The White Sands was built in 2002 by Sun America LLC and was considered the nicest building in Long Beach. Originally there were 5 units on every floor, two were direct oceanfront with amazing views and 1687 square feet of living space. Two units had angle oceanviews, one facing east was more desirable because it faced the Avalon Towers while the units with western exposures also had gorgeous views they also were looking at an orange and yellow King David which is now the Allegria Hotel. The one unit in the front was the largest an dhad two terraces facing the ocean on the east and on the west of the building. The design and architecture of this building is superb and is only surpassed by the Meridian and the Aqua.
This was by far the nicest building in Long Beach and the only knock was it had no swimming pool. Perhaps when the Allegria completes their long awaited indooor pool, the residents of the White Sands may be allowed to use these facilities if some type of amenable arrangements can be made.
The White Sands has 24/7 concierge, 2 parkings spots, one covered, direct beach access, gas fireplaces, gas stoves, plenty of granite, gorgeous bathrooms, washer/dryer in the unit, and they were all airy, spacious, and very luxurious. In the beginning you could customize these apartments by choosing upgrades to the flooring, tilework, granite...etc. One of the nicest custom units was on the ninth floor and it featured a chefs kitchen with a Wolf Stove huge center island with wine refigerators and this was accomplished by taking away the smallest bedroom. This unit was originally sold for $885,000 and went on the market in January of 2009 for $1,395,000 and went into contract one year later in January 2010 for $1,200,000. Just to keep things in perspective another direct oceanfront unit went on the market in May of 2009 for $1,150,000 and was sold 300 days later in March 2010 for $950,000. Obviously this unit was on a lower (5th) floor and didn't possess the same type of custom designs.
An interesting anomaly ocurred in the building in 2006, when an oceanview unit was sold for $832,000. The next unit #703 was about to go into contract for approximately $850,000(it was listed at $900,000) when yours truly had a customer who needed to buy in this building. I told my customer the only way they could purchase it was if they offered all cash and paid a premium. My customer understood everything and was willing to pay a big premium as he had a family member who needed this type of lifestyle. They paid $900,000 cash and the other party who seemingly didn't want to increase their offer eventually bought a gorgeous custom unit in the same line but two floors higher(903) and they actually paid $975,000 for an oceanview apartment in March of 2008.
Naturally my customer was very satisfied to pay $50,000 more and get the unit that they really needed. But if you think about it you'll see there was a domino effect. The party that lost out bought a nicer unit and instead of being in the $850,000 - $900,000 range they paid $975,000. Consequently when other oceanview properties were being marketed agents were boasting they could get them one million dollars. Naturally they couldn't. Unit 803 decided to sell to be able to buy an oceanfront unit that became available. They eventually settled for $920,000 so they could move into an oceanfront unit they purchased for $1,237,500 in April of 2008.
But what about other sellers who were told they could also get one million dollars? It doesn't work out for everyone. As you can see supply and demand in this building over inflated the price of oceanview apartments in this building. However it is unfortunate when a seller is somehow under the wrong impression of the true market value of their home. These oceanview units are probably now going to be sold this year in the $800s. But how would you feel if you were told they were worth a million in 2008 and you either got in the low $900's or you still haven't sold and now the market may be in the $800s.
Overpricing in this market from 2007 to current has caused sellers a lot of misery. We can easily blame the agents but what about the sellers who somehow are a bit too emotional about the value of one of their largest assets? I still firmly believe that realtors are doing an excellent job and they do not get the respect they deserve. Somehow they are viewed as a necessary evil. Do yourself a favor and listen to your realtor. Instead of telling them what your place is worth ask them their honest opinion based on homes that truly are comparable to yours.
Currently there are still more sellers than buyers and we are still in a buyers market. Everybody and their uncle is looking for a steal of a deal. Naturally I understand and would also demand value. There are opportunities for short sales, bank owned properties, bankruptcy auctions, and auctions at foreclosure. Remember you are buying a lifestyle and not a stock on the NYSE. When you find your dream home use a top notch buyer's broker who spent his entire life excelling at communication, valuation, negotiation, diplomacy and tact. While past history is no guarantee of future performance in the past the real estate market has always come back at stronger levels.
Interest rates are at historic lows. If you qualify for a mortgage or if you're sitting with cash you are in the drivers seat. TAKE ADVANTAGE NOW. BUY INTO WEAKNESS. No one knows the low or high of any market. We look at trading ranges, economic indicators, interest rates, perceived future values, condition, and location. My background in money markets, real estate markets, technology, and publishing gives me an advantage over other real estate agents. I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to my father, a manufacturing furrier on Seventh Avenue who took me under his wing. I went to work for dad after college and he told me a story about another son 's first day working for his father.
He told his son to go into the vault and get some mink skins. The skins he wanted couldn't be gotten with the usual pole and they required going up on a ladder. The son naturally went up the ladder to get the skins. Then the father told the son to jump. The son objected. The father replied, Its okay I'll catch you. Finallt the son jumped and the father let him fall to the ground. The son was hurt and he looked up questiongly at his father who answered thats your first lesson, "Never trust anybody in business"
My mentor told me, "Trust is not in my dictionary. I don't trust, I don't distrust, I calculate."
He also said, "Life is short, Art is Long.
Experience is gained with great pains and judgement is highly difficult."
Please visit my website at www.gerrymarina.com where I wrote articles on Why Go Buyer Broker, How To Sell For Top Dollar in a Buyer's Market, Short Sales, FAQ, Up to date Information on Sold Properties in Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens Counties, and much much more. Technology has been driving Corporate America for a long time. I was a top senior account executive for the premier technolgy consultants to Corporate America. I was the first sales rep in Gartner Group who realized the CEO's vision before he announced it to the rest of the sales force. I was the first one to implement a strategy to interact with the COO and CEO who basically directed the CIO, the leader of technology in the corporation. I successfully orchestrated the first interactive seminar with COOs and their CIO counterparts a the Garden City Hotel with a leading Gartner Analyst. Naturally I was already a seasoned businessman who had honed his skills under the tutelage of his father on fashion ave , later on Wall Street as a sales manager and a CFP, next stop was an 8 billion dollar publishing company Thompson Publishing and yes my sales territory included the Empire State Bldg. and the Twin Towers. At Gartner Group I had a Long Island Territory but I demanded and received accounts in Manhattan. My boss who finally relented gave me accounts in Manhattan that nobody could crack. I cracked them. In fact, I named our sales team the Manhattan Money Makers and we won a sales contest that got us a free VIP trip to the Super Bowl in 1997. Instead of making appointments with techies who reported to the CIO, I made appointments with the COO's who ran continents. I negotiated multi-million dollar contracts for the services of the gartner analysts who taught corporate america how to negotiate with Charles Wang, which vendor to choose, how to merge platforms and technologies, how to benchmark technologies, what to do when you neeed to make a decision on a bet your business mutli million dollar application. Guess what technolgy has taken over real estate. Just wait and see how the top real estate agents use facebook, twitter, rainmaker, flickr, and the top 25 Social Media Sites. Recently, I attended a conference at the Javits Center given by the foremost real estate coaching professional, a second generation motivational speaker, author, and real estate guru, Mr. Tom Ferry whose recent book released in early May, Life by Design is already a best seller. His mantra is passion matters and strategy rules. He's Living Level 10, Baby! In life, we must have a burning passion for our chosen profession. We were nutured on Shakespeare, Socrates, Aristotle, Rambam, Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, David Nightingale, Zig Ziglar, Jack LaLane, Freud, Jung, Adler, Paracelsus, Da Vinci, Rousseau, Locke, Voltaire, Jefferson, Hamilton, Ford, Lincoln, Rockerfeller, Mellom, Carnegie, Jobs, Gates, Walton, Disney, Thoreau, Martin Luther King, JFK, RFK, Eisenhower, MacArthur, Washington, Lincoln, Reagan, Sadat, Carter, Rabin, Dayan, Buddha, Allah, Jesus, Moses, Abraham,Issac, Jacob, David, Solomon... and today we have men like Jack Canfield(Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Aladdin Factor, The Success Principles, The Power of Focus), Dale Whoskin(The Sedonna Method), and Les Brown, who are ushering in a new age of success principles that are ageless and timeless by helping everyone learn how to harness their free will to forge an upgrade to their character and therefore their destiny. We have the divine right to create our day. It used to be the Divine Right of Rulership and manifest destiny now we are learning to rule ourselves and achieve a given self mastery. This goes way beyond The Secret, visualization, meditation and self hypnosis. Today everything is becoming transparent and there is more and more knowledge being shared that once was only for the chosen few. Teachings that were once only taught in secret socieites are now being revealed to the masses. The new paradigm is cooperation, not competition. It used to be Business is War, now its about taking quantum leaps in your thinking, in your feeling, in your income, in your ability to outshine yourself with dignity and humilty. Its about being a class act and learning from your children, grandchildren, and hopefully great grand children. This is a dawning of a new age but we still must go within and value what we received from antiquity, from our parents, and from our grandparents.
As Doug Kendall, President of Pepsi, Taco Bell...said Success doesn't happen between nine . and five, it happens between 6AM and midnight. It happens when the love of what you are doing outweighs the fatigue of doing it. It happens when you look in the mirror and say I believe in you pal and don't give me any back talk."
I want to thank my parents for teaching me values that are ageless and timeless. I've dedicated my life to helping others and I took the time to master the counseling arts. If you can't do something the answer is come back when you are ready. The teacher arrives when the student is ready. You teach yourself.
If you are really ready to sell and want a clear opinion of value, based on facts, market forces, marketing expertise, and good old fashioned work ethic then call Gerry and Marina at 516 680-8872 or visit our web site at www.gerrymarina.com .
We are constantly striving to upgrade the value of services that we provide. In life either you upgrade or you downgrade. Nothing stays the same. We believe our clients desreve the finest service possible. I would rather give "Ritz Carlton Service" to a smaller select group of clientelle. Please ask for a list of satisfied clients, customers, landlords, and leasees
"Service is a process of self-realization...It's not love your neighbor as yourself, rather you love your neighbor as you love yourself."
No counselor in any walk of life (spiritual leader, diplomat, ambassador, chief executive, statesmen, attorney, psychiatrist, realtor, financial consultant, cpa, guidance counselor, professor, teacher, physician, social worker, nurse, and all the other helping professions) can understand a level of thinking higher than his own. It would behoove us all to realize a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, a lot of knowledge brings us closer to God.
The Stars and Man Generate Man
We have God-Given free will to counteract the inescapable influences of both the earth and the sky.
I beg you, you must have volition.
God Bless America, and God Bless the Planet.
Keep Smiling, Keep Shining,
Love,
Gerry and Marina
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