miami real estate: Miami Shores featured Listings - 10/29/06 11:50 PM
142 NW 98th Street – This 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom home is in move-in condition. Lovely hardwood floors with Cherry wood inlay, open living area, newly updated kitchen with granite counters, laundry room as well as a single-car garage, low maintenance backyard, located in private cul-de-sac. (1,556 sq. ft – 7,725 sq. ft. lot)    $449,000  **SOLD**
 
 
 
9035 NE 2nd Avenue – Built new in 1992.  This lovely 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom home offers vaulted ceilings and open floor plan.  Open airy living areas with plenty of light, eat-in kitchen with granite counters, master suite with large master … (2 comments)

miami real estate: Southeast Florida and Miami-Dade County - Enjoy Miami. - 10/28/06 02:43 AM

 
When you think of South East Florida, you think “MIAMI” , but Miami-Dade County is made up of numerous cities.  From the southern most city of Homestead  all the way north to  Aventura, there are approximately 40 miles.  Here’s a brief overview of Miami, Miami Beach, and our cherished Miami Shores.
 
Miami  is known as the "Magic City" and is recognized for its diverse culture and ethnicities.  Miami, also known as the Gateway to Latin America attracts a tremendous amount of foreign born people and is recognized worldwide as an international hub.  There is always something to do in Miami.  Miami has been the host of many special events  … (11 comments)

miami real estate: Identifying Architectural Styles: ART DECO - 10/26/06 04:29 PM
I wrote a post called Architecture in Real Estate some time back that did not get much attention from the Active Rain Community.  But from there Dave Rosenmarkle suggested the idea of offering “a series of short blogs about types of architecture”.  So thank you Dave, here is my first attempt at enlightening our AR friends, with a style that hits close to home, since we have the largest compilation of Art Deco Architecture worldwide, right here in The Historic Miami Beach Art Deco District.  Hope you find this helpful and let me know if any of you would like to hear about … (22 comments)

miami real estate: Let's do business the RIGHT way - 10/22/06 08:46 AM
We have 2 condo listings in the same building in Miami.  Yesterday a real estate agent called to schedule an appointment to see both and I was appalled at what happened.
The first unit is owner occupied, by an elderly couple who are moving with their daughter.  The second unit is vacant.
I showed them unit 1 first while the sellers waited in the party room of the building.  Then I proceeded to show them the second unit on a different floor.  After the agent saw the units he thanked me and went on his way.
Little did he know that I … (6 comments)

miami real estate: Architecture in Real Estate - 10/16/06 03:10 PM
A lot of Realtors are obsessed with the Architectural Style of homes and I would like to help with common misconceptions.  Style is derived by elements within the architecture:  the massing, scale, proportion, character derived from nature of building materials, details, and special distribution.  Type, on the other hand, is usually defined by the use and floor plan:  Bungalow, suburban four-square, saltbox, etc.
Unfortunately, a lot of today’s architecture has no specific style, but a lot of elements from a particular era. American Architecture has evolved into a very eclectic compilation of European styles.
Even the so called RANCH – comes from … (11 comments)

miami real estate: Relo companies - What's in it for me - 10/10/06 02:19 PM
I don’t know how many of you do relocations but can tell you that these can be extremely frustrating at times.  Some people specialize in relocations and some others avoid them at all cost.  For newer agents, it’s a great way to get your feet wet, but get ready to work triple time.
Relocation companies usually require that a home owner interviews 3 different agents from 3 different brokerage companies, and then make a decision based solely on presentation (you are not supposed to discuss price – but what owner is going to choose an agent without discussing the single most important … (5 comments)

miami real estate: FEEDBACK - HOW - 10/09/06 02:14 PM
It is crucial in our business to get Feedback from our clients.  There are several ways of doing this and I am sure we all have our methods, but we’ll share what we have done and what works for us.
In the past, we used to wait until the transaction was over to ask our clients for testimonials.  All of them were pleased with our services and would tell us that they would write a letter.  Sometimes we waited, and waited, and that letter never came.  No matter how we kept in touch, they were busy or forgot about it, and the … (7 comments)

miami real estate: Tick - Tock - Tick - Tock - 10/07/06 11:23 AM
Why are some agents absolutely clueless about what being a professional means?  How can some survive in this business if they cannot follow certain minimal rules of respect like being on time?
Rick and I don’t consider ourselves Time-Nazis, but the waiting game gets old, especially with certain Realtors.  One particular experience really irks me and need to share with you.  An agent (we’ll call her Sofia) calls to set an appointment to show one of our listings.  She reschedules that same appointment 5 times with not much notice.  We agree each time without making a fuss; our interest is to sell … (5 comments)

miami real estate: It's not always about our business. - 10/04/06 03:59 PM
The Miami Shores Heidi Hewes Chapter of the Women's Cancer Association of the University of Miami (we'll call it The Heidi Hewes Chapter for brevity's sake), just held their monthly meeting at our house.    I know this has nothing to do with Real Estate but feel so proud to be a member of this organization that I need to share.
On the first Wednesday of every month, a local group of women and men meet to plan their fundraising efforts in Miami Shores.  Each meeting is held in a different house every month and we discuss an agenda full of interesting facts … (5 comments)

miami real estate: Knock Knock - 10/01/06 03:30 AM
 What does your front door say about you?
  
We've all heard that the front door is one of the most important elements in a house and it is true.  The front door not only echoes the architectural style of the home, but sets the tone for the rest of the home.  When we take a new listing, we stress the importance of the approach to the house; a clean walkway free of debris, potted flowers or plants to make a great first impression, clean and visible numbers, nicely painted or finished door, well lit, hardware in good working condition, avoid clutter, and … (11 comments)

miami real estate: Bay Point FL Market Conditions - 09/30/06 03:09 AM
Overview of the single family market in Bay Point, FL:
Currently on the market:  22Currently under contract:  0Closed in the last 90 days:  0Lowest price listed:  $ 1,100,000Highest price listed:  $ 8,500,000Visit www.Miamism.com for more information about Bay Point Real Estate.
   
… (0 comments)

miami real estate: INSPECT THIS! - 09/29/06 02:12 AM
Dave Rosenmarkle wrote a blog this morning that inspired me (Home Inspections: Necessary Landmines).  So here it is.
Who regulates building inspection companies?  There are a lot of fly-by-night inspectors that we have to be aware of because they can ruin a deal.   One horrible experience happened a while ago with such a company, will call them INSPECTHIS and I am glad that I can laugh about it now.  We were the listing agents for a CBS house on a concrete slab.  INSPECTHIS found that the house had subterranean termites and went ahead to tell the buyer that she should be very concerned … (7 comments)

miami real estate: Pie anyone? - 09/28/06 10:03 AM
Something happened to my husband today that I need to share. (He should be writing this, but oh well). He received a phone call at the office from someone looking for an ex-real estate agent from our office and he decided to try to help the gentleman. To make a long story short, this gentleman wants to sell 2 commercial properties valued at approx. $3 million each.
Rick immediately found the number of the ex-agent who left the industry to move to California to tell him that his customer had called, and wanted to know if he still had a valid … (39 comments)

miami real estate: Young Assistants in The Real Estate World - 09/26/06 01:49 AM
I have a 22 month old that comes with me everywhere and the reception from other agents is not always positive. I have noticed that some areas and some Realtors are more open to seeing kids at work than others – Granted, when my son comes with me, it’s to my own listings with the seller’s permission. I never take him to another agent’s listings. In Miami Shores, agents even ask about him and are disappointed when he is not there. Once in Aventura, I was scolded by an agent for having a child with me (at the time 6 months … (14 comments)

miami real estate: How to get traffic into your Brokers Opens - 09/24/06 09:27 AM
 
In a seller’s market it is not even necessary to hold Brokers Opens because houses sell so quickly (at least here in Miami they do- having a house listed for a month would be considered “stale”).  But in a buyer's market it all changes.  Not only do we hold Brokers Opens, but we go out of our way to invite all the other listings in the near vicinity to join us.  We have found that the more houses that are open near by, the more traffic you will ultimately get.
Here’s what we do.  We create a list of homes for … (5 comments)

miami real estate: Unbelievable results - lesson from a post - 09/23/06 08:10 AM
Dena Stevens wrote a blog a few days ago asking : Has anyone had any success on any level on Craigslist?
Looking at the response from that post, I decided to include all of our rental listings on Craigslist. Within 1 hour of posting, I received a call from a real estate customer wanting to rent one of the units at full price. Amazing!! Thank you Dena,
Ines
Miami Shores FL Real Estate, http://www.yourpropertypros.com/ www.miamism.com
… (11 comments)

miami real estate: Newcomers face Real Estate Sharks - 09/21/06 02:52 PM
My husband and I were successful in other professional careers before devoting ourselves full-time to Miami real estate…….and have never looked back.
 I am an architect and specialize in residential real estate.  I have so much fun dissecting homes and seeing their true potential and enjoy helping people visualize change.  My husband is an accountant and does commercial real estate because he loves numbers and is a true numbers guy.  We learn so much on a daily basis and never thought creativity would pay off so much in this business.  When we first joined the Realtor community it wasn’t comfortable.  Experienced and … (4 comments)

miami real estate: I'm on the "Bad Realtor" side now - 09/17/06 01:39 PM
I just joined Active Rain last week and cannot begin to tell you how surprised and relieved I am that there are Miami Realtors out there that are smart, that have great things to contribute and at the same time are helpful.  I really look forward to reading not only great blogs, but great comments as well.
Now to the dirty stuff at hand.  My husband and I found ourselves on the ugly and bad side of an offer this past week.  We showed another agent's listing to a customer of ours and he decided to make a low ball offer. 
It wasn't just … (13 comments)

miami real estate: How to handle rude people in Open Houses - 09/11/06 11:35 AM
This is a topic that needs discussion and would appreciate anyone's opinion or experience.
I was holding an open house for one of our listings in Miami Shores yesterday, and a really rude lady came in with her husband.  When I said hello she just kept walking and did not even acknowledge my presence.  I was talking to another visitor so I did not pay much attention, but watched them closely.  When they were on the way out I asked if they had any questions and to please take a couple of minutes to sign in.  The woman did not even raise … (8 comments)

miami real estate: Home Sales Forecast Lowered - 09/10/06 03:15 AM
This is a quick article I wrote for our blog at http://miamishoresrealestate.blogspot.com/
We felt the need to clear up a common misinterpretation for everyone who follows Real Estate trends. We are being bombarded by the Media on a daily basis that home sales are dropping. What does this really mean???This doesn't really mean that prices are dropping. What it means is that less homes are selling. There is so much inventory (so many homes for sale), that buyers have a lot more to choose from and leverage to negotiate, but at the same time, there are fewer buyers.More inventory, and fewer buyers … (4 comments)