Drew Kern

November 5, 2024

Our Favorite Holiday Activities Around Miami

There might not be much snow in Miami but that doesn’t mean we don’t know how to celebrate the winter holidays. Magic city becomes even more magical this time of the year, offering a treasure trove of activities for the whole family.  Here are some of our favorite family-friendly events in Miami this holiday season: Christmas Wonderland at Tropical Park November 16 – January 7 Over the holidays, Tropical Park in Olympia Heights is transformed into Christmas Wonderland, which includes stunning holiday displays and light shows along with an array of thrilling carnival rides. Younger children will love Santa’s Village, where they can meet Santa and enjoy story time with Mrs. Claus. For the grown-ups, there’s a spectacular Cirque du […]
October 29, 2024

When You Should Have a Pre-Approval Letter in the Buying Process

There are two types of letters you can get from a bank when you’re looking to buy a home: a pre-qualification letter and a pre-approval letter. Pre-qualification gives you a ballpark estimate on how much you’ll be able to borrow to buy a home, whereas a pre-approval is more detailed and says exactly how much you will be able to borrow. You should have a pre-approval letter before you are ready to make an offer on a home.  Why You Need a Pre-Approval Letter to Start the Buying Process For many first-time buyers, once they get their pre-approval letter from a mortgage banker, the process begins. While you can make an offer on a home with just a pre-qualification letter, it […]
October 22, 2024

How to Use Open Houses to Find the Right Home For You

Open Houses are used by sellers to get a lot of foot traffic and hopefully get an offer or two. For first time buyers, Open Houses are different – especially if you are not 100% sold on the home before you walk in the door. They are a great crash course in learning how to look at homes for sale. And if you’re coming into town from out-of-state, they are a great chance to see a lot of homes in a small time frame. Here’s how we tell our clients to use Open Houses to find the right home. Get a Feel For the Neighborhood For many first-time buyers, once they get their pre-approval letter from a mortgage banker, they typically go […]
October 15, 2024

State of the Market: Shenandoah

Shenandoah is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Miami. It’s roughly a square of land between Brickell & SW 27th Ave, south of Calle Ocho and north of Coral Way. Due to it’s being smack dab in the middle of the Grove & Brickell, it’s always been a popular neighborhood for buyers that want to be in the middle of the action but a little more space that condo living can provide. Here’s a look at the state of the real estate market in Shenandoah: A Look at the Numbers There are roughly 5,000 households in Shenandoah, and due to the age of the neighborhood (it was founded in 1919 by developers from Virginia, thus the name Shenandoah) […]
October 8, 2024

Halloween Activities Around Miami For the Whole Family

Halloween is one of those holidays that means something different depending on your phase of life. Miami is full of Halloween parties catering to young adults, but there aren’t as many for the Whole Family. With that in mind, here are three of our favorite Halloween Activities Around Miami for the Whole Family: Paws4You Rescue Presents Howl-o-Ween a dog and family friendly Event When: Saturday, October 19th, 6:00 pm- 10:00pm Where: Palmetto Bay Park (Dog Friendly) What: Say goodbye to the sweltering heat and hello to a cooler, more enchanting atmosphere as we transform our event into a dazzling nighttime celebration! Join us on Saturday Evening, October 19, 2024, at Palmetto Bay Park for a glowing night filled with fun activities, costume contests, and plenty […]
September 24, 2024

When Should You Apply for a Mortgage Before Buying a Home

When you are looking to make a real estate transaction, the first step is to always figure out how much you can afford to spend and how much you can finance.. There are a lot of factors that go into it, but most people qualify for a mortgage that adds up to less than 36% of their monthly income for principal, interest, insurance, and taxes (aka a Debt-to-income ratio of 36). That being said, you should speak to a mortgage professional and get pre-approved for an amount.  Evaluate your financial situation The important thing to remember is that personal timing is more key than market timing. When looking for a mortgage, you have to make sure you’re financially sound and […]
September 17, 2024

The Pros and Cons of Buying an Older House

Everyone has an opinion as to whether they would prefer a newer home or an older one. Whichever side of the debate you fall to, it’s important to weigh the pluses and minuses. Sometimes finding the perfect home requires a little flexibility on what you previously thought.  Pros of buying an old house Architecture While Miami is still a young city, there are plenty of homes that are 50-100 years old. When you step into an older home, you can feelthe history as you walk through the rooms.  That’s not as common in newer homes.  Mature landscape The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago. If you want to live with a yard that has shade and don’t want […]
September 10, 2024

What Questions to Ask at a House Showing

When you are buying a home – particularly your first home, but is still true no matter how many times you do it – it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the prospect and excited about the potential of a home. Over the years, we have done a lot of education to help home buyers find the perfect home – and large part of that education is getting them to ask the right questions when they are looking at a home so they will be as happy and excited about the home on day 3,650 of owning it as they are on day one.  Questions to ask before the showing Before you go to the viewing, you should connect with your […]
September 3, 2024

Our Guide to Miami Schools: Public Schools

When you have school-aged children, your home’s location – and the schools you are assigned to – have a high priority. Here is a list of some of the public schools in the areas our clients are typically looking that are among the higher rated public schools.  Miami Beach Biscayne Beach Elementary School Neighborhood: North Miami Beach Grades: PK – 5 Student-to-teacher ratio: 18:1 Website: https://api.dadeschools.net/schoolwebsite/#!/?schoolId=0321 Fienberg / Fisher K-8 Center Neighborhood: South Beach Grades: PK – 8 Student-to-teacher ratio: 17/1 Website: https://www.fienbergfisherk8.com/ South Pointe Elementary School Neighborhood: South Beach Grades: PK – 5 Student-to-teacher ratio: 15:1 Website: https://www.southpointeelem.com/ Miami Beach Senior High School Neighborhood: Miami Beach (just off of Venetian Way) Grades: 9 – 12 Student-to-teacher ratio: 24:1 Website: https://miamibeachseniorhigh.net/ Miami Beach Nautilus […]