Miami Real Estate

The Cloisters: Located in Coconut Grove, this gated community features 40 private villas. Each villa has three floors and offers 4,500-7,900 square feet of living space and private elevators. Each villa has 3-5 bedrooms, 2 car garages, and a rooftop terrace overlooking fabulous views of the bay, ocean and city. The Cloisters community offers residents a pool, clubhouse and tennis court.

Gables by the Sea: Located in Coral Gables, this prestigious community has much to offer. Residents enjoy luxurious estates and channels/waterways with ocean access. The community boasts a playground, basketball and tennis courts as well as 24 hour security patrol and guard house. True to its name, life revolves around the sea, with sailing, water skiing, and scuba diving as year round activities. Gables by the Sea offers luxury living in a tranquil coastal setting. Read the rest of this entry »

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Contemporary  Two Story Miami Waterfront  – Just Listed For Sale… 13724 SW 92 Ct,  Miami, Florida 

E-LAKE …  A True Miami Lifestyle…  ON VACATION … Living In Your Own  RESORT  Home!

 This private oasis is nestled on a quiet side street,  abutting  Miami’s highly desirable recreational and motorized  freshwater  E-Lake.  The 76 acre Miami lakefront community is home to residents who rarely relinquish their claim to the lakefront!   Here’s a contemporary home – 13724 SW 92 Court, Miami, Florida  33176 -  renovated and modern, with high ceilings, a truly breathtaking ”great room”, modern European kitchen overlooking the lake, dual stairwells, a wine cellar,  indoor black granite spa with lake views, private dock with electric boat lift, private beach, and a beachfront outdoor covered summer-kitchen.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Ugo Colombo’s 32 story highrise  luxury condo in Coconut Grove continues to attract buyers… three years post-opening…. and three years after selling out $5 million  in condos within literally the first 45 minutes!  

 Grovenor House, built in 2006,  is Colombo’s sole waterfront condo in Coconut Grove…  his other high end highrises primarily concentrated along Brickell Avenue and on Miami Beach.

List prices today in the MLS  for Grovenor House condos run  $669,000 – $16,900,000 ($419-$1,855 / square foot). 

That puts the average list price at $2,506,875  for 2,761 square feet of air space overlooking Coconut Grove’s Biscayne Bay…. in other words $739 per square foot – asking price.

  Despite the Miami condo glut, and recent foreclosures hitting the high-end real estate market hard, Grovenor House and other waterfront luxury property is holding it’s value. The overall lack of buildable waterfront property adds a premium to existing ‘waterfront’… in Miami as elsewhere.

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What Is My House Worth?  

FOR A COMPARATIVE MARKET ANALYSIS (”CMA”) OF YOUR PROPERTY,  showing recently SOLD relevant properties,  as well as any currently FOR SALE ,  conact  the Restivo Team at EWM REALTORS.   

Curious as to what the value of your property is, and whether this would be the right time for you to sell?   

For a no pressure market valuation, contact us through www.MiamiRealEstateCafe.com  or 305 793 1365 or 305 632-1064.

READY TO SELL YOUR HOUSE NOW?   Considering listing your property  for sale?  All preliminary information is entirely confidential, and there is no pressure to sell with us.   We invite you begin the mutual evaluation process … just send us a note here.  We will determine together whether this might be the right time, and whether there is a ‘fit’.

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Not a bad track record…   Ugo Colombo’s highrises still rank among the very top of Miami’s most desirable condos. 

The Santa Maria, built in 1997,  as of right now, has list prices averaging  $702 / square foot in the MLS … despite foreclosures  Read the rest of this entry »

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PUT A VALUE ON THIS… if you can!  This is a house that makes real estate exciting!  Miami certainly has her share of  REMARKABLE properties… but I’ve yet to come across one that could even remotely hold a candle to this one!   Pricing it would unquestionably be an ART!  (… as opposed to a science!)

   Rhode Island, on Narragansett Bay.  Welcome to Clingstone!

This 103 year old mansion was bought  by Henry Wood in 1961, after two decades of literally sitting empty!

A summer house!  Unlike Miami, winter in Rhode Island can be rather harsh, and the  Jamestown boatyard has to haul (and store) the family’s boats and floating dock each winter (in exchange for a brief respite on the island in the summer, themselves!)

Henry Wood, a Boston architect, bought this incredible house in 1961.     Care to guess at what he bought it for?   He bought it for a mere $3,600.00.

Three stories.  10 bedrooms.   360 degrees of  WATERFRONT windows with indecently beautiful views … and…  a rather charming  sense of humor !   “No Entry After 3 Drinks or 86 Years of Age”  warns of potential peril at the base of a precariously-steep stairwell.

A rare ’deal of a lifetime’,  Clingstone  was completed in 1905. The total price for the original construction was $36,982.00.  Regardless of the condition of this house in 1961 when Henry Wood bought it, I think he got a steal of a deal!

A glimpse back in time… documenting history for all eternity. No lawn, no neighbors, no cars and no streets … and THAT has certainly not changed!  Who else can say that?

A friend, looking for waterfront property in Florida, eventually to retire to waterfront Miami, shared this house with me – and I fell in love!  This is the stuff dreams are made of!  To my knowledge, Clingstone is not for sale. If it were, I’d love a stab at pricing it (I would actually rather BUY it!).  Miami is breeding ground for dreams too, and of course,  I would be pleased to help find yours.  If you are interested in buying property in Miami, please call me at 305 793-1365, or send me a note here. If you would  like to receive my blog posts directly into you inbox, subscribe here, and stay updated on all the Miami real estate information… truth, insight, and some smiles.   Just for a moment though, this  island home in the middle of Narragansett Bay is absolutely foremost in my thoughts!  MiamiRealEstateCafe.com

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You asked about  condo opportunities available now on Brickell?  After my blog on The Best Selling Condos on Brickell I received a slew of inquiries regarding pricing/availability of two-bedroom units in The Plaza on Brickell.  For better or worse,  inventory throughout Miami’s  myriad of condo buildings changes  literally by the minute.  That said, as of this writing,  there are still 7  (in my opinion stunning!) water view two-bedrooms available in The Plaza, ranging in price from $409,900 to $629,900 (and ranging in size from 1054 - 1400 square feet).  Every single unit above the the 41st floor is what’s called a  “Sky Residence”,  with upgrades beyond what you’ll find from the 41st floor, down.     Half of the currently available 2 bedroom waterfront units fall into the “Sky Residence” category ( with high ceilings!) and a number of them have views  that are quite dramatic.  Currently the developer is entertaining discounts in the range of 6% -10%  (depending on whether you are financing/or paying cash).  The Plaza is Fannie Mae approved, which means you can get lender financing.  Looking for a waterfront condo on Brickell?  This may be the time to buy!  If you are interested in buying or selling property in Miami, please give me a call at (305) 793-1365 or send me a note here.  Receive my blog posts directly to your inbox.   Stay current with all the Miami real estate information …  subscribe here.

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Come for a glass of wine and preview  breathtaking waterfront  9200 SW 140 Street on E Lake:  OPEN HOUSE THIS SUNDAY 2pm-6pm September 13th.  Enjoy an afternoon on E Lake.  Outdoor lifestyle worth exploring … E Lake… in the Falls area of Miami: 4 bedroom beautifully updated home.  E-Lake for sale!  $1,195,000.00.

Wave runners, sailboats, ski boats, rafts, wake boarders… private sandy beaches… and a water  quality (which is tested monthly) that has been (for over 30 years  now) exceptional!  From your dock you can see fish. From your beach front chickee hut you’ll enjoy breathtaking sunsets.  E-Lake affords  an active-lifestyle for the sports-oriented.  It also offers laid-back peace and quiet for those wanting resort-style tranquility in the privacy of their own backyard.  Curl up in a hammock with your favorite book.  Enjoy a leisurely bar-b-que down by the waterfront.  Take a boat ride at sunset over to visit with friends.  Enjoy  the privacy … or the sense of community.  At E Lake you can certainly have both.  Living on the lake affords an outdoor, active lifestyle unique to this particular area of Miami… and it offers a retreat where you can savor every minute of your spare time. 

E-Lake Community extends between SW 136th Street  and SW 144th Street (on the north and south), and from SW 92 Avenue over to SW 97 Avenue (on the east and west).

Property is rarely available on E-Lake.  Many of the original Jennings homes (which sold for $15,000 – $20,000) still stand, the lots  they sit on, themselves,  selling for over a million.  

 For more information on E-Lake, contact the Restivo Team at EWM Realtors  (305) 793-1365.  Hope to see you at 9200 SW 140 Street… an original Jennings built home, updated and beautiful… with a backyard that will take your breath away! Come see for yourself on Sunday, September 13th!

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Want to live somewhere really fun?  Boat,  fish, swim?  You might want to take a peak at  E-Lake.  The 76 acre Miami lakefront community is home to  a handful of residents who rarely relinquish their claim to the lakefront!  Jennings-built homes originally sold for $15K – $20K in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Today the lots themselves sell for more than a million! We have one listed now… at 9200 SW 140 St …  the least expensive piece of property on E Lake… updated and beautiful!

Wave runners, sailboats, ski boats, rafts, wake boarders… private sandy beaches… and a water  quality (which is tested monthly) that has been (for over 30 years  now) exceptional!  From your dock you can see fish. From your beach front chickee hut you’ll enjoy breathtaking sunsets.  E-Lake affords  an active-lifestyle for the sports-oriented.  It also offers laid-back peace and quiet for those wanting resort-style tranquilityin the privacy of their own backyard.  Curl up in a hammock with your favorite book.  Enjoy a leisurely bar-b-que down by the waterfront.  Take a boat ride at sunset over to visit with friends.  Enjoy  the privacy … or the sense of community.  At E Lake you can certainly have both.  Living on the lake affords an outdoor, active lifestyle unique to this particular area of Miami… and it offers a retreat where you can savor every minute of your spare time.

Everyone has a backyard that butts up on the lake.  Many of the residents have boats.  Because of the sense of community, rules are few and far between, but there’s a sense of caring and respect that’s refreshing. Residents have a voluntary annual contribution of $150 toward testing and treating the water and a desire to maintain not only the lake and but the quality of life.  There is no homeowner’s association.  What there is, is a common thread… a lifestyle that revolves around the outdoors, and an enjoyment of life and living… and a glimpse back, to a time when being a “good neighbor” .. and where pride and respect mattered. 

What’s the history of E Lake?   In the early 1920’s Henry Flagler  bought the land around E Lake  as a rock quarry… for the coral rock, limestone (also known as oolite)   needed to build his railroad.   The rock was crushed to form  the bed of the tracks, and  used in making the cement for necessary bridges and other structures. Flagler’s railroad was to go from Miami all the way down to Key West.  Because of the aquifer and Miami’s unique water table, the quarry began to fill with water. In spite of concerted efforts, the digging apparatus couldn’t contend with the infiltration of water… eventually causing excavation to cease.  By the 1940’s  a fresh water lake filled in the rock quarry, and  when seen from above, the lake looks like  the letter “E”.  The largest of the fingers is to the north, with the depth ranging  from 35 ft on the east  to  over 60 ft on the west side.   E-Lake Community extends between SW 136th Street  and SW 144th Street (on the north and south), and from SW 92 Avenue over to SW 97 Avenue (on the east and west).

Not surprisingly, the rock quarry site which is now the  historic Venetian Pool in Coral Gables similarly filled with water,  due to Miami’s natural underground springs. The Venetian Pool ( a few miles to the north of E-Lake)  became an elegant  public swimming hole for local Gables residents. Not much of a surprise to see other construction in and around Miami having to deal with that Miami aquifer even today!

By the 1960’s two developers began building homes on the land immediately surrounding E-Lake.   F & R  Builders and Jennings were the two prominent builders and many of their homes are still right where they built them.  Jennings homes are known for the scalloped edges in the closets, and their solid construction… enabling Jennings homes  throughout South Florida to withstand hurricanes in the days when  shutters or impact windows were the name of the game. Today,  many of the original Jennings homes on E-Lake have been added to, enlarged or remodeled.  Nevertheless,those homes that originally sold for $15,000.00-$20,ooo.00  occupy lots  today that themselves are valued at over a million dollars.   Real estate has long been a wise investment!  There are certainly market ups and downs, but in the long run, real estate (especially water front property) often appreciates nicely.   Homes are not often available on E-Lake.   If you have an interest in E-Lake, contact The Restivo Team at EWM Realtors  (305) 793-1365.    The Restivo Team just listed 9200 SW 140 St on E Lake for sale, and the beautifully updated  4 bedroom lakefront Jennings-built home is for sale at $1,195,000.00.  www.MiamiRealEstateCafe.com

E-Lake Community … a lifestyle worth exploring!

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OPEN HOUSES don’t sell homes!  …  (So they say!) …   But I’ve SOLD  many homes to buyers who came because of an open house. (I even sold a CONDO to a buyer who was visiting a friend and got off on the wrong floor -  An hour later, we had a contract!)  

Who comes to open houses?  Everyone and anyone:  ”Visitors” …  curious passers-by…  neighbors … “lookers” … “shoppers” …  and  yes,  actual real buyers.   

Will an open house sell your home?  Probably not.  YOUR REALTOR will sell your home.   An there are options:  Open Houses or Private Appointments. Which should you do?   Either or both… The  important thing is that it BE  SHOWN.  Statistics indicate that very FEW homes are ever bought  “sight unseen”.  The best way to sell a house ?  Make it visible and available to as many potential buyers as possible.  

Open houses aren’t for EVERYONE… Personally, I like OPEN HOUSES.   I hosted one yesterday for a stunning lakefront property at 9200 SW 140th Street …  on recreational  E-LAKE …  and served lunch to  Brokers and buyers, both. 

What’s the real benefit of hosting a broker’s open for the primary purpose of having other REALTORS see the property?   First of all Realtors do have buyers.  Furthermore Realtors walk, talk, network and share information with each other …  as well as with buyers.  Real estate is a business of connections, contacts and information-sharing.  Yesterday’s BROKER’S OPEN  brought more than just brokers and visitors.  It brought IDEAS!  Stay tuned… You can see  them on an  upcoming  Restivo blog on MiamiRealEstateCafe.com!   Watch for the blog  ” Unsolicited Advice from a Realtor: Selling Miami Better, Faster, Smarter! “

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