Miami Real Estate

The first place I bought was in New York City.

What I wanted was a condo on the Upper East Side, one that the owners had converted from a studio into a phenomenal one-bedroom condo.  It was furnished impeccably…  and looked as though it came from the pages of Architectural Digest   …   but the price tag reflected that.

What I bought instead was the same exact unit,  one floor down… for half the price. 

Mine was an estate sale …  in it’s original condition … (It was dark and dingy … in need of  considerable TLC)…   for half the pricetag of the one I’d really wanted, upstairs.

Having had the opportunity of seeing the one upstairs first … I could envision exactly what could be done with the ugly one downstairs.  I knew  that with Read the rest of this entry »

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In talking with Code Enforcement last week , I learned that there are currently close to 150 properties in The Village of Pinecrest  in pre-foreclosure.  There are so many homeowners underwater:  abandoning their property/ looking to short sale their homes/filing for bankruptcy/or the “soon-to-be” REO listings … about to be foreclosed on)  

Code Enforcement keeps tabs on distressed (or abandoned) properties, communicating with the lenders involved,  in an effort to maintain curb appeal and neighboring property values.   Read the rest of this entry »

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The best referrals are the kind that come via word of mouth…  ( the tried-and-true variety).    If you’re looking for service provider, a good place to start is by asking someone in the throws of having work done in their own home.  

We received two letters over the past couple of weeks  (from homeowners who recently bought property through us, and  have been doing major  home remodeling projects for  several months now) … I’m going to go ahead and share their recommendation with you : 

“We have used your list of contractors, that you referred, for several items around the house.  There is one person that is responsible for the kitchen:  Dan Piel from Trimline is beyond belief - much more than “just a cabinet” guy.  He is creative, pays attention to your suggestions, and oversees the entire project from start to finish. He is more than capable, demands perfection from his contractors, and gives unequaled service.  You need to add his name to your list of referrals.  Maybe even mention him to the other agents at EWM.”   Jim – Pinecrest

Contact information: Dan Piel Trimline Kitchen Design - in Miami, Florida -  10001 S. Dixie Hwy  (305) 666-7609

Thanks, Jim!   We like to update and revise our list of  Recommended Service Providers (The Restivo’s Little Black Book) … and appreciate your input and feedback… pro and con.  

In Miami, pretty much any top realtor will provide you with recommendations of workers and reputable service providers.  And Alexandra and I certainly look forward to working with you whenever you are ready to buy (or sell)  real estate in Florida  (or need relocation advice - moving elsewhere)..  Please don’t hesitate to contact us anytime -  Vicki Restivo (305) 793-1365  -  Alexandra Restivo (305) 632-0164.    

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Electricity  101: Preventing Electrical Shock

If you’re in the do-it-yourself mode for making electrical repairs in your home or business, you need to educate yourself on avoiding electrical shock. Timothy Thiele, a writer for www.about.com, offers these tips.

• You should always shut the power off to the circuit or device that you will be working on. Do this first, before you do anything else on the project.  
                                         
• After you have turned the circuit off, check it with a tester to make sure that it is really off. Never assume the circuit is off because if you’re wrong, it might danger your life.
                                                                                    
• If a ladder is necessary for your project, never use an aluminum ladder—ever—for an electrical project. Always use an insulated fiberglass ladder to keep you safe. Avoid wet areas when working with or on anything electrical. If there is a reason for you to be in such a situation, wear rubber boots and gloves to lessen the chances of getting electrical shock. Tools and appliances should be plugged into a GFCI outlet or a GFCI extension cord.     Read the rest of this entry »

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REMODELING YOUR HOME?  IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE YOUR INVESTMENT, YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW WHICH  RENOVATION PROJECTS  BRING  THE HIGHEST RETURN ON INVESTEMENT (ROI),  AND WHICH FALL SHORT. 

THE BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT MOST OFTEN COMES FROM HOME RENOVATIONS THAT CAPITALIZE ON BUYER’S EMOTIONS.  Read the rest of this entry »

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 Where did all this stuff come from?  We’ve got things in our kitchen cabinets  (useful and otherwise!)  that we  forgot we ever had!

Unloading cabinets and drawers until the wee hours of the morning, literally everything from our kitchen is stacked temporarily in our (now full) dining room.  The rest of the stuff is now beginning to spill out into the  corridor and into the game room.   Read the rest of this entry »

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Some home repairs are fairly easy (and fairly inexpensive)  fixes…  if you’re  handy.   Other repairs require a technician.  The most common washing machine ailments revolve (literally!) around the spin and balance.

Balance is an easy  ”do-it-yourself-fix”.   Read the rest of this entry »

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Shoddy workmanship!   Think you won’t  get caught?  To replace the AC ducts on a 4 bedroom house, you ask the homeowner for $6,000.00. You then replace only the readily accessible portion … leaving the rusted, deteriorated ducts in the entire east wing of the home just as they are?  Perhaps you are hoping  that no one would notice?   With the crawl space being small, and the work being time-consuming, perhaps you wanted to cut corners?

THAT’S WHY WE DO HOME INSPECTIONS, PEOPLE !

Our  little black book  (of referred/preferred suppliers and business providers)  now comes in TWO versions … and you are in the new version for home-buyers and home-sellers… of who NOT to use! 

That’s what Realtors do …  We provide our buyers and sellers with  resources …competent and reliable workers/providers, etc… and now, those to avoid.

Guess what? Our  BLACK LIST of shoddy, unethical, incompetent and deceitful providers, that you are now at the top of … will hopefully diminish your pool of unsuspecting homeowners, who shouldn’t trust you!  Here’s  to  you  … going  out of business  … soon!

Our home-buyers  knew that the AC ducts were being replaced.  The sellers (YOUR CLIENTS!) believed in and relied on you.  As I drove by, I could see all the old ducts out on the driveway.  I had no reason to doubt your word  … doubt your contractual agreement (for which you pulled a permit from the Village of Pinecrest!)

Did you know that the sellers had a previous deal fall apart?  Did you know they’d already bought another home, and were under contract to sell their  home again, to a new set of buyers?  Mine.  Did you know the  sellers  were  repairing the deficiencies outlined in the inspection report from the previous offer…  and were anxious to sell and move?    What about the outrageous sum they paid  you  -$6,000 –  to have their AC duct system replaced..

The home inspection my buyers did a couple of weeks back revealed that  1/2 the AC ducts  ( those readily visible)  had been replaced.  Good job!   What about the other 1/2 you were supposed to replace?  Apparently your licensed AC company was hoping the Village of Pinecrest wouldn’t do a thorough  final inspection?   Apparently your AC company didn’t know that my buyers would order independent inspections of the house as a whole? The Village of  Pinecrest would have caught your fraud, on final inspections, I’m sure. But they didn’t have to.  

Allied Inspections  (Allied Building Inspection Services – Joe Penza)  checked out the house two weeks ago on a  Monday … Pinecrest wasn’t set to do their final inspections until Tuesday… Allied was quick to point  out your ‘work’.   Scandalous!

You, a licensed contractor,  take $6,000 from and unsuspecting homeowner, promising to replace the duct work… and  and do half ?  You may not have known that the home buyers would hire an independent inspection company … but you did pull a permit for the AC work, so you must  have known the Village of Pinecrest would order a final !  What happened to your work ethic?   That’s thievery … twice over… robbing both the homeowner and the new buyer.    

You are now officially at the top of my list …  shoddy workers… poor work ethic.  Have I ever used your services?  No … nor will I.  You have earned your spot …  very close to the top of my list …  my little black book of providers NOT to use.

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WATER HOOK UPS in PINECREST, FLORIDA … who pays… who benefits…  What are the costs and what is the grace period? 

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OVEN DOESN’T HEAT  PROPERLY? 

GAS OVEN:  If the igniter on the bottom of the oven glows red but doesn’t ignite for several minutes,  you may need a new igniter, and a service technician will need to handle that.  

Do it yourself jobs include unclogging the burners or :

1) If the gas burners are clogged, you can clean them out with a safety pin (or other metal point… but not a toothpick since it could break off and cause a problem!).  

2) If the spark plug igniters are clogged with food or grease, a toothbrush and soap will do the trick. Read the rest of this entry »

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