Wow, location, location and location. Live in the heart of South Beach, across the street from Flamingo Park, and walking distance to Lincoln Rd, restaurants, shops and the beach. This bright and spacious 2bedroom 2 baths is a corner unit with a city and park view directly overlooking the pool.  The floor plan is one of the largest in the building and it is the least expensive two bedroom unit in the building.  The building was recently renovated and the assessments have been paid for.  The unit comes with one parking space assigned and bicycle storage available.  There are plenty street parking spaces available as well. This charming South Beach apartment is in the market for sale or rent.

When it comes to locations, this is unquestionably a great building to live in. It really caters to true South Beach lifestyle; “the Green Lifestyle” Being able to walk to the main hot spots in South Beach is not only practical but environmentally conscious.

Living across the street from Flamingo Park is another wonderful benefit that this apartment has. The park is a beautiful, tree-lined park located right in the heart of South Beach with great facilities. They include: a swimming pool with lap lanes, a water playground for children, several tennis and basketball courts, a baseball and a soccer field. If that was enough, there is also a very affordable gym which is sponsored by the Police Athletic League. There is also free parking available.

The apartment is vacant and in ready to move in condition. Call for showing instructions.

Today, it is extremely common to find ourselves in a middle of conversation about the current financial crisis, but it also seems to be a bit contradictory that in the same conversation we also hear that today is the time to buy. We assume that during a financial crisis no one is buying much of anything; however Warren Buffet, Chief Executive Officer for Berkshire Hathaway, says that the time to buy is when everyone else is too fearful to do so.

When it comes to Miami or Miami Beach, “the epicenter of the real estate boom and bust”, buying properties is indeed a good investment now. It has been for the past couple of years, and now we are seeing that people interested in purchasing income properties, can actually cover their mortgage and expenses with the rent itself. So, how far does our money go today?

Our company’s chief executive Officer, Ron Shuffield, a highly knowledgeable person when it comes to South Florida real estate, appeared last week on Nightline to discuss about our real estate market and how far can $100,000 take anyone. During his interview Ron cites: “With the economy today, there are opportunities for people to buy at prices that people didn’t dream, even two years ago, that they would be able to see these kinds of prices.”

We have being hearing about the amazing buying opportunities that will be available since the bust of the real estate bubble 2 years ago. Some people have already taken advantage of such great deals, but some are holding back waiting for prices to keep on dropping to finally buy their dream house. I strongly belief the time to buy is NOW! Just as Ron mentions in the interview, the prices in today’s market are truly amazing. The dream of owning a house is finally achievable for many families and this is something we need to take advantage of.

As you will see in the video, the houses that are selling for $100,000 today are brand new ones; some in private enclosed communities and some even with a pool in their backyards. Opportunities like the ones shown in the video are found throughout South Florida. Bargains can be found even in our beloved Miami Beach. I thought it was a great interview and decided to share it with you. I think is definitely worth watching and hope you enjoy it!

What is Home Staging?

Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence prior to going up for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to sell a home quickly, and for the most money possible by making a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers. Staging focuses on improving a property to make it appeal to the largest number of buyers by transforming it into a welcoming, appealing, and attractive product for sale. Many people believe that staging raises the value of a property by way of reducing the home’s flaws, depersonalizing, decluttering, cleaning, and landscaping. For vacant homes, staging furniture is used to create a living space the buyer can “see” themselves living in. Properly executed staging leads the eye to attractive features while minimizing flaws.[1]

Staging has been a powerful tool I’ve used for many years in the industry. It wasn’t until the 1990’s that staging was adopted by other professionals in the interior design industry. In fact, today there are companies that are solely dedicated to providing staging services.

I firmly believe that staging may help reduce the time a property stays in the market prior to getting sold.

Once you hire a real estate professional to sell your house, he/she should be able to provide tips and assistance when it comes to staging. So keep in mind that it is greatly advantageous to hire a realtor with staging experience.

For all do-it-yourselfers out there this might even turn out to be a fun project that will lead to a great result, but if you decide to do it yourself, have your realtor walk around the house once you have completed the work and get his/her opinion. The reason why your realtor’s feedback is of great importance is because she/he will not be attached to personal items around the house that you did not want to remove, nor will she/he know of your history with a specific piece of furniture that should have been removed and you kept for sentimental reasons.

According to www.StagedHomes.com, a leader in home staging services, statistics show an average of a 3% minimum increase in final sales price on homes that had been staged, versus those who had not. On a $300,000 home, that’s a $9,000 increase-and well worth the home staging fees.[2]

I would like to invite you to look at the next video of a recent 20/20 broadcast on House Staging. This is a perfect example of what you need to do with important tips to keep in mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TykoFulayAc&feature=related

[2] http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/wiki/home_staging_pricing.asp

START NOW
If that’s not reason enough to consider going green, consider this:  There are ways to improve your business’ green factor that can save you money as well.  You may have already heard all about these, but the time to implement them is now!

‘IDLE’ TIME
One huge factor is computers.  You can set yours to power down after 15 minutes of idle use.  According to TIME, this will cut the energy usage by 70%.

DOWN THE DRAIN
Another huge factor: water waste with flushing toilets. Newer toilets use half the water.  An easy fix:  You can use less water by putting a brick (or two, or anything that will take up space but not dissolve or rust) in your tank (at home too).

PLUG UP THE HOLES
Seal all gaps around doors and windows. Add a storm door or self-closing mechanism to reduce the loss of cold air. And, take a hard look at your insulation. Consider adding additional cellulose insulation to your existing installation to decrease your cooling bills.

XERISCAPE
We already know about water shortages here in South Florida, but if you have landscaping that needs regular mowing and maintenance, consider saving the cost of mowing and watering with plants that don’t require so much maintenance (but still look good in the process).  If you cannot change your landscaping, be careful with watering and waste. Invest in a timer for your sprinklers and keep watering to a minimum.  Make sure the sprinklers aren’t watering the sidewalk.

SEEING THE LIGHT
As your old incadescent lightbulbs burn out, replace them with CFLs (compact florescent lights, you’ve seen them: the spiral ones). While CFLs cost more, they last ten times as long for savings of about $50 comparatively over the life of the bulb (according to ABC News).

GETTING SERIOUS
Start at the top!  The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non profit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods through its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™—a way of giving credits (points) in 4 levels:  Certified, Gold, Silver, and Platinum.  If you are considering new construction, check out the advantages of going green. Commonfire.org is a great, easy-to-read site offering all the answers.

Wynwood is home to one of the largest Puerto Rican enclaves in Miami. Wynwood is also referred to as “Little San Juan“, and commonly known as “El Barrio“.^[2] Puerto Rican-owned restaurants, shops, markets and other businesses align the streets of Wynwood. Puerto Rican culture and social activity is centered in Wynwood. In recent years, many Puerto Ricans have been moving to more affluent areas of Miami such as Kendall and Coral Gables due to socioeconomic success in the past years. The Wynwood Puerto Rican population is dwindling and being replaced by Central Americans, especially people from Honduras. Gentrification is also taking place in Wynwood and many expensive condominiums are being built, replacing the mom and pop shops, as well as homes.