market
October 29, 2024
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
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) […]
April 9, 2024
Are you thinking it’s time to list a property for sale? The Kern Team is here to represent you, but we’re also here to help you make sure you’re well-informed on the front end of any real estate transaction. Timing Makes a Difference First, it’s important to consider market trends and seasonality if you have the ability to list your home any time. Spring and early summer tend to be the most active seasons for real estate transactions. Many buyers are eager to purchase before the start of the new school year or to take advantage of favorable weather conditions for house hunting. Here in Miami it can be beneficial to list in Spring or early Summer, but it’s important to realize […]
January 23, 2024
Miami has always been a beach oasis with sun and surf, now we’re moving toward becoming a green oasis by prioritizing eco-friendly living. Climate change has been a constant topic in the news. We continuously see more financial incentives offered for environmentally friendly and sustainable building and renovation practices. Now is the time to get in on the eco-friendly train. Moving Towards Sustainable Living The Miami skyline is evolving, and part of that includes more commitment to sustainable architecture. Residential and commercial buildings alike are incorporating more features that focus on being more environmentally conscious. Using sustainable materials and incorporating energy-efficient designs are bringing Miami into the future of eco-friendly construction. Neighborhoods are incorporating more green spaces including parks and […]
January 2, 2024
A neighborhood we get asked about commonly is Little Gables. For those that don’t know, Little Gables is surrounded by Coral Gables on three sides, and the city of Miami to the north. It exists as a quirk of a fight in the 1920s between John Stadler – who owned most of the land that is now Little Gables but then was a fruit orchard – and George Merrick, the founder of the Gables. Stadler didn’t want to sell the land to Merrick and so the area never got incorporated into the city of Coral Gables and is still unincorporated Miami-Dade County. Many homeowners are attracted to Little Gables because it has a lot of the perks of the Gables […]
December 19, 2023
Over the past few years, Miami’s real estate market has been somewhat unique when compared to the average trends across the US. 2023 held some surprises that we didn’t see coming at the end of 2022. Everything else we’re about to tell you is our best prediction based on our experience as well as what we see other experts saying. Beware of any market forecasts that claim to know exactly what will happen and when – we haven’t seen anyone with a working crystal ball yet! Slow and Steady is the Name of the Game in 2024 We’re not anticipating any big or fast changes on the horizon. Expect to see home prices increasing gradually through at least the first […]
December 12, 2023
Maybe it’s because we’re in real estate, but a common conversation we have with people in January involves them telling us that this is going to be the last year they rent. With that in mind, we wanted to compile a little bit of advice for people who are gearing up to enter into homeownership and getting out of the rental cycle. A Home is a Solid Investment While you’re renting you’re essentially investing your money in your landlord’s real estate without getting any long term return. On the flip side, each mortgage payment you make is like adding money to your home’s equity piggy bank. It may seem like a little at a time, but it does add up […]
May 23, 2023
It feels like we spend a lot of time talking about helping growing families find homes with more space, more rooms, bigger yards, more of… everything! There is definitely a time in life when upsizing everything seems like the most obvious choice, but what about the opposite? Downsizing has always been popular for empty nesters for several reasons – who wants to maintain a few extra bedrooms & bathrooms when no one is using them? When you’re looking for the right property for you, bigger isn’t necessarily better. New Season of Life The two biggest reasons most people find themselves shopping for a new home are relocation to a new place, and changes happening in their lives that they want or […]