www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com By Gerb Juarez In terms of selling properties, you want yours to stand out to potential buyers. You want them to see that your homes are the perfect ones that they should purchase. It can be fun and easy making your home eco-friendly and putting it in the market for sale. Eco-friendly homes for sale are the best choice since they are built using natural materials. Eco-friendly constructed houses used products that are less wasteful and less toxic thus helps in reducing the harmful impact of climate change, global warming and the like. The materials being used in building them that are toxin-free ensures you and your family to be free from harmful pollutants which are usually present in traditional homes. With the aid of new technology and the emergence of moder... 08/11/2011

www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com It may seem crazy to you to think that you would have to think about security when selling your house. But, believe it or not, such a time may leave your home more vulnerable to a breach of security. Recent reports of home burglary detail new tactics that criminals are now using to target home sellers, including stealing valuables during a walk-through of an open house while posing as a real-estate agent or potential buyers. In order to help make you aware of selling safety, this brief article provides you with some tips on selling your home. •Hire a Realtor.  Without a Realtor there's no certain way for you to qualify buyers before allowing them to come through your house.  They can also confirm another real estate agent's licensing information. •Make neighbor... 08/10/2011

www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com If you've decided to list your home, you'll be paying a real estate agent a commission for the hard work of selling your home. Therefore, you have the right to expect prompt attention, good service, and protection. Here are a few tips for finding a good real estate agent: 1) For your protection, you want a knowledgeable real estate agent to act as a buffer between you and strangers, and to protect you from law suits that might result from your lack of knowledge concerning contract and real estate law. 2) You don't want your agent to be too busy, but you do want them to be relatively successful, because it shows that they list homes at the right price and succeed in getting those homes sold. 3) You want your agent to offer assurances that they'll show your home ... 08/09/2011

www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com It used to be that you bought a home and then applied for a home equity loan to fix it up, resulting in two loans. But many lenders won't make rehab loans. Some won't fund equity loans at closing, especially if there is no equity. A Streamlined 203K loan is figured into the original loan balance, resulting in one loan. It can be an adjustable-rate or fixed-rate mortgage. The mortgage balance can exceed the purchase price of the property. Borrowers are not required to hire professional consultants, licensed engineers or architects. The appraiser or home inspector can put together a list of recommended repairs / improvements. Eligible Repairs & Improvements The Streamlined 203K loan allows for simple repairs that can be easily estimated and completed. Many are co... 05/03/2011

www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com By Todd Denning Everyone wants to know when the real estate market is going to bounce back. In some parts of the country there have been signs that the market is shifting in a favorable direction, but still many potential homeowners, investors and sellers are still too spooked to make a move - unless they are forced to. If you have the luxury to wait out the real estate market to sell, buy or invest, there are several key signs that you can watch for that indicate the health of the industry. Nationally, home prices, sales volume, and the foreclosure rate are all indicators that can be used to evaluate the health and well-being of the real estate market. But, because the industry is highly localized, with pockets that are doing exceptional well and other areas t... 05/02/2011

www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com Unless the buyer is willing to purchase your home for the mortgage balance of $190,000 in addition to paying title and seller fees that are incurred when a property owner sells a property you don't have many options if any at all. Of course if you have a second property that has equity you can borrow against to obtain the cash you need to close or simply take out a personal loan. I suggest you speak with a Realtor if you don't already have one better yet if you do I'd still speak with a real estate professional. Selling a home is a huge undertaking and involves more than you may have planned for. As a professional, an experienced and knowledgeable real estate agent, can help you with what works best and what doesn't work so well when selling your home, such as,... 04/27/2011

www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com By Roby Hicks Before we discuss the makings of LEED-certified home, let us first understand what LEED certification is and why it is important. This rating system stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, formed by the US Green Building Council. This system measures the construction practices followed during the building of a structure or home. This allows the buyers to purchase or build a home that is environmentally friendly. Its importance: With the deteriorating state of our environment, having a certifying body that will look into how homes and buildings are built is greatly needed. This will aid homeowners and contractors in monitoring their usage of natural resources. The waste produced and its implication to the environment. On top of th... 04/25/2011

www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com In reviewing your house's blueprints, you can usually determine the general floor plan layout / how many rooms are included / and other general information. However, depending on the size/complexity of the home and the individual Designer's style, those lines on a page can start to give you a headache. There are a few tricks to help you read your luxury house's blueprints. First, you will need to determine the scale at which the floor plan is drawn. In general, most pre-drawn luxury home plans will have an visibile indicator on the blueprint such as "a quarter inch = a foot." Once you know the floor plan ... Read the original here:Looking to build a new luxury home? Learn How to Read House Floor ... When it comes to choosing professionals to assist you with you... 04/14/2011

I am sure that I am going to catch heat for this, as this blog stems from a comment I made on another blog. I know that I am the minority here, but am I missing something???   I know that each market is different( I do not work foreclosures) ,and the established norms are different, but as real estate agents, our functions are all primarily the same.  I am curious as to how many of the folks that swear by lock boxes, especially electronic lockboxes,  have been in the business say more that 10 years or pre-boom.  I have been selling property in S Fl for over 16 years and have been an Agent, Manager, and Vice President of Sales with a variety of firms.   Maybe I am old school, but as a listing agent we were taught to sell the property, show the property, highlight the positives, motivate ... 02/20/2011

We were recently honored to be included in best-selling author Matthew Martinez's new book " How To Make Money In Real Estate In The New Economy" describing how investors, real estate agents and other insiders are adapting in today's real estate environment. "Riley Smith of EWM is a residential real estate agent based in Miami, Florida.  Riley is unlike 99% of most other Realtors because he is a creative thinker determined to change most of the paradigms established by his industry.  A local investor recently described him as a person "who will put the competition and especially....the less tech-savvy brokers out of business in this new economy." "By late 2007, he began to sense that he needed to adjust his business model.  At that time he noticed that the real estate market was slowing... 02/08/2011

Monarch Grove Coconut Grove Condos Sale Rentals MONARCH GROVE CONDOMonarch Grove Coconut Grove address2977 McFarlane Coconut Grove, Fl. 33133 About Monarch Grove Coconut Grove Year Built: 1990Number of Floors: 3Number of units: 11Sq. Ft. range: 1,037-1,643Beds: 1-2Baths: 1Monarch Grove Coconut Grove Amenities:- Centrally located in Coconut Grove- Well appointed entrance- Private and exclusive 01/17/2011

Coconut Grove Real Estate News-Recap 2010 For single family homes in Coconut Grove, here are the 2010 statistics, newsworthy sales and current listings for sale there. In Coconut Grove, there were 82 closed sales in 2010 of which 4 were waterfront properties. The average sale price was $964,366, or $277 per square foot. They sold on average for 91% of the list price in 147 days (average days on market). The highest sale was for $10,125,0000 located at 3301 Moorings WY, which was $899 per square foot and occurred on December 10, 2010. The lowest sale was for $37,000 located at 3172 Plaza ST, which was $41 per square foot and occurred on October 14, 2010. 13 houses on Coconut Grove are currently in contract or pending sale. With 135 homes currently available for sale, the current absorpt... 01/14/2011

Are you interested in Buying real estate in Coconut Grove, Florida? Have you considered the development called Cloisters on the Bay. You can find very nice deals in Cloisters on the Bay. This is your chance to make purchase at a fantastic low price. The real estate market in 2005 - 2006 took a dive and it has taken 4 years to stabilize. In many developments / communities in Coconut Grove prices at record lows, in some cases lower than what they have been for 10 - 15 years ago.     If you need mortgage to purchase your property in Cloisters on the Bay, then you first step is contact your local Florida bank. It is much easier to obtain a mortgage of a single family home verses a condo. If you are in the market for a condo, then your lender needs to check which are the developments that ar... 01/12/2011

Are you interested in purchasing real estate in Cloisters on the Bay? There are great looking properties at very attractive prices. Buying real estate today is much better that it was in 2005 or 2006! You have the time to pick and choose... Coconut Grove is offering wonderful communities for you to consider and Cloisters on the Bay is one of them.   If you need a mortgage to buy your home in Cloisters on the Bay, then you should contact a local mortgage professional. There are a few mortgage brokers or banks locally in Cloisters on the Bay that know the area and properties. Real Estate is a local business. We recommend that you work with professionals that are doing transactions in Coconut Grove. They know the area.   If you wish to start previewing some homes in Cloisters on the Bay co... 12/13/2010

Shawn Marion is a former Miami Heat basketball player and currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks.  Last week his villa located in the gated community of The Cloisters came on the market priced at $2,000,000.   The home features 6 bedrooms, 8 baths and is one of the newer completed units.   It is listed by Antigen Realty. In true celebrity fashion, he is offering a bonus to any buyer who brings a full price offer and closes by 5:00 pm on December 31, 2010.  The golden parachute includes a trip to this year's Superbowl with roundtrip private jet service and 4 Club Level tickets.   I suppose the idea is to somehow distinguish their unit from the other similarly priced villas in the community.   There are currently only 2 other units (both priced at $1,950,000) on the market in The Clois... 12/08/2010

The home located at 4150 La Playa Boulevard closed this week for a sales price of $2,025,000 or $386.00 per square foot.  The home had great finishes and was located on a beautiful lot.   This home is one example of why you can't always use the "average price per square foot" of an area to determine value.   The property sold (rightly so) for over $100 more per foot than the average home in Coconut Grove.  Due to the fact that it offered so many special features and that there was nothing like it on the market helped garner a higher "price per square foot".   Listing agent was Jo-Ann Forster of EWM. Of all the sales that have occurred this year in Coconut Grove, this is only the second non-waterfront home that closed over $2,000,000.  The other was the property located at 3710 De Garmo... 12/02/2010

Here are some interesting stats and figures on the condo market in Coconut Grove: There are approximately 310 condos on the market right now in Coconut Grove.  Of these, 183 are priced below $500,000. There have been approximately 201 condos sold this year in Coconut Grove.  Of these, 138 sold for under $500,000.  Which buildings have sold the most units? Grove Isle is in the lead with 19 sales this year, second is The Grovenor House which has had 12 sales and in third place is The Ritz Carlton Residences which has had 11 sales.   The highest sale this year was at the Grovenor House and the unit sold for $2,820,000. The average sale price for a condo in Coconut Grove with non-waterviews is $206,000. The average sale price for a condo in Coconut Grove with waterviews is $766,000. Curiou... 12/01/2010

The ultra-luxury market in Coconut Grove is certainly picking up speed.  As you know, Crystal View Court in the North Grove just sold for $9,000,000 (listed by Judy Zeder of EWM) and yesterday the home located at 3301 South Moorings Way in the gated community of The Moorings went under contract with a list price of $14,900,000 (Broker was Avatar).   The home featured 11,257 square feet of living space on a 27,516 square foot lot with 6 bedrooms and 6 baths.  Bayfront homes have been selling on average for $750 per foot however this is in a gated community so it will be interesting to see where this one ends up. Also on the luxury home topic, the listing on Stewart Avenue that was previously priced at $18,000,000 has now been dropped to $16,900,000.  The home features 10,025 square feet... 11/19/2010

I want to thank everyone who came out last night to Greenstreet for my Grove Real Estate Talk, it was by far the biggest crowd we have had since we began holding these events more than 2 years ago.   I was impressed with the wide range of our audience which came from as far north as Miami Beach all the way down to Pinecrest.  I enjoyed talking with each and every one of you and hope that you found the night informative.   Here are a few of the talking points from last night:   Right now the average list price of a home in Coconut Grove is running about $380.00 per foot. The average sale price on a home in Coconut Grove is $275.00 per foot (down from $343.00 in 2008) Coconut Grove's total volume is steady this year with a total of $91,000,000 in sales (higher than the previous two years... 11/16/2010

In doing some research for a listing appointment here in Coconut Grove I noticed some surprising figures.  There have been no homes to sell in the price range of $800,000 to $1,000,000 in the past 5 months and only 1 between $700,000 and $1,000,000 in the past 6 months.   I remember back during the boom this was the hottest price point here in Coconut Grove.  Now the most active price range has come down to the $400,000 to $600,000 range.  Today there are only 30 homes priced between $700,000 and $1,000,000 on the market in Coconut Grove.  This low amount of inventory could certainly account for the lack of sales.  If you are one of the 30 homes priced between $700,000 and $1,000,000 the best advice I can give is to price your home as close to market value as possible and take off the ... 11/09/2010