Miami Real Estate Blog

The New Year has always been special to me for so many different reasons; I love what it symbolizes and love the energy of the people around me.  Rick and I always spend the New Year with our kids, family and friends and we always have a blast.

I have been asking different people about their own traditions for New Year's Eve and these are some of the ones I remember: 

(feel free to add your own traditions to the list - I would love to hear about them and possibly adopt them if you don't mind)

• NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS - from loosing weight, to quitting smoking, to spending more time with loved ones - to organizing our desks and even volunteering more of our time to the less fortunate.  Whatever your New Year Resolutions are - may you stick to them and feel good about yourself.
• Watching The Rose Bowl - did you know that the first Rose Bowl Football Game was in 1902?
• A lot of people celebrate the New Year in company of family and friends to represent who they will spend time with the rest of the year.
•  People eat all kinds of different foods for good luck.  In the US, some people eat Black-eyed peas for luck.  In Spain, we eat Lentil Soup for Wealth (not just the monetary type) - I'll be eating some Lentil Soup tomorrow night!
• I've been eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight for years and have no clue why - if anyone can enlighten me, please do!
• Times Square in NY City - broadcast throughout the US as people watch as the ball drops and people kiss at the stroke of midnight and honk their horns.
• It would not be a complete tradition without Champagne!  - Liquor stores are stocked up and ready at this time of year.  Nothing like a little bubbly to accentuate happiness.
• Some countries kick the old year out the door on the stroke of midnight and then make sure to take the first step with the right foot - to signify starting the New Year on the right foot.
• Some other countries throw a pail of water out a window or door to rid their home of evil spirits.

Traditions are fun - especially on this great day - whatever your traditions are - and whoever you spend the evening with - may you have an Incredible New Year full of everything you want.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

For all you Northerners, you may think that Miami has no winter, but I want to explain to you that although it is not cold, locals, for the most part, do not swim here during Winter.  If you go to the beach during winter and see people swimming or water skiing, most of those will be tourists enjoying the non-freezing waters of South Florida.

Today we decided to go boating to take a visitor friend of ours around the tourist attractions inside Biscayne Bay.  The temperature started in the 50's and went up to the high 60's, the day was beautiful, but the breeze was pretty chilly and we kept our coats on.

To own a boat in Miami you don't need to live on the water.  The options are endless, you can keep your boat at a marina or you can trailor your boat to one of the many boat ramps around Miami-Dade.  

We keep our boat on the side of our house and trailer it to Pelican Harbor Marina and pay an annual pass to be able to come and go as we please.

Today we visited Monument island first - we let the kids play around in the sand and walk around the island, had lunch, and then continued our ride.  Here you can see the island when it was first built (courtesy of: Flagler Memorial Island monument. Florida Photographic Collection, 1922.), versus today.

Our next visit was Star Island, home to many Miami celebrities, and although I can share some photos I took today on the boat, I cannot tell you who the homes belong to, it would be invasion of privacy and I am not a Paparazzi.   But look closely at some of the art work/sculptures and you will be able to at least make out one of them.

Some other pictures are of the Port of Miami - the cranes are truly sculptural, and part of our daily backdrop.

Well known South Pointe is beyond the I-395 bridge (you can see Philippe Stark's Icon, Murano Grande, The Yacht Club and other great South Beach High-rise condos).

And lastly, I had to take some pictures of animals.  Look at that beautiful dog barking from the comfort of his own waterfront lounge chair!  How about the sea gulls and the Pelicans!

One thing to remember if you are winter boating in South Florida is to look out for ever changing Manatee zones - it is idle speed from November to April.  The boat patrols are everywhere enforcing speed to protect our Manatees which are an endangered species.

If you would like more information on Miami's waterfront properties, Feel free to contact Rick & Ines  and visit our website athttp://www.yourpropertypros.com/ www.miamism.com

Buying or selling real estate can be extremely emotional.  You often hear that "you must detach yourself emotionally from your home when selling" or "not to make an emotional purchase".  This is very easy to say, and is something we have been hearing for decades, but WHY??

Usually people are making the biggest purchase of their lives when buying a home and are making the biggest sale of their lives when selling, so why can't you be emotional??

• Emotion usually clouds the senses and your judgment.  
• Emotion usually helps you make irrational decisions.
• Emotion puts LIFE in our world.

So here's what I think.  Without emotion, buyers would just visit listings and would never find that property that makes their heart skip a beat or make them extremely excited.  Without emotion sellers would only worry about their bottom dollar and would not care about any other detail regarding their home.  TALK ABOUT BORING!  We live in a society where hiding your feelings is the norm.

My advice is to keep it real!  Be emotional! Your emotions will tell you when you are working with the right Realtor, one that makes you feel comfortable and cares about your needs.  Your emotions will let you know when you have found the perfect property.  Your emotions will tell you that your Realtor has found the perfect buyer for your home.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICH!!

Yes it's true!  Mr. Rich Jacobson is celebrating his 50th BIRTHDAY!!

Join along, help us celebrate!  It's 1/2 a century....WOW....That's BIG!

How do we know this is true?  a little birdie told us.....a very smart birdie at that!  Thank you Maureen Francis for spreading the word, like I said....YOU ROCK!  Oh...and let's not forget to give propert credit to Photoshop extraordinaire:  Kristal for the great Santa Hat.

So what's so special about this guy?  Let's start with:  he's caring, giving, he welcomes people into the rain, he is always willing to help, he's warm...............OK.......I'm not going to bore you.......but he is QUITE A GUY and has a killer smile!

He's also very lucky with a beautiful wife and 4 awesome children - all that and a great family........what else could a guy ask on his birthday.  Look around Active Rain and you'll see him everywhere!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICH!

It is so important, as Realtors, to be respectful of other agents at all times.  This past weekend I had a couple of experiences when taking buyers to see different listings and want to point out a couple of scenarios thinking this will help a lot of us.

I will raise some important questions for you to think about:  

• -how do you greet other agents when they show your listings?  
• -Do you direct your attention to their customer directly or do you ask the agent for permission to address them? 
• -Do you let them walk around the property or do you grab their hand and show them in the order you deem necessary?

I was showing a property of an agent I had not met before; he is not a local agent and does not live in the area.  This guy greeted my customers without greeting me, and introduced himself very aggressively, without ever shaking my hand.  He proceeded to show the property and to talk directly to my customers and show the house without ever giving me eye contact or even asking if I mind.  He even began telling them about the area without even asking if they were interested in his opinion (granted- the guy doesn't even work the area, what expert could he be?).  A lot of you are probably reading this thinking, "sooo, what's the big deal?" - Here's my answer:

Common sense dictates that if a customer is working with an agent, it's because they feel comfortable with them, it is not good business sense to push your aggressive personality without first introducing yourself to the buyers' agent, and without first asking the agent if it is ok to show the property.  I have never understood why some agents have a fixation with walking people around a house saying "this is the bathroom, this is the kitchen, this is the pool", isn't that obvious?  I like to follow the customers and answer any questions they may have and in the process point out features like "Limestone floors, Philippe Stark fixtures, Carrara Marble, hurricane impact windows......etc".  The worst part is that if you have many listings in a particular area and you don't make a buyers' agent feel comfortable, what are the chances they will bring buyers back to your listings?  The other negative aspect is that buyers might be so turned off by the listing agent's personality that no matter how perfect the house may be, many will not be able to get past the pushy personality.

I like to do Broker's opens to expose our listings to agents, so that when they come back, they feel comfortable showing the home and seem like the expert they were hired to be.  I'm there to answer questions, not to steal the show.  Trying to steal the show is rude and shows no class.

So what have we learned from this?  Always address the other agent first, they are the ones bringing you business, you need to make them feel comfortable if you plan on working with them again or at all.  There is no room for vanity, it is not a battle of the egos, think of the customer and the transaction.  Be respectful, show some class, you will be more successful in your business, I promise.

9201 Collins Avenue, #226 - Surfside, FL  33154 

Waverly at Surfside Beach Condominium

FOR SALE -  $ 399,000   **Least expensive unit in the building**

This property is Ranged Priced.  The seller will consider offers between $399,000 and $429,000 with $429,000 being a full price offer.

Beachfront condominium in Surfside, just steps from Bal Harbour Shops and restaurants.  Feel relaxing ocean breeze from private balcony while looking at the waves.  This spacious one bedroom / one bathroom condo unit has washer and dryer inside, walk-in closet, central air conditioning, spacious kitchen, and great distribution.

You can walk right unto the Waverly Beach Club from this second story condo unit.  Imagine yourself walking to Bal Harbour Shops and Restaurants.  Buyers can enjoy all the building amenities,  including:  heated pool, gym, club/billiards room, beach volleyball, and coference room.  Unit also includes one assigned parking space.

  Please follow this LINK to see virtual tours and additional photos of this property.

PROPERTY INFORMATION: 

• 1 bedroom / 1 bathroom 
• Condo Maintenance fees $256/month 
• Approx. 642 sq. ft. under air conditioning
• built in 2003
• 1 parking space
• builing includes basic cable and internet access
• washer/dryer inside unit
• high ceilings
• open balcony
• carpeting and tile flooring 

TAKE A LOOK AT A VIDEO OF THE POOL AND BEACH CLUB AREA OF THE WAVERLY.  Please visit this LINK if you have problems uploading the video.

For additional information about this property, please visit our website at http://www.yourpropertypros.com/ or e-mail RICK & INES at info@YourPropertyPros.com

Hi everyone, this blog is from the heart and I hope you can join in and share with me.  There were some beautiful ladies in Miami Shores and the surrounding communities that would organize a Christmas Coffee every year on the first week of December.  They would have a couple of women talk about a life changing experience and how they had found God.  When I first heard about it I was a little skeptical but that all changed when I attended my first one.  The whole point of the coffee was to help you focus on the things that really matter, to help you realize the true meaning of Christmas, and to put things in perspective.   Although they have not had a Christmas Coffee in a couple of years, I still sit down to reflect every year.

Right after Thanksgiving many of us start running like crazy making holiday gift lists, going to the mall, shopping on-line, getting our nails and hair done for holiday parties, buying holiday attire for those parties, getting lights, trees and decorations up, organizing parties of our own - IT'S MADDENING!!

This year was no different, except, as many of you know, my dad had been diagnosed with cancer 8 months before and he was having surgery on December 4^th.  The great news is that my dad is officially in Remission. What better Christmas gift than that could I have ever wished for?  

My dad is not a very religious man, but everyone I know has been offering prayers for him.  On the day of his first operation, he grabbed my hand before going into the O.R. and said - "Please pray for me".  As I am writing this, I have tears in my eyes, because I had never heard my dad say that.  I thank you all for the beautiful wishes, I thank you all for the prayers, and most of all, I thank God for giving me the best gift ever.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU......and have faith.......reflect on your good fortune.......reflect on what surrounds you......take the time to look around and realize how blessed we really are.

Some of the ladies in the rain were talking about being memed and I had no idea what they were talking about.  So it seems Mary McKnight is at fault for this craziness - so let's go thank her because it's a lot of fun.

So I feel honored to have been tagged by none other than Ann Cummings - so here are 5 things a lot of people don't know about me:

1.  I am THE definition of a melting pot.  I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, my mom is from Spain, my dad was born in Venezuela but his mother was born in Rumania and his dad in Germany - my maiden name is Hungarian.  I only speak two languages though, Spanish and English.

2.  I am completely and horribly disgusted by cockroaches - I will scream my head off if one touches me and will do the wild dance while shaking my whole body arms and legs in different directions.  (And I cannot even get close to a dead one).

3.  Rick and I took a 1 month boat trip on his father's 57' yacht from Miami to Venezuela through the Caribbean islands.  On our first rough night (from Turks and Caicos to the Dominican Republic) we got really bad seas and I puked for 14 hours straight - beauty eh?

4. I've always been quite the business gal - at 11 years old, my father managed some rental properties and hired me to repaint units when tenants moved out.  I was able to hire people to do the job for me while I did nothing and made a really pretty profit - enough to save money to buy a car before I even had a license.

5.  I love Math - have always had a passion for it - decided to study Engineering for the math and went to Florida State University (no I am not a Seminole) - later decided that I was too creative and switched majors to Architecture and graduated from the University of Miami.  I am transferring my love of math to my kids and enjoy sitting down with them and teaching them math that is way above their grade level.

That's really funny..... I was done with this post and then find out that Mariana Wagner has MEMED me knowing I was already memed!!  What's wrong with you woman??  So here's 5 more things you may not know about me:

1.  I totally despise LAZY people.  Cannot stand procrastinators - and cannot understand why some people cannot multi-task.  I moved back to Venezuela for one year after graduating from UM and worked with an architecture firm that would beg me to SLOW DOWN?  Can you believe having a boss that tells you are over working and to please arrive late because I was making everyone look bad?

2.  I have 3 awesome boys:  a 12 year old, a 10 year old and a 2 year old.  I could not deal with having a third boy so close in age to the other 2 and didn't want any more kids.  When the middle one was around 7, Rick and I decided to try one last time for the girl - and that's when the little one came in.  No girl, but I LOVE my boys.

3.  My kids love hanging out with me.  I skateboard with them, water ski, play soccer, even wakeboard.  Anything they do I do with them and up to now, they like my company (let's hope it stays that way).

4.  I taught aerobics right out of high school all the way through my college days.  Sometimes 2 and 3 classes per day.  Now I kickbox and have SO MUCH FUN AT IT!

5.  What attracted me to my husband at first was his biceps - NO....I am not that shallow.....He was a really nice guy and saw him wearing a tank top one day and flipped!  Then I found out he was also intelligent and totally fell for him.

So I AM DONE!  NO MORE TAGGING!!  Maybe I should Tag Mariana again just for fun.....hmmmm.  I'll be nice.

And now, I'm to tag 3 other members of Active Rain who then will share with us 5 things about themselves.

Chris Elizabeth Griffith, Noel Padilla & Alexander Harb

Go check out The First (?) ActiveRain Meme to find out who else has been memed!

This past Sunday, December 10^th 2006, The Miami Shores Heidi Hewes Chapter of the Woman's Cancer Association held its 15th annual "Homes for the Holidays" walking tour. It was a huge success and all for such a great cause.

A group of friends of mine and I made it a tradition to go together to this yearly event.  We would meet in someone's house all dressed up and ready to go, and would enjoy looking at holiday decorations, architectural styles and chatting with hundreds of locals.  If you have ever been to one of these walks you know how fabulous they are, if you have not, I hope to be able to do the walk justice with my description.

The organization, every year, asks for 5 or 6 Miami Shores residents to volunteer their home for 3 hours.  These gracious homeowners not just open the door to their homes, but decorate for the holidays and prepare their homes to make them warm and inviting for the event.  The homes are always very different, in scale, architectural styles and even religious and ethnic backgrounds.  There are literally hundreds of volunteers that sit in every room of the homes to make sure nothing is broken or damaged and also to keep the traffic moving.  There are approximately 500 guests that visit the homes by invitation only.  A beautiful brochure is put together with professional architectural renderings of each home and a description, together with mention of gold, silver and bronze sponsors.There is always an additional theme in each house:  the wine and cheese house, the cookies and punch house, the Santa Clause house, etc.

This year I decided to join Heidi Hewes and become part of this worthwhile organization.  I was lucky enough to be in the walk committee and helped organize the event including finding willing home owners, schedule interviews to view the homes, decide the number of volunteers needed in each home, help coordinate the event, as well as volunteer as a greeter in one of the homes. 

It was the first time in 6 years that I did not attend the walk as a guest, but as a volunteer and must admit that although I missed the tradition of going with my friends, the feeling of giving to such a worthy cause made it all worth it.  I thank Heidi Hewes' members for welcoming me into their organization and for giving me the opportunity to help.  I feel so proud of the event and what was accomplished and can tell you we were able to raise over $33,000 which will go directly to cancer research.

There were 5 homes on the walk this year.  Two bay front homes, one a traditional colonial with incredible boat house right on Biscay Bay and the other one modern and furnished with great modern classics.  A third home was a Bauhaus influenced 50's bi-level with incredible interiors designed by the owners and with flower arrangements that took your breath away (pun intended).  The fourth home was a traditional rancher with an incredible addition and pool area right across from the Miami Shores Boardwalk  The last home was a 2-story colonial with a massive addition an incredible piece of property.  We are so thankful to the home owners who were all extremely gracious and so willing to help and make the walk special. The decorations were amazing and the ambiance  indescribable.  Without them, the walk would not have been possible.

If you would like more information about the walk or the organization, please do not hesitate to contact me.  We are always looking for more members.

Overview of the single family market in Miami Shores, FL:

• Currently on the market:  176
• Currently under contract:  27
• Closed in the last 90 days: 22
• Lowest Priced Listing:  $325,000
• Highest Priced Listing:  $3,950,000

Overview of the condo market in Miami Shores, FL:

• Currently on the market:  32
• Currently under contract:  11
• Closed in the last 90 days: 8
• Lowest Priced Listing:  $189,499
• Highest Priced Listing:  $610,000

Visit http://www.yourpropertypros.com/ www.miamism.com for more information about Miami Shores Real Estate.

***The photo is of our oldest son wakeboarding next to Sunset Island in Biscayne Bay.  Look at the beautiful homes in the background........and yes.... he caught air!***