November 18, 2013

Wall Street Has Gone into the Rental-Home Business

The rental business is going corporate.  Rent checks from tenants are being bundled and sold as securities on Wall Street. The sale this month by Blackstone Group, one of the biggest corporate owners of Florida homes,  is a strong indicator that Wall Street investors are counting on tenants paying their rents on time. Won’t be […]
November 17, 2013

Orchids

Just posting some ephemeral beauty this morning. Orchids from Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s 11th Annual International Orchid Festival in Coral Gables. Photos are courtesy of my friend Bob Pellegrini of Vertical Garden fame.                                    
November 14, 2013

Quadcopter Fun with Aerial Drone Photography

Not only is the DJI Phantom 2 Vision ready-to-fly quadcopter the best adult toy on the market, it is the most amazing real estate tool for remote control aerial photography.  Amateur pilots can capture fantastic footage and see it in real time. The new Phantom 2 Vision comes with a custom 14 megapixel, 1080p camera with a 60-degree tilting gimbal, an […]
November 12, 2013

Four Reasons for Flat Home Sale Prediction for Next Year

The nationwide outlook on residential home sales for next year is steady, but with rising prices due to a low inventory of homes for sale. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) predicts this sharp reversal from the past two years in which existing home sales increased from the year before. What’s Bogging Down the Sales? Lack of […]
November 11, 2013

Add This to Your Holiday List – The Yacht-Submarine Combo

Can’t think of what to buy the person who has everything?  What about a luxury transport that cuts beneath the surface of waterfront living? EYOS Expeditions and Triton Submarines has formed a unique partnership combining the superyacht expedtion with the personal submarine that will set your seas on fire.  These vessels will be able to reach the most exotic and wild locations on the planet – and then dive down over 1,000 meters into […]
November 7, 2013

October Home Sales in South Coral Gables

Snapper Creek Lakes, Gables by the Sea, Old Cutler Bay Estates and Pine Bay Estates were the only luxury communities in South Coral Gables with closed sales in October, 2013.  A total of five homes sold along Old Cutler Road, South of Kendall Drive (SW 88th St). The chart below lists the five properties that sold, […]
November 6, 2013

50’s Rock n Roll Dance Party at The Barnacle

Cats and chicks, get ready to shake rattle and roll your poodle skirt loving wazoos to The Barnacle for a primo bash.. Word from the bird, the sounds will be outta sight. Dinner, dancing, beer, wine and a sundae bar. Sunday Nov. 10, 2013       6 – 9 pm The Barnacle Historic State Park 3485 Main Hwy […]
November 5, 2013

Dog Parks Can Increase Home Values

As a professional realtor, I spend a lot of time talking with people about what they want in a neighborhood. Parks, in general, increase a property tax base from increased property values. Economists call this “hedonic value”.  People preferentially want to buy homes in neighborhoods with beautiful parks and will spend more money to live […]
November 4, 2013

October Home Sales in Pinecrest

October has been a sluggish month for single family home sales in the Village of Pinecrest.  Only seven homes closed. The average sale was a 5 bedroom, 4 bath home, with 5,020 square feet of living space, that sold for an average price of  $1,126,071.00 or $222 per square foot. On the bright side, however, there are 41 […]