricane would do with a direct hit.  
Miami Beach officials have already started with new water run off pipes under the ground on Alton Rd.  But that was only one road and came at a cost to my understanding of over $400 million!  At this pace it … (2 comments)

real estate: Invest in Orlando, it's good for the soul - 06/26/16 12:22 AM
I am not just saying this because of the recent horrific bloodbath, but because after spending the last six years here putting my own kids through school at the University of Central Florida I have come to find that there is more to this place than just Disney World.  
Orlando sits dead center in the middle of the state of Florida and has an abundance of activities, shopping,  and uniiversities including Stetson and Valencia among others.  Winter Park is nearby and is probably one of the loveliest small Americana towns I have been too.  But the reason I am writing this … (2 comments)

real estate: So you still think you can afford to live in Miami? - 06/24/16 08:52 AM
So you still think you can afford to live in Miami?
I have been called a lot of things in my lifetime as a realtor, but a realist is not one of them.  I write about what is truthful concerning South Florida real estate and I am not about to mince word now.  When I first started in the business in 1997 you could buy a three bedroom home for well under $200,000. stocked to the gills.  Finding a home to buy or to rent was really quite easy too.  Rentals were plentiful, buyers didn't lie on their mortgage applications, mortgage brokers … (1 comments)

real estate: Pembroke Pines Lakefront, Pool Home For Sale - 08/19/15 02:53 AM
Pembroke Pines lakefront, pool home for sale. 
 
Offered at $330,000. this lovely 3/2 single family home with two car garage and barrel tile roof is ready for its next lucky occupant.  Boasts tile floors throughout and carpet in bedrooms, screened-in pool overlooking large lake, updated kitchen, and a beautiful stamped concrete, circular driveway.  Located in Pasadena Lakes section, this area does not include an HOA for those who like their freedom.  Call Morris Massre at 954-214-6014 before this one disappears.  Pembroke Pines is a wonderful family neighborhood with plenty of shopping and schools nearby and just a short jaunt to either … (1 comments)

real estate: Prepare your home for sale in advance - 07/21/15 02:03 AM
Prepare your home for sale in advance.
If you have a laundry list of things to do you would usually put together a game plan and tackle them one by one with the important ones at the top.  When selling your home one should do the same, but in this case, everything is important. 
Your best bet is to go through the house with a fine tooth comb, moving furniture and pulling out appliances that you haven't for years and checking out what lurks behind and under them.  Inspect every detail of all the appliances and air conditioning to make sure … (1 comments)

 
Morris Massre, Real Estate Instructor Broward County Florida

Morris Massre

Real Estate Instructor Broward County Florida

Pembroke Pines, FL

More about me…

Address: Weston , FL , 33326

Mobile: (954) 744-2449



Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog