As the Great Depression was ending the new Miami Beach was beginning. The bigger and more kitchier the better. The Roney plaza was an elegant beach front grand dame modeled somewhat after the very grand Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables that had just been finished.Next to the hotel was built the Roman Pools, now this was novel. A place to swim, dive and watch aquatic shows right there on the ocean front.Please take note of the windmill in the right corner.All of this granduer was demolished in the name of progress in the 1960's to make way for the new Roney plaza which still stands in all is boxy boring glory.Roney Plaza is top left with one of its magnificent towers in view.The End 07/01/2015

305-793-8965  Find your Real Estate Agent TodayWhat’s Your Home Worth? Find out Now!When it comes to selling your home for maximum value and in the shortest amount of time, it must be properly marketed from the start. Since Miami Beach is one of the most competitive areas among sellers it is imperative that your property receives maximum marketing exposure the moment it is listed. One of the biggest mistake made is failing to make use of the various forms of social media and SEO optimized marketing strategies. The combination of online and offline marketing strategies is what today’s market requires.The Challenge When Marketing Your Miami Beach HomeYou cannot just rely on the MLS and a lawn sign any longer. Far too many still don’t understand the proper way to sell and market a property... 06/30/2015

After a very fun and successful series I did on Cool Pools a couple of months ago I have decided to highlight our local Historic hotels. Some are still here, some have transitioned or have been re-imagined as condos or offices. The Blackstone Hotel.This beauty is a non-beachfront hotel but has a fascinating history. Now residential but it was saved from demolition back in the early 1980's.   Here is a news article I found about the hotel with some VERY interesting facts!  06/30/2015

Today we are featuring the West Avenue condos in Miami Beach to show what is going on in today’s market, what’s for sale, price reductions, and basic neighborhood information.No matter where you choose to live in the West Avenue area, one of the biggest deciding factors is location. The West Avenue neighborhood sits just to the north of the South of Fifth neighborhood and is home to a wide range of great condos from which to choose. Many of the most luxurious can be found on Biscayne Bay where the units offer spectacular views of both the Bay and the city.Living in the West Avenue area puts you within walking distance of everything South Beach has to offer including Lincoln Road. The area also boasts an incredible array of grocery stores, boutique shops, gyms and the latest state of the... 06/30/2015

Today we are featuring the South Of Fifth condos in Miami Beach to show what is going on in today’s market, what’s for sale, price reductions, and basic neighborhood information.South of Fifth in Miami Beach is a neighborhood from 5th street to 1st street and from the ocean to the bay. South of Fifth is also known as SOFI and in terms of high-end luxury properties it is known to be one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Miami Beach. In addition to the residential buildings in this neighborhood, South of Fifth features some of Miami Beach’s most famous landmarks like; South Pointe park a multimillion dollar park renovation, the bay walk, the pier, some of the best beach areas of the city and the Miami Beach marina.South Of Fifth South Beach Condos under $1,000,000South Of Fifth So... 06/29/2015

Our #1 Pro Miami Beach real estate tip is two-fold; if you need financing you need first to work with an experienced lender and second get a preapproval prior to looking at properties.If you are thinking of making a real estate purchase in Miami or Miami Beach and need financing, it’s important to get this process nailed down asap. Financing is still tough in our area, so it’s key to work with a lender who is experienced in our area and knows the process. Preapproval First Shop After Miami Beach Real Estate TipsKey Pro Tips about financing and Miami Beach real estate. We are in the heavy cash market, therefore if you need financing do it first and work with a reputable lender who is experienced in our market. A strong preapproval letter makes your offer look solid. If a great deal comes... 06/26/2015

Morningside's ( Northeast Miami) fabulous and iconic Jetsons House has sold for $1.5 million to a buyer who apparently loves the design and the history and wants to restore it, NOT tear it down. It's a great save for a house that is not historically designated. Easy prey for demolition due to  its fairly small size and lack of accouterments of contemporary life that buyers like/need today. Nicknamed the Jetsons House because of its appearance, the house was designed by an important Miami architect of the mid-century period, Rufus Nims, and is meant to be a subtropical modernism that embraces an architecture suitable to the climate in a modernist form. Its elevated living floor with floor to ceiling windows was designed to capture the bay breeze.the home desperately needs some love and a... 06/24/2015

J Lo aka Jennifer Lopez bought a fabulous Miami Beach house back in circa '95 for $9.5M from a well know Realtor here on AR. She sold it for a little more than $13M 10 years later. The current owners did a total reno and the results are pretty fab. So fab in fact Phil Collins of Genesis fame just purchased it for $33M. Another typical day in Miami Beach real estate.    06/19/2015

305-793-8965  Find your Real Estate Agent TodayWhat’s Your Home Worth? Find out Now!When the time comes for you to put your home on the market, learning how to price your home correctly is key. For some sellers, it can tempting to list the property for a much higher price than a market value just to see if you get any bites. While you want to get the most value out of your home, you have to detach from it emotionally and price it to match the current selling prices in your area or it will never sell or at best take far too long to sell.Here Are Some Tips About How to Price Your Home Correctly I Keep Hearing About Real Estate Comps? Why Do I need Comps?Before you can use real estate comps to determine the correct pricing when selling your Miami Beach home, it is important to understand w... 06/19/2015

When buying Miami Beach real estate, there is nothing worse than buyer’s remorse. Sometimes you need to stop, regroup and make a new game plan prior to making that purchase. We have worked with clients in the past who have started their search in one area of Miami Beach and ended up in a completely different part of town. There is nothing wrong with regrouping and finding the right property for you in a different area of the city. Although the Internet is a great place to start searching for property, you cannot feel the space until you step inside. If you are stepping inside a lot of properties that don’t match your expectations, it’s possible that your pricing expectations are off, and maybe you need to stop, regroup and adjust your search.Video on How to regroup and adjust your searc... 06/18/2015

If you are thinking of making a Miami Beach real estate purchase, one of the first questions we have to ask new buyers is, “How will you pay for the property?” It’s not always a question that buyers like to answer in the first conversation but in our market it’s essential to understand what type of property you will be able to buy. The Miami Beach real estate market is a heavy cash market, and not all properties qualify for traditional financing options. So if you need financing, it’s important to get that process nailed down in advance to looking at the property so we spend time looking at properties that you can purchase.Here’s more about this topic in our video.Why Does It Matter If I Pay Cash or Get Financing?Things to consider when paying for a property.1. When you are a buyer payi... 06/17/2015

Good Afternoon!The real estate market is humming along in Miami Beach and this week we are focusing on single family home sales in Miami Beach. There are currently 283 single family homes on the market today. Click here to see the full list. 144 single family homes sold this year. 49 are under contract as of today The least expensive home that sold was sold for $263,000 and the most expensive was $19,700 million on Star Island. Popular Miami Beach Property Wish Lists:Showcase properties: Waterfront Homes Over $5 millionHomes with pools: Under $1,000,000 in Miami Beach Pre-Construction Units: In Miami Beach Under $1M SOFI Condos Ocean/Bay Views: In Miami Beach Under $1M Miami Beach Townhomes: Under $1,000,000All single family home listings in Miami Beach Last but not least, we always wan... 06/15/2015

When buying Miami Beach real estate, our #1 tip is to hire an experienced agent. It probably sounds obvious that we would say that because we are Realtors, however, I have seen buyers make horrible decisions over the years because they are not willing to listen to the advice of experts. Buying real estate in Miami Beach is often a pricey endeavor and that coupled with many different types of properties and ways of doing business can cost ill-advised buyers a lot of money.You Don’t Know What You Don’t KnowWhen Buying Miami Beach Real Estate Get Sound Advice.1. Don’t just assume that because you can research online that the data is 100% correct. Market data in our area is very specific to that property’s specific niche.2. If you generalize market data, you run the risk of spending too muc... 06/11/2015

Miami Beach real estate is hot and people like to buy it. People from all over the world buy real estate in Miami Beach and the way one person does business may be different than another. Often buyers call me and say that no one is taking them seriously. This can be frustrating.What you need to know is that due to our location and real estate, we draw a lot of “weekend lookers”, playing real estate, as I like to say. Most seasoned agents are qualified enough to be able to tell a serious buyer from one who is not and we do this by asking a lot of questions. It’s not to say that those “weekend lookers” won’t turn into buyers down the road, but an agent cannot be successful by running around showing properties to a lot of unqualified buyers.So if you are a serious buyer and you aren’t bein... 06/11/2015

Collins Avenue Miami Beach is one of the most well known streets in Miami Beach. It is an area of Miami Beach that has many high-rise luxury condominium buildings. The street is parallel on Miami Beach to the ocean. With easy access to South Beach, North Beach and other main thoroughfares, you will have easy access to Brickell, Downtown Miami, the Miami Airport and other areas of the city.This area of Miami Beach Real Estate is booming. If you purchase the property on Collins Avenue Miami Beach you need to decide if direct beach access is important to you or not. Some of our clients are fascinated by our beaches and white sands so they only want to have a property on Collins with direct beach access.  Other properties are on the west side of the street and do not have direct beach acces... 06/10/2015

Where is the best area to buy a condo in Miami Beach Florida?This is a popular search phrase for how people are finding our blog so I thought I would answer the question.  First there are a lot of great neighborhoods in Miami Beach.  What I love about Miami Beach is the diversity of the culture and the fact that it appeals to many different budgets and lifestyles.Miami Beach is an island of about 86 blocks from north to south.  Then a wider section of blocks east (the Ocean) to the west (the bay).  As the island stretches north, it gets more narrow and on the west side features single family neighborhoods.  Also, many of the island properties that are located out in the bay parallel to the islands are also considered “Miami Beach”.There are many different types of properties in Miami Be... 06/10/2015

This is from our Instagram. I love South of Fifth. The Yacht Club at Portofino is one of South Beach’s most popular buildings. If you are interested in The Yacht Club, I put a list of properties for sale in there now below the image. Yacht Club at Portofino is located in the popular South Beach neighborhood SOFI (South of Fifth) in Miami Beach.  It’s a bay front property known for being right on the bay with incredible city and bay views.  Units feature views of Fisher Island, Brickell, The Port of Miami and on the east side South Beach and the ocean.  The Yacht Club is located on 90 Alton Road and was built in 1999.  Downstairs on the west side of the building is the famous Miami Beach Marina home to some of the largest megayachts and sail boats in the city. The Yacht Club at Portofin... 06/10/2015

One of my mantras over and again is that if you are thinking about purchasing Miami Beach real estate with financing, it’s key to work with an experienced local lender. Every industry has its lingo and if you are a first-time buyer new lingo is often swerving all over the place. From the real estate agent’s business to the lender and inspector, it can be a little overwhelming.Our friend, Frank over at VanDyk Mortgage sent us over a great guideline sheet that discusses the Good Faith Estimate and what it means. This is a great guide, and I thought it might be helpful if you are thinking about financing a property in Miami Beach.If you are thinking about buying in the next year and need financing, I would highly recommend reaching out to an experienced local lender as soon as possible and... 06/10/2015

Not far from the world-famous Fountainebleau, the Capobella condominium rises high above the Atlantic Ocean, offering gorgeous beach views and upscale living. The 84 units of Capobella offer privacy and security with luxury amenities. Miami Beach Realtor Josh Stein recommends Capobella residences for owners looking for a solid investment in a prime location. With only two units per floor, high-speed elevators and 24-hour security, at Capobella, privacy and peace of mind are main concerns. But the residence provides strong community features like a club room with kitchen and bar, jacuzzis, billiard table, heated swimming pools and an oceanside health spa. The condominium is close to the Bass Museum of Art, Lincoln Road, the New World Symphony, the shops of Bal Harbour and more. The resid... 06/10/2015

It is Wednesday which is also known as Hump day in this country. I noticed my mind drifting a bit this morning and the vision of a hammock popped into mind. Here is a photo of where I would really like to be right now!Anyone care to join me, Barbara Todaro ? 06/10/2015