Miami Real Estate Blog

The goal for this year's Miami Country Day School Walk for Cancer  was $50,000.  As of the preliminary tally, Miami Country Day School had raised over

$112,000!!! 

Can we say wow!  I was helping The Heidi Hewes Woman's Cancer Association with the counting of the money and we all had goose bumps!

Those kids worked so hard and everyone should be so proud!  You could hear the kids cheering in the loud-speaker "Do it for Harry!"  The walk this year is dedicated to Harry Greenberg, a senior at MCDS who has recently lost his leg to cancer.

To think that all that money will go towards cancer research and to the efforts of finding the cure.  My hat goes off to everyone involved.

CONGRATULATIONS MIAMI COUNTRY DAY!!

Here you can see the students hard at work filling out sponsor sheets and collecting money.

Heidi Hewes' members counting money for preliminary tally

The Head of Miami Country Day, Dr. John Davies, promised to shave his head if the students met their $50,000 goal.

Not only did they meet their goal, but they more than doubled it!

CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN MIAMI COUNTRY DAY!

**take a look at The Miami Herald's photos from today**

The news came out at the beginning of this year's Hurricane Football season, that this would be the last year they play at The Orange Bowl. 

Yes the Orange Bowl is in shambles, yes it is in need of major repairs, but it is THE ORANGE BOWL!!  To think of all the games I watched from the student section, from all the times we had to pay exorbitant prices for a parking space to one of the nearby home owners, the fights, the screaming, the canon, the cheerleaders, the band, the beer, the cheering, the laughing....oh the memories.

It had not really sunk in until I read Get It While You Can.  Three more games?  That's it?  I feel really sad and although have only made it to one or two home games as an alumni, to think that this landmark will be gone is overwhelming. 

......the victories.....the touch-downs......the pride.......the tears.......

What will happen to the Orange Bowl? Nobody knows.....there's talk about building the new Marlin Stadium there.  Why does this always happen in Miami?  Why can't we maintain our landmarks, are we a disposable society?

......November 10th will be a sad day, the last Hurricane Football Game at The Orange Bowl.

Here's some articles on the subject, some controversial, some just plain mean:

• The Orange Bowl:  Tear It Down! - Stuck on The Palmetto
• Scrap the Orange Bowl?  Say it isn't so - Miami Vision Blogarama
• Save The Orange Bowl
• Life moves on living the Orange Bowl behind - The World according to Justin
• Adios, OB - Whit Watson Blog
• Inside The Orange Bowl - Duke Chronicle
• Miami Mayor says Orange Bowl could be Marlins Stadium Site - The Marlins Ballpark News
• It was time for Miami to dump that dump - Sporting News
• Miami should leave Orange Bowl - Mr. College Football

**this post can also be found at www.miamism.com "

Many of you may have noticed that I have not been around much, especially last week.  But I was taking a rest and going to bed early (meaning 12:00 AM rather than 2:00 AM) - It's during those extra 2 hours that I splash around the RAIN.

So now that I am renewed and refreshed - I had to catch up and write my SIX PACK - since I don't to beer - here are some mojitos while you read.

Some of these I picked because the comments.  Sometimes comments become better than the actual post, that's what's beautiful about Active Rain. 

• Emotions FOR SALE - price negotiable (my original intention was to play with people's minds.....this one is a classic because of the comments).

• Outside Active Rain drops (this one became an eye opener for people that did not know about "outside blogs")

• Another Active Rain meeting - Nick M. is a surfer! (edited)  (I can hear Nicky Mississippi complaining now about bringing this post back to life....you need to check out his tripple wipe out).

• Whose voice is it anyway? (all that talk about "voices".....it was a rant....I admit it)

• Perfectionist - to be or not to be (a vendor I had hired was complaining about my attention to detail....that was the end of that!)

• PRESIDENTS IN DRAG ( I added this just for the hell of it).

Here are some six packs that can't be missed!!

  The Six Pack 

   The Missing Six Pack

   My Six-Pack of Posts!

   A Six Pack.....And Memories

   Laurie's Six Pack

   Denas six pack of blogs?

   The Six Pack

   My Six Pack - How about a Case?

This post made me realize that I need to do more abs - thanks Chris.....that's the push I needed!

Hi everyone!!  To keep in spirit with October celebrations and upcoming Halloween fun, Rick and I have decided to post Halloween related photos all this month and www.Miamism.com

We are asking our readers and Active Rain friends to send us your Halloween related photos to be featured in Miamism. (and of course you can expect some link love for the trouble). From kids and adults in costume, to your Halloween decorations, to crafts.   I expect some to be real estate related and others that won't....that's OK.

Be creative, send them in (info@miamism.com) ......we would like to see what you have in store for Halloween!!

All photos will not be posted at once, it will be an on-going effort the whole month! 

***send me instructions on who to credit the photo to - I don't want to include family names or kids' names if that makes you uncomfortable*** 

There are many ways you can help the environment without thinking of yourself as a "gung-ho-green-extremist". "Green" is the new "cool", the new "hip", the new "hot". Everyone can make a difference and no better way to start than with your own designer finishes in your home. Being an architect and Realtor, I am always suggesting materials that are "earth-friendly", so this time I am going to tell you about 3 types of kitchen counter tops that come from recycled materials and are absolutely gorgeous.

The first one is paper countertops. The first time I heard of paper counter tops I imagined placing a hot pot on the counter and seeing it disintegrate underneath the pot. You know that can't be right. Recycled papers from phone books and magazines are mixed with resins to make these great looking counters that are stain resistant and have a high heat tolerance.

• Shetka Stone is one of the manufacturers - this is how the company describes their product:

"shetkaSTONE is a revolutionary product that has a 100% sustainable life cycle. Products that are produced from shetkaSTONE are manufactured from pre and post consumer waste paper and rely on using none of the Earth's overtapped resources. All by-products (waste created in the manufacturing process) can be recycled back into the manufacturing process. All products that are damaged or are at the end of their life cycle do not have to be put in any landfill, they can be recycled back into the manufacturing process.

shetkaSTONE is a necessary part of our human existence on this earth. If we do not start creating products with the same sustainability we will burn out all of the earth's natural resources."

• Richlite - uses materials made from pulp that come from certified managed forests in North America.

"The company is committed to reducing its impact on the environment by practicing sound manufacturing processes and producing products with sustainable materials. "

• Kliptech - uses recycled materials with water based resins.

"Our goal is to design, develop, manufacture and market the most durable, environmentally friendly, innovative, & cost effective composites and resin systems in the world"

Another innovative material is recycled aluminum countertops. They can be made to look like metal with that industrial look that so many people like, or to have different colors and patterns known to solid surface materials.

• Eleek - uses a process that smooths and polishes the metal and has an organic looking surface that is soft to the touch, does not fingerprint like stainless steel and is heat resistant up to 300 degrees. The finishes are natural river rock but also have a selection of different color patinas. The counter tops are manufactured to specs and there is no cutting on site.

• Alkemi - uses 60% post industrial scrap for their solid surface materials

Lastly, I will tell you about my all time favorite - glass counter tops. These are made from recycled glass that are mixed with a resin to make the most beautiful looking tops I've seen. I am a big fan of sea glass, and to think you can have actual pieces of colorful glass as counters is pretty amazing.

• Vetrazzo has managed to create the most incredible palette of glass, and I encourage you to take a look at their website. This is what they have to say about their product.

"Vetrazzo surfaces give you an alternative to using non-renewable resources (like virgin granite, for example), and provides a new market for recycled glass, including glass that cannot be recycled elsewhere. Even reusing glass to create bottles or fiberglass comes with a HUGE energy cost."

• Enviroglass is another glass counter top company:

"Those glass bottles you’re throwing away can be recycled… into beautiful… economical… sustainable… floors, countertops and decorative surfaces"

So there you have it - 3 counter top options that are "earth friendly". What's important to realize here is that there are plenty of companies out there that are committed to the production of materials that are environmentally conscious. I mentioned 3 products here but there are thousands of others. If you are remodeling your home, don't be afraid to ask about recycled materials, you may be pleasantly surprised. Even in the most remote areas, you will be able to find installers and manufactures that have our environment at the top of their list.

I was visiting a broker's open yesterday and when I sat down to eat the food the gracious host had prepared, I was greeted with "Hey Ines, super blogger you!"

I was a bit puzzled because not one person is blogging in my real estate market place. I've invited quite a number of people, but no one sees the benefit. (Personally, I think they are not being smart......and yes it makes me happy, because there's more room for me).

A couple of the other Realtors there told me that they had had an office meeting about blogging and all of a sudden they began firing questions in my direction:

• is it time consuming?
• do you see results?
• what do you blog about?
• do you have to be a good writer?
• is it true about search engines finding you quickly?
• how much time do you spend blogging per day?

The conversation was dynamic and I enjoyed answering the questions. My name had come up in their meeting because a few agents have been reading miamism.com.

Do you realize what this means? We, the ones blogging in this platform, the ones that are reading blogs and participating in the blogosphere are at the forefront of the real estate industry!

Go ahead and pat yourself on the back! The time that you spend blogging and sometimes wonder if it is worth the effort - IS definitely worth it! Read books on blogging (I recommend to start are Realty Blogging by Chaney and Natch and Naked Conversations by Scobble and Israel to start off). READ - READ - WRITE - WRITE and most importantly.......

BLOG ON!

I had the pleasure of attending Miami Country Day School's Walk for Cancer Assembly.  We were invited to attend because the proceeds from this walk are given to The Miami Shores Heidi Hewes Chaper of the Woman's Cancer Association of U.M. (To which I am co-president together with Tammy Austin).

Last year Country Day raised over $45,000 and this year their goal is $50,000.  All funds raised go directly to cancer research.

The whole school attended the assembly.  The Spartan Cheerleaders kicked off the assembly and were followed by numerous speakers including Walk Chairs and 2 cancer survivors.  They even had a dance with the "Crank That!" beat.

Being present at the assembly felt great because I am a MCDS alumni, and because it is heart warming to see schools getting involved in such a worthy cause like cancer which affects so many of us on a daily basis.  But what touched me the most was the fact that Miami Country Day is dedicating the walk to Harry Greenberg, one of their senior students who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Harry's parents spoke at the assembly and got everyone teary eyed (yours truly included).  The fact that such a young, healthy and spirited young man is going through this is the reason why these fundraisers are so important.  A few of Harry's friends have shaved their head in support.  Harry's father spoke about CARPE DIEM - "seize the day".  The theme of the assembly was HOPE, FAITH and CHARITY.

The walk is scheduled for Saturday, October 27th.  Miami Country Day students are selling pencils, sweat bands, stress balls and sweat shirts to benefit the walk.  I hope to see you there!

**this post also appears at miamism.com**

You are going to think I am crazy for writing an article about the correct use of windows.  But you need to know that windows are my pet peeve.  Windows are a key element in a building's architecture, and the incorrect use of a window can ruin a building's facade.

I drive around every day looking at Miami Architecture shaking my head.  You see Spanish Mediterranean homes with Colonial windows, Colonial homes with casement windows, or Mid-century modern homes with single-hung windows.  This drives me absolutely crazy, so instead of complaining, I'll try to explain some basics.

Vitruvius, known as the first Roman architect to have written on his field, always talked about architecture as an imitation of nature, and ultimately defined the Vitruvian Man (drawn by Leonardo da Vinci).  The Vitruvian Man, represents perfect human proportions and fundamental geometric patterns of the cosmic order.  I will not go into detail about the human proportions but will only tell you that the first windows were vertical in nature made to represent the human body, or better yet, were designed according to human proportions.

I have sketched a common window to show what proportions are about - notice the vertical nature of the window.  Different styles of architecture call for different window proportions.  And although I'm not going into detail about what type of window is appropriate for what type of architecture, my purpose is to help you "see" and discern the different proportions.

You have no idea how good it feels when friends and loved ones start noticing things that they really never paid attention to.  It's great that Rick can go into a house now, with his "accountant eye" and say, "too bad they replaced the windows with the wrong type".  It's a big YESSSssss in my book.

Here are 3 sketches of the same house with different types of windows - please excuse my primitive pen and inks, but I think it helps to make a point.

The house is a small scaled Mediterranean Revival typical of the 1920's in South Florida.  One of the three window types is correct for the style.

Sketch "A" shows the house with a horizontal awning window,

Sketch "B" shows the house with a vertical casement window,

Sketch "C" shows the house with a colonial window.

The differences may be a bit subtle for the untrained eye, but the correct use for a Mediterranean Revival home is the casement window.  If we want to go into detail, the proportion of the window lights and the placement of the muntins is also very important.  But I would much rather see a plain casement without muntins, than the other 2 applications. 

So what's the purpose of this blog and how does it apply to you?  Start looking at windows, notice differences, that way when you are ready to replace a window in your home, you will know which type to use.  Please don't ask window companies, most of them will not care what you use and which window type is appropriate; when in doubt, ask a professional.  There are plenty of architects that do consulting and would be glad to answer questions.  There are also historic boards throughout that may be able to help you.

If you have a question about windows, let me know......I'll try my best to answer.

**this article also appears at www.miamism.com ** **the responses to it there are hilarious!**

This means that anyone can call themselves an inspector, no matter what their qualifications are.  Did you also know that there are a lot of home inspectors that make themselves look good by printing out  really pretty reports that do nothing to protect a real estate buyer?

As a home buyer, you want to protect yourself by hiring a good home inspection company that gives you a thorough report detailing the condition of the property.  The whole inspection process is designed so that you, as a buyer, will know exactly what you are getting into and can identify problems or deficiencies in a property's construction and design before actually purchasing the property.  The inspection report will even help you get out of a purchase contract if the deficiencies exceed a stipulated amount.

So how do you choose a good inspector? How do you know if the inspector knows what they are doing?

There are 3 major home inspection associations in the US.  Although this is a good start, being a member of any one of these associations does not guarantee that you are getting a good knowledgeable inspector, it guarantees that the inspector is following some standard guidelines.

• The National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. - http://www.nahi.org/ - Take a look at the NAHI's disclosure:  "The National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. does not make any representation or warranty as to the quality of Florida home inspections done by its Florida home inspector members and does not endorse any state Florida home inspection services, Florida home inspection products of any Florida home inspector member or professional Florida home inspection company. All of our National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. state Florida home inspector members agree to conduct their Florida home inspections according to the National Association of Home Inspectors Standards of Practice & Code of Ethics".  You can also take a look at their standards of practice.
  
• The American Society of Home Inspectors - http://www.ashi.org/ - Read the ASHI position statement on regulation of Home Inspectors - you can also see which states regulate this profession (Florida is not included).
• The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors - http://www.nachi.org/ - Take a look at the NACHI definition of scope of service which should give you a good idea of how subjective a home inspection can be.

When choosing a home inspector there are key questions that must be asked in order to assess the inspector's experience and expertise.

1. How long they have been doing inspections?
2. What type of inspections do they do? Condos, new construction, single-family, historic homes (please note that an inspector that does mostly new construction will usually not be a good pick for inspecting a historic house).
3. What makes them an expert? Have they had hands-on construction experience, are they a general contractor, do they have an engineering or related building industry degree
4. How detailed will their inspection be?  will a structural inspection include them going into a home's crawlspace or attic space or will it only be a visual of the perimeter of the property
5. Will they guarantee their findings or will they wash their hands after they leave the property?

Please note that the production of a "pretty" and well presented report does not guarantee that the inspector knows what they are doing.  We also know of Realtors that like using inspectors that produce vague reports as not to compromise the sale of a property.

We have come across many types of home inspectors in our real estate career and have some really funny stories, and some that are not funny at all.  I like to be present in all our inspections because my architecture background is definitely helpful not only to interpret reports, but also to point out potential problems that the inspector might not have seen otherwise.  I like to get down and dirty and wear jeans and sneakers the day of the inspection in order to climb roofs and go into attics....our customers get a kick out of that.

We always recommend that our customers hire experts knowledgeable in each particular field to get the correct information.  (I.e. structural engineer to assess structure, air conditioning contractor for a/c, pest control company for termites, etc.).  The first inspection is usually done by a general contractor home inspector or structural engineer home inspector and if they find any deficiencies then the specialized experts come in.

Home inspection reports will vary from the most vague and general to the most detailed and ridiculous where even missing kitchen cabinet knobs are pointed out.  If you ask me....I rather have the lengthy detailed report, than the vague one.  The whole purpose of a home inspection is to know what the deficiencies of the property are, not to use the report as negotiating tool (although many buyers do).

Lastly, I'd like to tell you about a home inspection company that did a presentation in our office not long ago.  The owner of the company told us that they would never include anything in a home inspection report that would hurt or compromise the sale of a property.   WHAT?????  You heard correctly, if the inspector's intention is to protect the seller, who is watching over the buyer's interests? 

Please educate yourself and make sure you hire someone that knows what they are doing and is watching over your best interest.....and hopefully the State of Florida will start regulating the home inspection industry soon.

**this article also appears in www.Miamism.com**