Those of you who follow my blog know that I am a big Fan of the Largo Sound Area, in Key Largo.  Largo Sound is a fantastic little area only minutes from Miami, yet a world away. With it's proximity to Adams Cut, the mid Key Largo opening between Florida Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the Largo Sound Area is ideal for Boaters who want the best of Both Worlds!!  With its community park and boat ramp...the water is yours! Exceptional back country fishing in the Bay and world class blue water fishing and diving in the Atlantic are mere minutes away. 456 Barracuda Blvd Key Largo List price: $1,050,000 4 bedrooms / 3 Bathrooms Mile Marker 103 Oceanside Description: Own on Millionaire's Row in Key Largo!! Beautiful 4BR/3BA, CBS pool home w/marble flooring and screened in porch. Privacy wall w/Ga... 02/23/2012

I love referrals, of course we all do.  Fortunately I find myself working more and more of them from both my personal sphere but also through the great network of national and international agents that I have been able to create, and quite a few from Active Rain!! With this in mind, I have been reevaluating my business plan for 2011, and have decided to fore go some of the more traditional forms of marketing in order to offer my Active Rain colleagues a more aggressive referral. For 2012, I will be offering a 30% referral, at closing, to my Active Rain collegues on the respective Buyer/Seller end for your Florida Keys referrals (large or small), excluding Key West. Of course referral splits aren't the only reason you should referral your valued clients to me.  With over 17 years in the ... 02/17/2012

    February,  2012   www.MaryLeePresentsOceanReef.com   Email: Mary@MaryLeePresentsOceanReef.com   917.603.3252     Dear John,      I am very excited to be representing Ocean Reef real estate in the Ferretti booth at the Miami Boat Show.   All the best,     Mary Lee       Mary / Ocean Reef   In the News!  NYAC Affiliation   FINE/Champagne Magazine  CBS MarketWatch Legends Invitational Golf Tournament duPont Registry Magazine  Haute Living Magazine      Unique Homes Magazine      Ocean Home Magazine    Ocean Reef Press     Distinctive Properties       "Experience the Difference in Real Estate Marketing"             CLICK HERE TO VIEW  THE MIAMI BOAT SHOW EDITION   Stop by my office in the Fishing Village (next to Reef Treats) and say hello! Sincerely,     Mary Lee Mary Lee Presents Oce... 02/16/2012

628 La Paloma Road, Key Largo - Location and Price...makes for a very nice combination. And today's Deal has both. Lot's of bang for the buck. This home is located in Key Largo, right behind the land part of Pennekamp Park.  A quick cruise thru South Sound Creek and you're in Open Water!!  World Class Fishing and Diving is certainly on the New Buyer of this Property's To Do List for sure!   628 La Paloma Road, Key Largo Gotta Love Having Your own Sandy Beach!   List Price: $456,100 / Sold Price: $390,000  2 Bedrooms / 2 Bathrooms Mile Marker 102 Oceanside Description: Beautiful renovated concrete home with a concrete roof in Winston Waterways with direct access to the ocean and easy access to bay via the Adams Cut Waterway. Gorgeous first class concrete dock is brand new! Large screened... 02/16/2012

Your Humble Conchquistador recently had the opportunity to entertain old friends from the far away Country of California.  Of course the highlight of their visit was the Keys. Now, they were no strangers to The Keys, as I  had had the opportunity 12 years ago to introduce them to this magical oasis, and they fell in love...well after the obligatory..."Where's The Beach?" question.  The other thing the Lady of the Couple fell in love with, was our Key Lime Pie!!! So much so, that on this visit, we embarked on The Great Key Lime Pie Quest of 2012.   An unscientific, and unbiased, yet open minded hunt for the best Key Lime Pie in The Keys.  One Day...One Pie...One Victor.  So Tart, yet so Sweet. Tough our intentions were to include the entire Keys, as I wanted to end up at Blue Heaven in K... 02/02/2012

Honored is a light word for how I feel about being named to The Florida Keys MLS, INC's Board of Directors. Professionally, to be recognized by your peers as having the requisite experience and background to be a custodian of the "spine" of our industry is certainly...humbling. I would like to thank the Academy, my Agent, Harvey Weinstein...whoops...wrong honor. All kidding aside, as a Board Member, I, along with my fellow members, will be involved with overseeing, maintaining, developing and improving, our Multiple Listing Service.  Of course as a Conchquistador, you know that I have strong opinions and ideas on how to make our MLS, the best in the Business. In this new era of Zillow and Trulia, et al, REALTORS face new challenges with disseminating reliable and accurate information to... 01/26/2012

In an effort to keep in better shape, I have begun walking various routes here in the Florida Keys from about 1 to 4 miles.  The Scenery is spectacular and it actually helps keep me on top of the inventory!!  I have my iPhone loaded with Zillow and Trulia, a pocket full of business cards and away I go!!  It truly is walking in paradise!! Today's Walk was in another great Key Largo Community, Bay Harbor Point.  A Mix of Stunning Waterfront Estate Homes and cozy Keys-z Bungalows in the middle part of Key Largo on picturesque Florida Bay. See today's .85 of a  mile route below: View Larger Map View Available Bay Harbor Point Homes Ready to create your own no-hassle shopping cart of available Properties in the Florida Keys, with multiple search capability? Click here: ConchMLS.com. 01/15/2012

In an effort to keep in better shape, I have begun walking various routes here in the Florida Keys from 1 to 4 miles.  The Scenery is spectacular and it actually helps keep me on top of the inventory!!  I have my iPhone loaded with Zillow and Trulia, a pocket full of business cards and away I go!!  It truly is walking in paradise!!Today's Walk was in one of my favorite Communities, Hammer Point.A Mix of Mobile, Modular, and Single Family Waterfront Homes in the southern part of Key Largo on picturesque Florida Bay See today's 3.7 mile route below: View Larger MapReady to create your own no-hassle shopping cart of available Properties in the Florida Keys, with multiple search capability? Click here: ConchMLS.com. 01/12/2012

The original buyer walked away, so my buyer made and offer AGAIN. Silly me, I thought that bank owned property offers had to be uploaded in a timely manner. Is five days considered "timely"?  It is a Chase loan. Does anyone one know the rules for how long you can wait before uploading an offer on a Chase REO? My buyer is pissed that this wasn't uploaded immediately. Is this an agent playing games or are they following some rule? This property was pending, then came back on the market because the original buyer walked.   01/10/2012

Wow, This year is only a week old and it is KICKIN"!!!  I have been Super busy with Buyers and new properties and it should get prettttttty interesting if this is an indication of where the year is going.Now, January is traditionally one of, if not The busiest of months for properties going under contract, but it has been some time since I have seen a January like this!  I am always getting asked about the local real estate market and what is selling, so in an effort to  keep you updated I am providing a monthly report that shows the sales activity in the Upper Keys. I hope you find this information useful and interesting. Work with an Agent who Knows the Numbers!!  Put the experience and expertise of The Conchquistador to work for you! For more information on the outstanding real estat... 01/09/2012

71 Shoreland Drive, Key Largo  There's an old cliche in Real Estate regarding property value that goes: Location, Location, Location!! Well, in those terms, today's Deal has that and Then Some! Perched like an Osprey on lovely Largo Sound (one of my favorite Upper Keys Locations) protected from the harsh Ocean waters by El Radabob Key, This multi level waterfront home, has it all! Updated, room for your toys, great location, even an elevator, and priced right, this home that was originally priced at $1,750,000, is going to brighten the new owners new year for certain! Roof Top Deck Overlooking Serene Largo Sound  Those of you who follow my blog know that I am a big Fan of the Largo Sound Area, in Key Largo.  Largo Sound is a fantastic little area only minutes from Miami, yet a world awa... 12/29/2011

I mean...How could you POSSIBLY go wrong????  A film Starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G Robinson, Lionel Barrymore,Written and Directed by John Houston AND set in The Florida Keys with a Hurricane on the Horizon???  Murder...Intrigue...Seminoles!!!"Key Largo" is Film Noir at it's finest!!The Little town of Rock Harbor  loved the Film so much they changes the name to Key Largo!!!And now that Little town may just become home to the Humphrey Bogart Film Festival!!Read more about it below in Steve Gibbs article in the Keysnews.com"KEY LARGO -- A long-time effort to find a home for a Humphrey Bogart film festival may have come to fruition."It makes intuitive sense to hold a festival in a town that changed its name from Rock Harbor to Key Largo in response to the movie by that ... 12/27/2011

522 Plante Street,  Key Largo Those of you who follow my blog know that I am a big Fan of the Largo Sound Area, in Key Largo.  Largo Sound is a fantastic little area only minutes from Miami, yet a world away. South Creek village's Homeowners' Park with Ramp With it's proximity to Adams Cut, the mid Key Largo opening between Florida Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the Largo Sound Area is ideal for Boaters who want the best of Both Worlds!!  With its community park and boat ramp...the water is yours! Exceptional back country fishing in the Bay and world class blue water fishing and diving in the Atlantic are mere minutes away! Today's Deal is in the South Creek Village section of Largo Sound, and although I do not focus a great deal of dry lot homes here, this one was crying out to be feature... 12/27/2011

Santa traded in his sleigh to go diving off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Check him as he spreads holiday wishes to the marine inhabitants on a section of America's only living contiguous coral barrier reef. Wishing You and Yours a Merry Tropical Christmas from my Family to Yours! 12/24/2011

Stillwright Point (originally Stellrecht Point) is a great community that is on a natural peninsula positioned perfectly in Key Largo on picturesque Blackwater Sound. 45 Minutes to Miami...But an entire World away.  It is a premiere community made up of sumptuous waterfront estates with breathtaking open-water views. 26 North Drive, Key Largo List Price: $775,000 4 Bedrooms / 3 Bathrooms Mile Marker 105 Bayside Description: Bayfront concrete home in well loved Stillwright Point. 2/2 upstairs and pre-firm (grandfathered in) 2/1 downstairs. Enjoy relaxing on expansive porches overlooking the beautiful Florida Bay WITHOUT seeing your neighbors homes. View Detailed Brochure with Photos & Mapped Location View Available Stillwright Point Homes View Key Largo Waterfront Homes $750,000 - $1M 12/18/2011

Artists from the Art Guild of the Purple Isles and Island Christian School finalize a 60-foot-wide outdoor mural Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011, in Key Largo, Fla. The mural, at mile marker 95, depicts Henry Flagler's Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad. The artwork is being created to honor the Jan. 22, 2012, centennial anniversary of the completion of the "railroad that went to sea" that remained in operation until September 1935. Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau. 12/17/2011

I recently received a call from a buyer who road through their favorite neighborhood, and low and behold, a new for sale sign on a property. They called me and I immediately went to my local MLS and punched in the address, it wasn't there! They also gave me the listing agents name, so I searched by Realtor. Once again, no listing, so I called the Realtor. I was told that the bank was going to be listing it soon, but it was still in the preliminary stages. There wasn't even a price yet. I called the Broker who said our Board did not have any rules against it. Does this mislead the public? What is YOUR Board doing about a situation like this? What is your opinion on agents putting For Sale signs on property that is not For Sale? 12/11/2011

Having access to proper, thorough information about the real estate market is the only way to ensure your protection as a home buyer. There are few people looking out for you in this business, so the more you know about real estate, the better off you'll be. We'll go over some of the things you need to know in this article.   If you need to make improvements on your home, do them as soon as you move in. Putting these improvements off invokes the broken window theory, where if you allow a window in your home to remain broken, the entire house will begin falling apart. Make the small fixes now to avoid the big fixes later.   If you are a first time home buyer, it is a good idea to not see more then six or seven homes at a time. It might be tempting to try to see more at once, however, if ... 12/09/2011

Its time once again for one of my favorite of the year’s activities:  The Holiday Boat Parade!!!    There is just something so magical about watching these utilitarian fishing vessels transform into stunning, floating…well…Floats!    Lights, lights and more lights, illuminating both the sea and sky.    A sight to behold for young and old alike. This year in an act of inspired genius, we have booked our firm’s holiday party at the Key Largo Marriot giving us a birds eye view of all the festivities in Blackwater Sound, point central for the Key Largo Parade. After that we are heading  to the Caribbean Club for a little after party.  Festivities in The Keys never cease. This year we are extremely honor to have Academy Award Winning Film Producer AND Keys Resident  Jon Landau as the Grand ... 12/09/2011

     What's New On the Market    14 Sunrise Cay Drive:  $14,500,000 Magnificent Ocean front custom built home by Fran Murphy created by fine craftsmanship and exquisite furnishings with attention to detail throughout.  A true family retreat, this home's six complete bedroom suites with a bunkroom for the grandchildren, offers space for the entire family.   With over 100 feet on the Atlantic Ocean, spectacular water views, and beautiful graduated infinity pool and spa you may never want to leave home. This home's exquisite living room with a barreled ceiling with coffers and expansive views of the ocean, formal dining room, gourmet kitchen with bar and inviting outdoor terrace, handsome office with built in cabinetry, and grand master bedroom with beautiful ocean views are on the top flo... 12/06/2011