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October 22, 2024
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
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 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 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
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
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
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 […]
August 27, 2024
Over the past quarter century, we’ve helped countless families move-in and out of homes. We’ve seen what’s worked and what hasn’t. Here’s the tried-and-true to-do list (starting 2 months before your move) to take as much stress out of your move as possible. Two Months Before Your Move Decluttering is the name of the game. Go room by room, taking everything out of drawers and closets, and sort through it all. Anything that you don’t want to pack should get donated (or thrown away/recycled if not acceptable to donate) and anything you want to keep should get put away. If you’re moving out of state or to another part of Florida, you need to get quotes from movers (get on-site […]
August 20, 2024
Coral Gables is one of two zip codes that saw Miami’s highest jumps in typical home values compared to just a year ago. Coral Gables homes saw a 14% increase in their typical home values compared to last year. The only other zip code in Miami-Dade County to see the same jump was Homestead, bookending the entirety of the market County-wide. Coral Gables home prices The median listing home price is at $1,091 per square foot, though this will probably net you a well-maintained home rather than a new build or a home on a large lot. In June 2024, the median sale price was at $1,798. How quickly are homes selling? Coral Gable homes had an average of 67 days […]