Blog

June 27, 2014

A Shocker – Citizens Insurance Approves Rate Reduction

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors approved an overall average reduction of 2.9 percent statewide for personal residential policyholders. Single family homeowners will see an average drop of 3.2 percent and personal and commercial rates will decrease by 1 percent. These recommendations, however, still must be approved by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation before they take […]

June 23, 2014

Townhome Just Listed in Gables Point

I just listed this 2 bedroom, 2-1/2 bath townhome in Gables Point II, the most well-maintained of the Gables Point townhomes. This unit backs up to a beautiful private garden area designed for meeting and greeting neighbors while walking the dog (or not). The kitchen was updated five years ago with gorgeous marble counter tops and under-counter lighting, a […]

June 14, 2014

Father’s Day- Classic Cars and Cigars at The Barnacle

Celebrate dad with classic cars and hand-rolled cigars. Let dad leisure in the biergarten while the kids have a blast doing arts and crafts. Bring a picnic or grab a Barnacle burger while listening to live music on the bay. If you haven’t already gotten dad a gift, this is it. No tie needed. He […]

June 10, 2014

Inventory of Homes for Sale is on the Rise – Especially in Palmetto Bay

There are definitely more homes on the market this year over last. Take a look at the graph to the right that compares single family homes for sale between Jan 1 and June 1 in 2013 and 2014. Palmetto Bay has seen the greatest increase in homes for sale, up by 44%. This is a super hot area to […]

June 8, 2014

Glorious Royal Poincianas

Spectacular, are they not? The Royal Poinciana, with its red, vermillion, orange and yellow flowers and bright green fern-like foliage, spread their arms high and wide, shading us with the most splendid and famboyant canopy. One of the most gorgeous trees in the world, the Royal Poincianna was named after Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, the 17th century governor […]

June 5, 2014

How Long to Sell Your Home in Pinecrest

Sellers frequently ask me how long I think it will take to sell their home in the Village of Pinecrest. Homes that are priced correctly usually sell within weeks in today’s seller’s market. Price is clearly the number one factor that determines speed of sale. That being said, the time it takes to sell a home depends […]

June 3, 2014

Black Brick – Northern Chinese in Midtown

I finally made it to Black Brick, Richard Hales Northern Chinese restaurant in Midtown. You may know Hales from Sakaya Kitchen and his adored food truck Dim Ssam a gogo. The menu is wonderful, tantalizing and loaded with interesting dim sum, noodle and rice dishes and farm-fresh wok veggies. And the mojitos and slightly dirty martinis were […]

June 2, 2014

Pinecrest May See Decline in Sales Price Per Square Foot

This year, single family homes in the Village of Pinecrest have sold for an average of $300 per square foot. I’ve been looking at pending sales data for 2014 and it shows the average list price per square foot at $260. Since the average sale price to list price ratio is 95% for the year, meaning […]

May 28, 2014

Living Italian Style on the Green

Live elegantly and entertain in style in this Ramon Pacheco designed Italian Villa tucked away in a private enclave directly on the Biltmore Golf Course. This grand two-story Coral Gables home has a central courtyard that allows for a wonderful flow for parties and family living. It includes six bedrooms, six and a half baths, 5,392 square feet of living space and a formal dining […]