Murano Grande Masterpiece in South Beach (PRICE REDUCED)Location: South of Fifth - South Beach - Miami BeachLipe Medeiros and the Miami-realty.com team have the pleasure to present this completely renovated ?01 line? residence at the Murano Grande in South Beach.With 3 bedrooms (converted from the original 4), 4 1⁄2 baths, 3 balconies and 3,979 SqFt. of interior space incredibly designed by Alison Spear. This outstanding many-a-time published residence is being offered fully furnished, in ?ready-to-move-in? condition with a reduced asking price of $3,695,000. From the minute the elevator opens in the private foyer you will be captivated by the exquisite details of this home. Right by the entrance you will encounter a pivoting 7 foot by 7 foot entry door, 150 cm x 150 cm ?Havana? limesto... 08/10/2007

Flamingo South Beach, Miami's most well known address, recently welcomed David Barton, entrepreneur and fitness icon for David Barton Gym, to the Flamingo's vibrant and growing community. David Barton Gym has made an impressive Miami Beach expansion with the opening of Flamingo's state-of-the-art, 15,000-square-foot fitness center.PR9.NET May 02, 2007 - MIAMI BEACH, FL - Flamingo South Beach, Miami's most well known address, recently welcomed David Barton, entrepreneur and fitness icon for David Barton Gym, to the Flamingo's vibrant and growing community. David Barton Gym has made an impressive Miami Beach expansion with the opening of Flamingo's state-of-the-art, 15,000-square-foot fitness center. The Flamingo South Beach's sprawling 16.5 acre waterfront property provides the perfect i... 08/10/2007

Recently, I have had many clients calling to ask about the latest equities market volatility and apparent panic selling that has occurred on Wall Street over the past few week (largely attributed to the troubled US housing sector).  While it is true that the credit standards have tightened over the past six months (especially for non-conforming jumbo loans), it is notable that for *well qualified* buyers interest rates have actually declined recently.Once again, I have found that properties that are priced correctly (2004/2005 closed sales range), ARE selling!!! Notable Miami Beach sales & pending residential contracts by TheKleerTeam for August, 2007:Sunset Harbour South Tower #2411 - Two Bedroom/Two Baths- at $430/S.F. ($490K)Sunset Harbour North Tower #1802/#1804 -Three Bedroom/Four ... 08/10/2007

Miami Beach Update- Summer, 2007 Miami Beach especially continues to draw strong interest from retirees, baby boomers and second-home buyers, pointed out Allan Kleer, PA, leader of the TheKleerTeam based out of Fortune International Realty in Miami Beach.  "The wave of speculative investors seeking a quick profit are gone for now, and we have a more need-driven market, with buyers interested in investing in a personal dream and finding a home that has been realistically priced according to closed sales of 2004/2005".  Waterfront homes in particular on Palm, Star, Hibiscus, the Venetian and Normandy Islands continue to be highly desired real estate.  Waterfront luxury homes that are priced according to CLOSED sales of 2004/2005 continue to draw strong demand from buyers. The warm winter... 08/10/2007

For some time now, everyone (mostly the media) has been talking about the growing INVENTORY in the real estate industry. "INVENTORY is growing and sales are down"!!!  In certain areas of the country, this is absolutely correct.  In other areas, such as Miami Beach, the level of INVENTORY may be on the rise in certain condo markets.  If all of this is true, then why can't I find a house for certain clients?  The single family, luxury waterfront market is a bit different.  That waterfront market has slowly been diminishing as buyers have been snapping up good deals.  With the market changes recently, some smarter sellers have realized that it is time to wake up and smell the roses and come down in their prices a bit in order to make deals happen.  It is up to the Realtors to educate the s... 08/09/2007

 Hi all, this is my first posting so, please excuse me if there are any mistakes. I just received this email from a friend of mine who owns Venture International Mortgage in Coral Gables and she is very active with foreign clients. In the past I used to do several deals with her with a LTV of 80% on condos up to $1.5mm. This apparently have changed and the same deal will now require at least 10% extra to be put down. Her email is bellow, please feel free to comment and let me know if anybody still knows of good banks doing large Foreign Nationals loans in Miami and Miami Beach with an 80% LTV.  B-good...L PS: pls note the following significant changes:   Non Residents now we can finance only 75% or in larger deals 70%. Larger loans will require 30% down. Most lenders that do accept NON ... 08/07/2007

Why Miami South Beach?1) Attractive tourist and resident destination plus close to Brickell & Aventura2) Growing demand for rental product and diminishing supply From 2000 -2005 over 40% of rental apartment were taken out of the supply and converted to condominium, this trend continues Tourist and Miami - Dade workers alike demand Miami South Beach rental apartment for their location and quality of life3) No more land available for new building in South Beach4) South Beach is an Island that can not expand (Manhattan effect)Why condo conversion as opposed to new construction?5) No risk of the building not being built6) No speculators who bring prices down before developer's closing7) Lock in a good interest rate before the rates increase8) Take advantage of a current active favorable ren... 07/31/2007

This is just to let every one know, that I'll be psoting lots of info about the Venetian Islands in Miami. This is a group of five man made islands that connect Miami to Miami beach. truly unique in the world! 07/31/2007

July has been a crazy month; demand for this Flamingo South Beach in Miami Beach has been extremely high and right now we are still seing a shortage for units very reminiscent of High Season. Its been talked with heated debate that even the 150% parking rate increase will bring South Tower rental prices down but yet we don’t see much downward pressure on prices.Deals The best deal on the market is unit 1458 at 1595 (/w one parking included), this 1 Bedroom is below market and owner is going to re-carpet and paint the apartment so it will be fresh which is a rarity these days. Unfortunately this unit does not have a balcony is its only downfall but at this price it will go fast.The next reasonable deal is a 1 Bedroom unit 466 which has a courtyard and bay view with a balcony just reduced... 07/28/2007

Wow what a shocker!!  We all can agree condo living has is advantages and dis-advantages, and living at the Flamingo South Beach is no expectation. The parking for the south tower since it went condo was only $60, certainly made a lot more sense to live in the upgraded Flamingo south tower, but on June 1 Some big wig decided to raise the parking 150%. This is incredible now they didn’t have a vote or early warning so we can adjust accordlying, so it’s been almost to 2 months and I guess people are learning to coup, living in the beach certainly has its price. I know even south gate towers charges upwards of $130 for a uncovered parking and most other buldings only include valets spots and no assigned.The good news is that Flamingo South Beach has high walk score, basically that is, the ... 07/28/2007

There is always a bit of frustration when I hear of a very unpleasant buying experience when I am out in the field.  My advice to any buyer or seller that has had a terrible experience with a South Florida realtor is to please choose your real estate agent carefully in Miami Beach.  THere are only a handful of agents that do the majority of the business and there are only a few that is college educated.  There are many un-professional and un-ethical realtors in Miami Beach that give us all a bad name.  If you would like to know more about my services please go to www.BSBH.com.With Kind Regards,Bill Hernandez  07/27/2007

In today's market often we have a large amount of sellers who spend thousands of dollars to remodel and fixing their recently closed preconstruction/ conversion condos. While we have all heard before to focus in the kitchens and bathrooms since they are the best way to recoup your investment, it may not always be true.For example, with what we see today they are people who buy into condo-conversations with kitchens and bathrooms in good condition that are a just a few years old but not really latest or upgraded and then they want to spend 10, 20, 30K in a major renovation or even more. If the comps are not quite there yet, is really worth it? And how much is too much? For example Seller Sam buys condo at 400K pays 24K commish and they are 2 or 3 active comparable listings in the 430K ra... 07/23/2007

I attended a meeting this morning held by Miami Beach planning committee. it is a preliminary program to help business owners on Collins between 73st and 75st.  We are working together as a STEERING COMMITTEE doing extreme makeover offers to business owners in the area. We will be hosting a workshopat a later date  to include economic benefits of good design. Our committee will be available to publicly encourage participation in the area about do's and dont's of window dressing. Our workshop will also include illustrations of signs,awnings and lighting. Typically this is an older area one block from the ocean needing a facelift!Four individual business locations will be featured on TV on MBTV channel 77, for the most improved design. Our planning department staff will offer on site visi... 07/19/2007

How about those island vacations. We've all dreamt or lived them. How many times have you thought to just move to an exotic island somewhere? Perhaps the Caribbean? Waking up to sunny days, bringing breakfast out to your terrace over looking the crystal waters. Maybe moseying on down for a stroll on the beach, a swim, or go for a bike ride. More active? How about hitting some balls on the tennis courts, maybe a quick round of golf,  or go to the spa and get a massage and light workout? Just relax, everyday...sounds great right? Sure for about a week or two! Then boredom sets in...what to do...what to do...you've eaten at the same restaurants 20 times already! What if we could have, a short distant away a place that had all kinds of entertainment, restaurants, culture, clubs and events!?... 07/17/2007

Ask me why it's a good time to buy Real Estate? With over 13 years experience and the support of one of the best companies, I can make your dream of owning a 1st, 2nd or 3rd home a reality.  When you are ready call me at 305-898-1566 or email me at http://www.nancy.ruiz@floridamoves.com 07/16/2007

      Captain's Log - 7/8/2007.... the Blog Tour USA RV pulled into South Beach Florida on the busiest and possibly hottest beach day of the season so far.  Ocean Drive was BOUNCIN'... and spinners were SPINNIN'...the Cafe Cubano was ESPUMATIN'... man it feels good to be a gangster!I met Joe while he was outside stretching his legs and chatting up the locals.  The thermometer on Ocean Drive showed it was 105 degrees!... but it was a HUMID heat so we had to head into the RV.I was the first guest as I had been chasing them around since they drove through Palm Beach County!Let's put it this way... these are some nice guys.  They know their stuff and so did all the other people that joined us.I met some great people... had some great conversations... did  a video interview or two... and en... 07/09/2007

This past Sunday, I ventured out of the house earlier than my 17 month old son usually allows.  I headed down to Miami's South Beach to meet the guys from Sellsius Real Estate that were in town on their Blog Bus Tour.  Being that living and working in Palm Beach County, Florida keeps me about 50-60 miles North of South Beach, I figured I would make a stop in "my" cuban cafe just off South Beach Florida's famous Lincoln Road Pedestrian Mall. I walked from Alton Road down Lincoln Rd and hung a left on Meridian.  Half a block down is where you will find David's Cafe II.  For those who have never experienced a real Cuban Cafe before, this is definitely something you should not miss when you're visiting South Florida.  David's Cafe has been in existence since 1977 so it has stood the test of... 07/09/2007

KEVIN TOMLINSON WINS THE PROJECT BLOGGER COMPETITION - 'cause ARDELL said so.  Suck that one up Google :) Why are we all waiting for Inman News Announces the Winner of Project Blogger? Why are we all waiting for Active Rain Announces the Winner of Project Blogger? KevinTomlinson WINS Project Blogger...and here's WHY:   After reading THIS, you should both understand and agree AND also feel VERY, VERY SORRY for poor Kevin Tomlinson!!! Truth is, Kevin  WINS! Project Blogger, for having had to put up with ARDELL for oh these many weeks! First I like his BlogVoice... Then I DON'T like his BlogVoice... (did I MAKE him put that in "Member's Only" LOL First I LOVE his blog... Then I make him change it... Oh God, and Poor Brad!!!  You don't even wanta KNOW what that poor guy has had to put up wi... 06/27/2007

MOLD DETECTION'S BLACK TOXIC MOLD (STACHYBOTRYS) PICTURES OF THE WEEK:  305.571.2280 From: Miami Beach Condo Wall From: Miami Beach Condo WallThe pictures above were taken from a Miami Beach Condo that suffered from heavy water intrusion. The dry wall has turned into a toxic breeding ground for the Stachybotrys Black Toxic Mold. A certified mold sniffing beagle was used to uncover this hidden mold on the inspection. After the dog alerted to the wall area, a certified indoor environmentalist from mold Detection Services took a wall cavity check lab air sample which revealed that not only did the MoldDog find hidden mold, but also Toxic Mold. This was going to be the babies room in this condominium, so needless to say the owners were very pleased the beagle found this problem. During the ... 06/08/2007

In Florida, more specific Singer Island, Orlando and Miami Beach we have no shortage of either Hotels or Condominiums.  Would'nt this be great if you can have the best of both worlds?  Be pampered at a resort but still have your own place.  Imagine having the perfect weekend getaway and then imagine getting a check at the end of the month.  If this sounds good to you maybe you should look into a Hotel-Condo.                                   Hotel-Condo's are nothing new to the Florida Market. It is a concept, where you own the room and the hotel take's care of everything else. (for a fee)To make this easier on potential buyers these properties can even be financed.  If you are thinking of financing these properties please keep in mind the following:Must be an approved projectLoan is ma... 06/06/2007